Southeast Asia's first Moutai House opens at Fullerton Waterboat House in October

The three-storey Moutai House Singapore will feature rare bottles worth up to S$1 million, a birth-year Moutai collection, Guizhou and Huaiyang cuisine by Imperial Treasure, and Moutai cocktails by Nutmeg & Clove.

Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST Tap here to return to FAST
FAST

Southeast Asia’s first Moutai House is opening at the Fullerton Waterboat House at the end of October.

The three-storey showcase of Kweichow Moutai includes an experiential space where visitors can learn more about the Chinese liquor and browse the region’s largest Moutai collection, a fine Chinese restaurant by Michelin-starred Imperial Treasure and a rooftop bar by Nutmeg & Clove.

Kweichow Moutai, China’s best-known luxury baijiu, is a potent sorghum-based spirit from Guizhou, prized for its intensely aromatic, complex and savoury character.

Singapore’s “position as a gateway between China, Southeast Asia and the wider world makes it a natural location from which to introduce Moutai’s culture and versatility to a broader international audience,” Moutai House’s managing director Shi Yun Ding told CNA Lifestyle.

And, the location on the riverfront is a significant one. “Singapore’s relationship with Moutai can be traced back more than seven decades. In 1954, when Kweichow Moutai first reached Southeast Asia, it arrived at the Singapore River, opposite the Waterboat House. From that moment, a quiet connection between Moutai and this historic building began to take shape,” Shi said. “Opening Moutai House here brings that story full circle.”

Today, “Moutai continues to accompany significant occasions in China, from celebrations and reunions to personal and professional milestones. At the same time, international interest in the spirit is growing as more consumers discover its craftsmanship, collectability, complex flavour profile and versatility beyond the traditional toast,” he added.

WHAT TO EXPECT

At the Moutai Experiential Centre, guests get to take a multisensory journey through the spirit’s ingredients, production techniques and flavour profile using sight, scent, touch and taste.

The centre will also showcase Southeast Asia’s largest Moutai collection, comprising more than 300 exclusive and collectible Moutai labels, from approachable bottles to rare ones valued at up to S$1 million.

There will also be Southeast Asia’s first dedicated birth-year Moutai collection, featuring annual vintages dating back to 1965, the year Singapore gained independence. This is “in response to local customers’ interest in meaningful gifts and personal celebrations,” Shi said. “Visitors can seek out bottles with production years or dates matching their birth year, birthday or other personal milestone.”

Additionally, there are two releases specially created for Singapore. The first, “Kweichow Moutai Discovery Collection – Singapore”, features a Nanyang-inspired design with Singapore’s national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim. The second, “Culture Collection – Singapore”, comes with a pair of baijiu cups and reinterprets the classic Moutai bottle as a collectible piece.

As for the associated F&B concepts, it was important to work with “familiar Singapore names”, Shi said.

EAT

The Imperial Treasure restaurant at Moutai House will serve Guizhou and Huaiyang cuisine, according to Imperial Treasure’s CEO Kenny Leung.

Thanks to Kweichow Moutai’s strong connection to Guizhou, the province’s vibrant, robust cuisine will be showcased. Guizhou food “is particularly known for its use of chillies, sour flavours and fermented ingredients, creating dishes that can be spicy, tangy, savoury and deeply aromatic,” Leung explained.

“Huaiyang cuisine, on the other hand, is one of China’s four major culinary traditions, originating from the Jianghuai region. It is known for its refined, elegant and balanced flavours. It places strong emphasis on the natural taste and texture of ingredients, with techniques such as careful braising, stewing, steaming and precise knife work. Flavours tend to be relatively delicate, with a harmonious balance of savoury, sweet and umami notes.”

While the menu is still being finalised, Leung said the chefs are exploring ways in which they can incorporate Moutai into the dining experience.

"Moutai is used as the finishing touch and defining element of each dish. Through techniques such as marinating, flash-frying, braising, stewing and drunken preparation, the spirit is infused into some dishes,” he shared.

The 45-seat restaurant’s interiors are “inspired by the concept of a century-old ship’s dining cabin” replete with “old-world elegance”, Leung divulged. “The design follows the building’s original ship-cabin architecture, with rich timber creating an intimate and enveloping sense of space. Guests are transported back in time, as though dining in a first-class ocean liner cabin from a century ago.”

DRINK

The rooftop bar, by World’s 50 Best Bars-recognised Nutmeg & Clove, will have a drinks programme featuring eight original signature cocktails that showcase Moutai, alongside eight classics reinterpreted with Moutai-inspired flavours and elements.

The bar will be called Sohaus, reflecting “our idea of a modern social house: the city’s living room, above it all,” said Colin Chia, CEO of Nutmeg Collective.

The menu “draws from the things we eat, drink, experience and obsess over, turning familiar moments and flavours into cocktails with a sense of play and discovery”.

“Moutai has long held a strong place in Chinese drinking culture, particularly around hospitality, celebration and important occasions,” Chia said. “More recently, there has also been growing curiosity around baijiu among a wider, more international audience. Its distinctive character and cultural heritage make it interesting to explore in new ways, and cocktails offer an accessible entry point for guests who may be less familiar with the spirit.”

Moutai House Singapore opens end October at The Fullerton Waterboat House. For more information, visit https://moutaihouse.sg/.

Newsletter

Recommended Read

Subscribe to CNA's Recommended Read

A single handpicked story that we think you shouldn't miss. Just one a day.