After years of being closed to many visitors all across the globe, the 'Las Vegas of the East' is once again bustling with energy as the city sees a positive return to tourism. From the ferry and bus terminals to the many casinos busy with players, Macau's renewed spirit is apparent.
This year, along with a slew of concerts and events, Hong Kong's sister SAR is opening a lot of new facilities. Hotels, restaurants, and attractions that have opened during the pandemic are finally welcoming tourists. And as one of Asia's popular luxury shopping destinations, Macau has been ramping up offerings from the most sought-after brands, as well as up-and-coming retailers. This season, the DFS Group (DFS), the world's leading luxury travel retailer, has partnered for the second time with City of Dreams Macau to host the annual Masters Of Wines & Spirits, a signature programme of DFS Masters Series showcasing an exhibition of the world's rarest fine wines, spirits, and Champagnes.
According to DFS Group's president of merchandising, Christophe Marque, they have chosen to return to Macau this year to meet the growing demand of their valued Mainland Chinese customers as travel resumes. The gala event that marked the opening of the exhibition welcomed over 300 guests from across Asia, compared to last year's Chinese and Macanese-only guest list.
Macau embraces beverage alcohol premiumisation trend
The alcohol sector in the Asia Pacific region was one of the industries heavily impacted by the pandemic due to the closure of bars, restaurants, and hotels. But despite the economic downturn, there was still an increased demand, especially in the growing market for premium alcohol and super-premium spirits, as well as the online and home delivery sector. "Wines and spirits continue to perform well in Asia Pacific, and we've actually seen our wines and spirits business grow the past two years during the pandemic as customers build their interest and knowledge in the category," Marque enthuses.
"We see the trends varying by location," Marque explains. For example, in the US, we have seen a pivot towards tequila and American whisky as well as an overall premiumisation which we have adapted to by forging new partnerships with local distilleries," he adds. "In Macau, we continue to see the growth in Cognac, particularly where the brands are partnering with limited editions and releases. The market also sees more and more celebrity-endorsed products as showcased in brown spirits categories, like the recent Hennessy X.O x Kim Jones collaboration. "While allocations remain a challenge, the single malt category also continues its positive trajectory, and it has been refreshing to see customers looking beyond the mainstay brands for interesting expressions," Marque says.
A window to the world's rarest and most exclusive bottles
Along with a bespoke collection of more than 100 of the world's rarest fine wines, Champagnes, whiskies, and Cognac, the exhibition introduced new categories – rum and tequila – due to the growing interest in these two spirits. Open to the public from now until the end of April, The Masters of Wines and Spirits pop-up is housed exclusively at City of Dreams Macau. Those who want to discover and learn more about the alcohol industry's ultra-premium stratosphere can check out the collection on display.
Whisky enthusiasts can discover the Karuizawa Legend of Asama Collector Set (MOP$1,080,000) – one of only 30 sets in the world from a legendary whisky distillery in Japan; two rare bottles from one of the newest independent whisky bottlers, Finn Thomson Whisky – 32 Year Old Auchentoshan 1989 (MOP$5,000) and 34 Year Old Dufftown 1987 (MOP$5,500); The Dalmore Constellation Collection 1969 Cask 1 Elie Bleu Edition (MOP$495,000), a DFS exclusive with only one set in the world; and the most expensive collection in the exhibition, The Dalmore Decades Collection No. 4 (MOP$1,345,500), a commemorative collection of four single malts celebrating the distillery's last four decades of whisky-making.
Other dark spirits highlighted on display are Hennessy Paradis x Baumer NBA (MOP$1,250,000), an NBA 75th anniversary release in a basketball-shaped Baccarat crystal decanter designed by the renowned Place Vendôme jeweller Lorenz Bäumer; and a series of collections from Colombian rum, Dictador, the makers of one of the world's most expensive rums ever sold. One of only 25 bottles of The Dictador x Orlinski 5 Decades Collection (MOP$848,000), a limited edition series hand-painted by contemporary French artist Richard Orlinski, is on display in DFS.
Tourists and shoppers interested in the collections can purchase the products at the City of Dreams's T Galleria by DFS in Macau and catch various activations across the store during the exhibition. For more information, visit dfs.com.
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