Club Monaco Men's Workshop

To start off the weekend last Friday, Club Monaco held a chill men's event that was divided into 2 segments - a personalised leather card holder making workshop and a whisky tasting. The venue itself in Saint Francis Yard was solely reserved for menswear, reflecting old world elegance and a refined gentleman's parlour. As any sartorial gentleman would know, personalisation is not only highly coveted  but a true signifier of one's attention to detail. From monogrammed ties to personalised stationary sets, any person should have the honour of "putting their mark" on something they own.

Each person was given a choice between an olive green or black card holder. We were then handed a hammer and a lettering set for us to engrave whatever we wanted. The challenge? Making sure the letters were in the right direction as the lettering set had them inverted. And for me, it wasn't easy trying to snap pics at the same time after having 4 glasses of whisky earlier...

 Just a quick side note, I was surprised to bump into the awesome Arthur Tam, columnist for Time Out HK and presenter of the new RTHK Radio 3 LGBT show, From Top to Bottom.

Spencer was the bar guy for the day and he offered helpful advice on how to drink whisky properly. Since drinking whisky (or wine for that matter) isn't only about the taste, you should also be aware of the colour and the aroma that it carries.

After pouring an ounce of whisky into the snifter, you should tilt it towards the light and note the richness of the colour. After doing so, you should then tilt your glass on the table and roll it so that the whisky coats the entire surface. Place your palm above the opening for five seconds and uncover to inhale the aromas in the whisky. Sip the whisky and let it rest on your tongue before swallowing and letting it warm your throat.

Being the "responsible" drinker that I am, I tasted 4 of the 5 whisky's that were available. The Old Malt Cask Glen Grant 36 year old 1975 Vintage was my favourite as it exuded the flavours of a sweet and spicy brandy with notes of dried fruit and plum (Oh how pretentious I sound haha).

It was definitely an entertaining and educational afternoon with Spencer also telling me that I should take a look at whisky's from Speyside that are typically rich and sweet. In need of some whisky in the 852? Not to worry, Spencer points out bars like 001 and Blck Brd being a good place to visit for harder to find whisky brands.

Here's to a good week ahead!