Whip Up Your Own Whiskey at Awaguli Bar & Grill

Awaguli Bar | Aug 3, 2020 2:30 pm | 1 comment | 243 reads | Paid for

When it comes to luxury and refinement, whiskey is in a league all its own. The word itself comes from the Gaelic uisce beatha, which is a translation of the Latin, aqua vitae, or "water of life." Whiskey production is a fascinating process that involves soaking some first-class barley in water, germinating it, and drying it with charcoal smoke before letting the mixture ferment, and then distilling and aging it for at least three years.

And with that, we introduce to you Awaguli, a whiskey distillery and tasting room in the heart of Sanlitun. More commonly known for their hearty pub grub and homey vibe, their new whiskey room is something else entirely, and feels more like a spacious underground cellar tucked into a cottage in the Scottish highlands than a restaurant in Courtyard 4.

Practically speaking, the cellar is responsible for protecting whiskey, and has been the preferred method for fermenting, aging, and distilling since the drink first rose to prominence in Ireland or Scotland (the jury is seemingly still out on this one) roughly 1,000 years ago. On a more symbolic level, however, the wine and whiskey cellar has long captured the public's imagination, perhaps no more so than in Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask of Amontillado. Though dark and dank, it also symbolizes fabulous wealth and prestige. Simply put, it's an enigmatic place full of wonder and intrigue.

While most of us can't afford to keep our own cellar, at Awaguli you can actually participate in whiskey production yourself, from grinding and fermenting to distilling and mixing, bringing folks closer to the origin and process of each drop of this truly fine libation. What's more, such a deep understanding helps to highlight the characteristics of the whiskey's natural taste, making for a much more enjoyable drinking experience.

Awaguli uses 100 percent Scottish-sourced materials and techniques, and during your visit, you'll be introduced to their special blend of barley malt, perhaps the most important raw material of whiskey making. Additionally, you'll learn how different types of peat can imbue your whiskey with different smokey flavors. There are also different oak barrels and aging times that result in different color liquors, all of which are on full display along the walls lined with liquors at various stages of the aging, saccharification, and fermentation process. The fermented malt liquor is then sent for distillation, however, it still can't be called whiskey. In fact, the newly distilled Scotch is put into toasted oak barrels and set in a temperature-controlled warehouse, where it will take at least three years to become a balanced whiskey.

After touring the whiskey brewing process, folks are then invited to the slightly more relaxing and enjoyable part: the tasting!

At Awaguli, everyone can choose different varieties of whiskey according to their taste or even mix their own blend of whiskey in different proportions, bottle it, and slap on their own unique label.

And Voilà! A bottle of your very own private Awaguli whiskey is born.

Between its coffee, one-of-a-kind whiskeys, delicious food, and knowledgeable staff and whiskey masters, Awaguli Bar and Grill is definitely the type of place that you can spend an entire day, well into the evening.