Singapore bars find growing niche in artisanal booze

LOOKING for something beyond wine, whisky or even sake bars during a night out with friends? How about a flight tasting of craft makgeolli at the Odem bar, which specialises in rare versions of the Korean rice wine? Or artisanal umeshu at the speakeasy Ume Maru? Or armagnac, a rare brandy at SyZyGy?

The three are just some of the players in a growing scene of niche bars that add a new level of exclusivity and uniqueness to the local drinking scene. Their owners are passionate about personally seeking out products rarely seen in the local market, and they’re finding an eager audience among both connoisseurs and novice drinkers.

New niche

SyZyGy is the first bar concept in Singapore dedicated to armagnac, a type of small-batch brandy from the Gascony region of south-west France. Rare blends and naturally aged vintages of armagnac as well as unique, rare vintages of cognac and calvados are offered – some served by the glass or used in cocktails.

The bar in Beach Road was founded by Selin Tanetvitayavet, who distributes fine French spirits in Thailand and Singapore through her company Exquisite Elixir. The entrepreneur often visits France to source artisanal armagnacs (distilled from wine made from a blend of grapes). “I tend to go there around distillation season as it’s best to taste new distillates – an important indicator of the quality of the spirit,” she says, adding that it’s also a great opportunity to look out for exceptional vintages during this period. She also believes that now is a good time to suss out armagnacs as “the pricing is still affordable and vintages are still available”.

Over at Far East Plaza, Ume Maru is Singapore’s first “secret” bespoke craft whisky and umeshu cocktail bar. The space is tucked away in a corner, behind a shelf lined with manga comics. What you’ll get here is a curated selection of umeshu and Japanese fruit wines from microbreweries around Japan. They are hard to find, even within Japan.

Founder Jeffry Lautan is an avid fan of umeshu, whisky and cocktails. Ume Maru is a passion project owned by him and two other partners. Their first umeshu bar, Ume San 100, opened in 2023 at Fortune Centre.  

Lautan says: “Japanese umeshu makers are notorious for keeping the best stuff for their domestic market instead of exporting, so it really takes effort to build relationships and trust with the makers to allow us to bring them to Singapore. Every year, only 3,000 bottles are made for most of the labels that we carry due to the capacity of the microbreweries. It is hard enough to get them in Japan, let alone outside Japan.”

Odem is a new artisanal makgeolli bar in New Bahru, showcasing craft brewers from various regions of Korea. The bar and restaurant is owned by Dominic Tan, who has an affinity for this traditional rice wine. 

“We typically visit Korea three to four times a year, meeting with our suppliers and brewers regularly and to import makgeolli, soju and other spirits made by local craftsmen,” says Tan, who is also co-founder of the casual Ajumma’s Korean Restaurant. Odem sources for high-quality unique brews that are hard to come by even in Korean bars and bottle shops. “We’re in talks with some very exclusive breweries, and hope to reveal more in the near future,” Tan says. 

SEE ALSO

New bars to check out

Why specifically artisanal makgeolli? Tan says the craft makgeolli scene started flourishing only in recent years despite it being a traditional product for centuries. “The commercially available makgeolli we are familiar with (the ones in plastic bottles lining supermarket shelves) are made with artificial ingredients and bottled within several days, whereas the breweries we work with use fully natural ingredients and let their brews ferment over 200 days to develop complexity. Lots of small breweries are breaking new frontiers and experimenting with new techniques, ingredients that create unique brews.” He adds that as makgeolli embraces the use of wild yeast and mould in their ferments, the variety of makgeolli can range from fruity and floral to complex, nutty, grainy and funky.

Unique, rare labels

Ume Maru’s umeshu labels are exclusively available only at its bar. A unique one to try is Hoshiko Umeshu. Only 2,000 bottles are made each year by renowned Japanese bartender Danny Aikawa, whose objective was to make a Japanese liqueur perfect for drinking and mixing. Hoshiko is crafted with plums from Wakayama, paired with a secret blend of spices. It has an aroma of cinnamon and clove, with flavours reminiscent of apple pie and tart ume. There’s also Enishi Umeshu, which is made with “Rokane” plums – a rare, new variety of plum that is produced by only a handful of farmers in Wakayama. It showcases aromas of pomegranate and grapefruit, along with flavours of cherries and passion fruit.

In general, umeshu is enjoyed chilled or with ice, soda water or tea. Ume Maru has also concocted a range of creative cocktails fusing umeshu with other ingredients. For instance, Songbird is a refreshing drink made with strawberry umeshu, vodka, sakura, lavender and citrus. Or Light of Nara is a mix of muscat umeshu, nashi pear umeshu, rose vermouth and persimmon vinegar. 

The bar carries a curated selection of craft whiskies from Scotland, Japan, Korea, Indonesia and the US. Notable Asian-made whiskies include Indonesia’s premium Royal Brewhouse, and Korea’s Imperial Whisky which is extremely hard to find outside of Korea. 

Similarly, SyZyGy Bar has exclusivity with all the brands they represent. “The products are only available at our outlets or through our distribution partners,” Tanetvitayavet says.

The oldest vintage offered at SyZyGy Bar is 1923 Laberdolive Bas-Armagnac. The bar also carries brands such as Chateau de Lacquy and Dartigalongue that have been producing armagnac for generations. These are among the oldest houses that are still producing it the traditional way for more than 200 years.  

As for Odem’s unique makgeolli selection, they are brewed in small batches using local fruits, flowers and top-grade Korean rice, and are free of preservatives. Tan says: “Our partner brewers are meticulous artisans. Jiran Jigyo, for instance, employs a proprietary nuruk (fermentation starter) made with fig leaves and cultured over generations in the family’s brewery. Bewater brewery uses 100 per cent organic rice cultivated through snail farming and their master-brewer, deeply immersed in meditation and philosophy, oversees every step – from rice washing to fermentation.”

Growing demand?

Singapore’s vibrant bar scene already has bars focusing on rums, mezcals and tequilas. Is there really room for more specialised bar concepts?

Tan believes so. “Most people have the impression that makgeolli is the white bubbly beverage that comes in an aluminium kettle that you have as an after-thought with your Korean barbecue. But craft makgeolli is a totally different animal – they have a deep and complex aroma as a result of the extended fermentation period. All the makgeolli we carry at Odem are still live ferments, which continue to age and develop in the bottle over time.”

More education is needed to expose local consumers to the brew, so “we offer two sets of flights and all our makgeolli is served by the glass”, he adds. “Information on our brewery partners can also be found on our social media, website and menus.”

In turn, Lautan believes that most drinkers in Singapore have yet to discover fine umeshu. “Many people think that umeshu is that extremely sweet plum drink you get from the supermarket or duty-free shops. The umeshu that we serve are all higher-grade products that use only the top 10 per cent best-harvested plums in Japan every year. The flavours tend to be very balanced and sophisticated, depending on what they are made with or mixed with.”

While Tanetvitayavet can’t confirm if the market is ready for armagnacs, there’s certainly a fan base for this French brandy. “It’s small, but growing. It used to be considered a ‘best-kept secret’, but soon it won’t be.” And clearly, she and other entrepreneurs are banking on artisanal brews being an open secret for Singapore drinkers, too.