The Singaporean who collects Mars, a Japanese whisky you’ve never heard of
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The Singaporean who collects Mars, a Japanese whisky you've never heard of
A run a risk encounter in Australia set Loh Mentum Hui on his quest for the lesser-known Japanese drams. Today, he considers himself an unofficial brand ambassador for Mars whiskies, owing to his passion for the label.
Loh Chin Hui calls himself an "accidental accumulator" of Japanese Mars whiskies. (Photograph: Kelvin Chia)
17 Oct 2022 06:24AM (Updated: 17 Oct 2022 06:24AM)
Eight years ago, Loh Chin Hui decided to visit a bar in Melbourne, a watering hole named Less Than Cypher. He had walked by the place many times. The bar, which has since airtight, wasn't a fancy setup, just a modest, unassuming joint where people could enjoy cheap drinks and shoot some puddle.
Little did Loh, then a postgraduate student, know that the bar would turn out to be ground zero for his passion for Mars, a Japanese whisky brand that was unheard of outside of Japan at the time. The Singaporean got to learn most Mars from the bar's hole-and-corner menu of Japanese whiskies that included more famous brands similar Yamazaki and Yoichi.
"[At Less Than Cipher] I idea the Mars whiskies would taste quite terrible and I could joke virtually it on social media. The name itself was also very odd and it sounded like something that did not come from Japan," said Loh, 43. "Only the whiskies turned out to be extremely expert."
He tasted the Mars whiskies – a Zenkoji Komagatake Memorial Edition and a Sherry and American Oak – alongside a Yamazaki 18 Year Quondam. The spirits all had the characteristic honeyed and floral notes of Japanese drams but the Mars spirits stood out with their intensity and oily mouthfeel. Plus, they were much cheaper. He was "blown away".
He so started searching for Mars bottles anywhere he could, merely finding the whiskies in retail in Melbourne was an impossible task, given the make's obscurity then. After returning to Singapore a year later, he began hunting them down and found them from Barworks , its official benefactor here.
Today, he has a small-scale drove of virtually 100 Mars bottles. He doesn't really see himself as a collector, though. "I brutal into Mars past accident. I am more of an accidental accumulator due to my honey for the make," said Loh, who declined to reveal his profession.
He added that he is a rather different kind of collector when compared with the investment-axial whisky collectors of today. He buys Mars whiskies to open and beverage, with no intention of selling them (at a higher price) at some indicate in the time to come.
"Some whisky collectors have asked why I collect Mars because the bottles are non worth much in budgetary value. I collect them because they are a connection to the history of the company. Even though their budgetary value is low, they are important bottles of significance. The company has gone through tough periods simply e'er managed to bounciness back somehow," said Loh, referring to the fits and starts the distillery, known as Mars Shinshu, has undergone since its modern inception in 1985. He has been to the distillery once.
"Some whisky collectors have asked why I collect Mars because the bottles are not worth much in monetary value. They are important bottles of significance." – Loh Chin Hui
Located in the Japanese Alps of Nagano Prefecture, Mars Shinshu distillery, which is currently owned by alcoholic beverage producer Hombo Shuzo, was shuttered from 1992 to 2011. According to Loh, the whiskies that were distilled earlier 2022 or prior to its mothballing are the ones that are hard to find at present. Depending on their rarity, they tin can also command a certain premium.
He has about 40 of such pre-2011 whiskies, which he sourced from United kingdom-based auctioneers Scotch Whisky Auctions and Whisky Auctioneer, and friends in Japan. He is saving those whiskies to drinkable on special occasions.
His favourite canteen from that lot is the Mars Hanshin Tigers Victory Route, a 22-twelvemonth-old whisky released by Mars in 2003 every bit an unofficial tribute to Japanese baseball game team Hanshin Tigers' victories that year. The bottle is shaped like a dome, with a wind-up toy of baseball players tucked beneath it. It cost him about S$600.
"For those special occasion bottles, even if I wanted to pay a premium for them today, I can't find them anymore," he said.
Because Mars whiskies have only started to make their way out of the Japanese market in the past few years, the whiskies don't accept a big international following yet, he added. Thus, the prices are increasing but at a much slower stride vis-a-vis marquee Japanese whiskies. For the "modern" bottles – those distilled after 2022 – the prices have remained largely stable and affordable.
"Mars is slowly coming to prominence. They are winning awards in Japan. If yous speak to Japanese bar owners, their impression of Mars is very positive. It'south something like a cult distillery," he said.
He doesn't like the idea of whisky as a course of investment, though. "Anyone interested in [whisky equally investment] should arroyo it with a lot of caution. While it's called liquid gold, whisky is a very illiquid nugget to sell unless the country you lot are in has an active auction market or you take a strong network of buyers," he said.
"Personally, I think for those of us who beloved whiskies for what they are, [whisky investment] is not a good matter because prices get driven upwardly."
Loh reckoned his buy-to-drink philosophy has earned the trust of sellers and his personal connections in Japan.
"I think, when you lot build your network of connections, it makes a divergence whether they know you as someone who buys to keep and sell, or someone who buys to open and drink," he said. "They wouldn't normally sell to people whom they know are just going to sell it again, considering they might as well sell it themselves."
For those looking to start their Mars whisky collection, Loh has a tip: It comes down to whatsoever yous tin detect.
For example, the Mars Komagatake Single Malt, would be a great dram to starting time with.
He is also a big fan of pairing Mars whiskies with hawker food – he buys takeaways and does the pairings at home. Mars whiskies that are softly peated work well with savoury dishes like fried hokkien mee and prawn mee, while those with sweeter, fruity notes pair well with desserts like ondeh ondeh, he said.
Loh likewise runs the Facebook group, Hooked on Mars, where people "can only talk nearly Mars whiskies and zippo else". He also sees himself as an unofficial brand ambassador, hosting Mars tasting events with Barworks for costless.
"All this is washed out of passion. I'thou ever happy to grow the number of drinkers who would appreciate Mars whiskies."
"While it's called liquid gold, whisky is a very illiquid asset to sell unless the state y'all are in has an active sale market place or y'all have a strong network of buyers." – Loh Chin Hui
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/people/japanese-whisky-collector-singapore-mars-yamazaki-yoichi-284806
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