The Auld Alliance Singapore - Learning with Emmanuel Dron
As a whisky enthusiast, it was a great honour to sit down with Emmanuel Dron, the founder of the iconic whisky bar The Auld Alliance in Singapore. This conversation offered more than just insight into the story of a legendary bar—it became an opportunity to understand how a lifelong journey with whisky is built, one dram and one idea at a time.
For those of us still navigating the early stages of appreciation, Emmanuel’s reflections serve as both inspiration and guidance. So, let’s dive into the stories and lessons from one of Asia’s most respected whisky voices.
How did Emmanuel start his whisky journey?
Emmanuel's journey began in Lille, northern France, during the mid-1990s. The first bottle that captured his attention was a single malt—a gateway that sparked something profound. Though he wasn’t a heavy drinker, the experience of that bottle led him to books, research, and eventually, deep exploration.
He began tasting whisky regularly in a local jazz bar that offered over 150 expressions—a treasure trove for any budding enthusiast. His passion soon translated into a self-made newsletter about whisky, which he sent to La Maison du Whisky, a major name in the French whisky scene. They loved it. That newsletter marked the beginning of Emmanuel’s career in the industry and laid the groundwork for what would eventually become The Auld Alliance.
How did Emmanuel teach himself about whisky?
As someone who is also self-studying whisky, I was curious about his personal approach to learning. Emmanuel generously shared several powerful insights:
1) Start with tasting notes – Keeping notes helps us reflect and categorize what we’re tasting. Over time, these notes form the backbone of our sensory memory and deepen our understanding.
2) Drink with your tongue, not your eyes - This one surprised me. Many drinkers get influenced by labels—age statements, distillery names, rare casks—rather than the actual flavour. Emmanuel emphasized the importance of ignoring preconceptions and staying grounded in the sensory experience.
3) Eventually, let go of the notes - At first this seemed contradictory, but it’s not. Once we’ve built a solid base, overly technical or poetic notes can become a distraction. Taste is deeply subjective and culturally shaped. A French descriptor might not resonate with a Chinese reader, and vice versa. With experience, it becomes more valuable to understand the broader character of a whisky—its body and texture, complexity, openness vs. dryness, or whether it’s powerful or smooth—than to hunt for perfect adjectives.
How to build whisky knowledge and experience?
Emmanuel offered a clear framework for deepening one’s whisky understanding:
Start with books – Learn about distillation, whisky categories, regional styles, and terminology.
Explore diversity – From Islay’s peated beasts to the elegance of Japanese expressions, regional comparison is key.
Pay attention to wood – Oak types dramatically influence flavour. Learn to taste the cask.
Compare vertically and horizontally – Try whiskies from the same distillery but different ages, or same age but different vintage years (e.g. 1970s vs. 1990s).
Through this process, Emmanuel described whisky as offering a “rainbow of flavour”—and the journey is about developing the imagination and sensitivity to see those colours clearly.
What makes The Auld Alliance unique?
Over a decade ago, The Auld Alliance broke new ground in Asia by offering rare and old whiskies by the glass, making these bottles accessible to enthusiasts who might never afford the full price of a vintage bottle. This concept attracted collectors and newcomers alike.
Today, the bar boasts:
Over 50 exclusive private single casks, including legendary names like Port Ellen, Ardbeg, and Longrow.
A total of 2,500+ bottles on display, with another 6,000+ in storage—ensuring that the journey never ends.
Emmanuel’s own book, Collecting Scotch Whisky, which documents distillery histories, old bottlings, and interviews with iconic figures like Silvano Samaroli and Pepi Mongiardino.
In short, The Auld Alliance is not just a bar—it’s a living library of whisky history.
Any special story behind a private bottle?
One of Emmanuel’s most meaningful stories revolves around his long-time dream of bottling a Port Ellen cask.
In 2012, he found a fantastic one in Italy and planned to bottle it for Whisky Live Taiwan. But after reserving it, the bottler suddenly withdrew the offer. Disappointed, Emmanuel pivoted and presented a 30-year-old Highland Park instead.
Three years passed. Then, one day, while chatting with a visiting Italian photographer at his bar, Emmanuel shared the story of that “lost” Port Ellen cask. The photographer paused—then said he was the actual owner of that very cask!
That moment of serendipity allowed Emmanuel to finally bottle it. You can now enjoy a glass of Port Ellen 1983 at The Auld Alliance—a dram that carries a story within its spirit.
“Drink with your tongue, not your eyes.”
Another powerful example of this philosophy came during a blind tasting session. Emmanuel discovered a remarkably good dram but was disappointed to find it came from Glenturret, a distillery he previously didn’t favour.
Still, he chose to trust his palate over his bias—and bottled it anyway. Today, you can taste that Glenturret 1974 – 36YO at his bar. It stands as a reminder: perception should follow experience, not precede it.
What does Emmanuel think of the modern whisky market?
Part 1: Great casks are harder to find
Back in the early 2000s, there were only about 50 bottlers in Scotland. Fewer bottlers meant more care per cask—selection was precise, and the goal was flavour, not just volume.
But by the mid-2010s, the number of bottlers exploded to around 1,000. Many are driven by profit, buying casks without even tasting them. Because these casks often come from the same brokers, filled at the same time and aged in similar conditions, they produce whiskies that taste nearly identical, despite having different labels.
The market grew, but the magic began to fade.
Part 2: The rise of label-driven drinking
When the liquid becomes indistinguishable, what remains is the label. So marketers leaned in—creating artistic, edgy, collectible designs that tell stories the whisky inside can’t match.
Whisky transformed from a crafted spirit to a marketed product. And many people, knowingly or not, began drinking the label more than the liquid.
Endnote by Fai
What I took away from Emmanuel’s stories is simple, yet powerful: Whisky is an art form. Every bottle represents years of labour, love, and decisions by people we rarely see.
As drinkers, we carry a responsibility. Not only to taste—but to honour the effort. In a world that moves quickly and values packaging over content, maybe the most radical thing we can do is to slow down and taste with intention.
Drink with your tongue. Let the whisky speak before the label does.
Thank you again, Emmanuel, for your time, your generosity, and your unwavering devotion to this beautiful spirit.
- Aukingfai
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