Diageo Global Travel together with DFS Group have launched the Johnnie Walker House retail showcase within DFS Group’s new wines and spirits flagship store in the central atrium of the departures concourse at Singapore Changi Airport, Terminal 3.
The establishment of Johnnie Walker House Singapore marks the seventh addition to the expanding international network of whisky embassies. This follows the success of existing flagships in Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and Chengdu, as well as travel retail theatres in the airports of Taipei and Mumbai. The milestone also celebrates the first Johnnie Walker House in Singapore and Southeast Asia.
The design of Johnnie Walker House Singapore is inspired by the combination of two elements. The first draws from the rich, progressive travel heritage of epic ocean voyages that took Johnnie Walker from the four corners of Scotland to the four corners of the world, making it the world’s first global brand. The second is the evergreen custom in luxury retail of using trunk shows to provide tailored, exclusive experiences to valued clients.
When travellers step into Johnnie Walker House Singapore, they are transported into a retail theatre of a larger-than-life luxury steamer trunk. Designed and built by award-winning Singapore-based design agency Asylum, the highly tactile environment of leather, copper, marble, bronze, wood and steel finishing, brings to life the history, provenance and pioneering spirit of Johnnie Walker.
To commemorate the inauguration of the Johnnie Walker House Singapore, a limited edition of the Johnnie Walker Blue Label will be exclusively available at Singapore Changi Airport. The ivory-coloured ceramic bottle puduced by Wade features the landscape of Scotland and the skyline of Singapore in the brand’s hallmark Willow design. The collectible was illustrated by Dawn Ng and pictorially depicts the historic journey of Johnnie Walker from Scotland to Singapore – from the time John Walker & Sons was established in 1820, in Kilmarnock, to 1885, when the Johnnie Walker whiskies had made their way to Singapore as one of the world’s first modern luxury icons.
DFS Group, the world’s leading luxury travel retailer, has opened a spectacular new wines and spirits flagship duplex store – the first of its kind in the world – at Singapore’s Changi Airport Terminal 3 .
At 11,400 square feet across two floors, the store is DFS Group’s largest single retail space for wines, spirits and tobacco. The opening of the store marks a milestone in DFS’ leadership and innovation in retail, and the realization of a new vision for retail at Changi Airport.
Designed by Masamichi Katayama, the award-winning interior designer and founder of design firm Wonderwall, the store showcases the luxury retailer’s full assortment of wines, spirits and tobacco in a visually dramatic store environment and façade inspired by flowing water and undulating shapes. Within the store, warm and modern design elements accentuated by a double-height atrium measuring over eight meters high provides an inviting shopping and tasting environment for travellers.
Amongst the store’s most innovative features are expanded common areas designed especially for lifestyle and cultural experiences. This includes a Raffles Long Bar – in collaboration with one of Singapore’s most historical landmarks, the Raffles Hotel - the ground-floor atrium tasting bars and a private lounge. The Long Bar will serve its famed cocktail invention, the original Singapore Sling. These common areas also provide space for guided tastings and a monthly program of exciting and interactive activities, featuring master classes for cocktail mixology, bartending and hosting at home.
In the new duplex store, DFS also introduces Changi’s first branded boutiques for wines and spirits, situated on the second floor. Nine brands – Absolut, Dom Pérignon, Glenfiddich, Hendrick’s, Hennessy, Johnnie Walker, The Macallan, Martell, and Penfolds – will showcase their heritage and their finest products within individually-designed boutiques, from the travel trunk-inspired Johnnie Walker House to the Glenfiddich boutique’s cellar and cask design. The store will also host visits from master distillers, blenders and brand ambassadors throughout the year, and unveil worldwide product launches for these nine brands.