Manjit Gill On the Grande Whisky Museum: 'Even the Entire Red Bull Team Visited Us'

Tuesday, 10 June 2025 at 17:00

Whisky in Asia is booming, and at the heart of this trend lies The Grande Whisky Museum, the largest whisky museum in Asia. We spoke with Manjit Gill, Managing Director of the museum, about his extraordinary collection and the rising whisky culture in Singapore.

Many people who visit The Grande Whisky museum are blown away. ‘Because if you used to create a rare liquid, it was only intended for distribution and sale. No one thought about collecting,' explains Manjit Gill, the Managing Director of the museum.

From airport finds to 7,000 bottles

Gill’s journey began in the late 1990s, alongside the chairman of The Whisky Trust Group. While traveling frequently for work, he started picking up unique bottles at airport duty-free shops. His fascination with whisky dates back even further: after finishing his military service, he recalls whisky being opened at home and even secretly sneaking a bottle from his grandfather’s cabinet at age twelve.

At the age of 12, he secretly stole a bottle from grandpa. Although it was a simple Dimple, he was looking for something special in the late 90s.

‘In the 90s and early 2000s, you could find rare bottles that were priced lower than a regular bottle to drink, simply because no one knew. Everyone was used to drinking regular bottles.'

Over the years, his hobby turned into an impressive collection. Today, The Grande Whisky Museum houses around 7,000 bottles and still has room to grow.

A place for tourists, business people, and everything in between

The museum attracts a wide mix of people: roughly 6,000 international visitors each year come to admire the collection (kept behind closed doors) and enjoy a dram. The venue also doubles as a setting for exclusive product launches. Patek Philippe watch events, for instance. Since 2022, its location inside a major shopping mall has made it easily accessible to the public.

What stands out is how diverse the visitors are. “Whisky really is for everyone,” Gill says. A guided tour with several tastings starts at about €60, though connoisseurs can also sample rare, decades-old drams at a premium.

Famous people as guests in The Grande Whisky Museum

Because Manjit has collected so many bottles, his museum is frequently visited by all sorts of master distillers and industry insiders. He proudly mentions some names: Shinji Fukuyo from Suntory, Sir Richard Paterson, Rachel Barrie from Glendronach, Bill Lumsden from Glenmorangie, Emma Walker from Johnnie Walker, and even celebrities sometimes make an appearance: ‘The whole Red Bull team was there.'

For Verstappen, what he sees in such a museum may not be so special. That certainly applies to the whisky lovers pur sang and especially the makers.

'Some of the distilleries have said that they didn't even know that their bottles were somewhere in the world. They thought the bottle had been drunk by someone or was somewhere in a private cellar. So they're surprised,' he proudly says.

Every time someone visits, they face a big task. Because Manjit tries to have all bottles signed, something you don't often see in the world. He simply admires the craft of whisky too.

'So it's almost 100 years ago that the liquid was distilled. We have whiskies where the master distillers were just small workers, little boys working in the distillery when they poured it (the new make spirit, ed.) into the cask. And 50 years later they are master blenders and they are the ones who bottle it.'

Grande Whisky Museum Guinnes World Records

40 year old signed Laphroaig bottle

The museum holds two Guinness World Records to its name: for the best collection and the rarest bottle. The entire collection was worth nearly 100 million dollars a few years ago and could use a new appraisal. And that most luxurious bottle? That is a 40 year old Laphroaig whisky bottle signed by Camilla Parker and Charles, now king, but then prince of England.

No picture of this bottle can be admired anywhere, it is in the safe all by itself with thick plates around to keep everything spic and span.

Manjit emphasizes: ‘This bottle was never intended as a commercial goal.' He enjoys showing as many people as possible that bottle, preferably from all over the world.

A whisky collection to drool over

Besides, there are many remarkable whiskies, such as ceramic jugs of famous brands containing the golden drink, the Lalique Collection from The Macallan, bottles where the Striding man from Johnnie Walker still walks the other way and so on. It's actually too much to mention.

However, perhaps one thing is missing in this museum and that is the Zagatti Unseen Collection with the eldest whisky bottle in the world. Manjit honestly admits to never having heard of this, but shows enormous interest, as does the lady who has joined to take notes.

Pay it forward

What is striking is that his staff consists of young women, which almost seems like a statement is being made. Whisky is allowed to diversify and is certainly also a drink, or field of expertise, where women are like a fish in the water.

His staff is invariably 'educated'. Because when a master blender comes over from, for example, Scotland, small workshops are also organized for the people who work at The Grande Whisky Museum.

‘Then they listen to all the backgrounds of what has gone into the bottle. So, when we organize tours for our customers, all these stories are shared with our customers.’

That is important because whisky is gaining more and more popularity in Singapore.

Singapore: young player in the whisky market

‘Singapore is still growing. In terms of consumption, Europe is a very mature market. In terms of consumption, Singapore is a very new and fresh market. People are still learning and appreciating the art of consumption.’

In Singapore and other parts of Asia, whisky was long considered a cocktail ingredient. That's why you'll come across whisky cocktails with The Macallan or a Chivas 21, but the culture of only club drinks is growing.

Over the years, Manjit has studied people in other countries, from Scotland to Canada and from America to Denmark. He knows what it's like to drink whisky neat and analyze flavors. He also believes that Singapore will make this transition.

‘It's growing, but we're still far from the maturity of whisky as the Europeans know it. (…) People start with beer, but there's a shift to whisky. People must change their mindset.’

Taking customers on a journey

He finds it beautiful that he can play an educational role in this with the museum. Because the fast life with whiskys to choose from and online clicks is not something he is particularly a fan of.

Manjit also has several whisky shops in the country and emphasizes the personal contact with the customer:

‘We take the customer on a journey. We want them to understand what whisky is all about and why you drink it, how you'll appreciate it and how you'll continue this journey to the next. And then especially online where people click, click and click.’

He dismisses the idea that people in Singapore wouldn't like whisky because the climate is too hot, laughing: 'We have air conditioning everywhere.'

Favorite whisky: Royal Lochnagar 31.
Number of whisky glasses per week: 15-20.
Most fun bottle of whisky in possessions: Hibiki 35 Year Old Arita Kutani 2017 Ceramic Decanter.
Most expensive whisky ever drank: 50-year-old Yamazaki.
Whisky country to watch: Asia as a whole.
Whisky you would have liked to have invented: Glen Ord.

Want to know more about the museum? Visit the official website.