Elite Traveler

When it comes to Asia and whisky, there are four countries which immediately spring to mind: Japan, for its cult following; India for its magnitude; Taiwan for its ingenuity; and most recently China, for its buy-in by the big guns. So, when the International Wine and Spirit Competition announced that the winner of its 2025 Worldwide Whiskey Trophy was a peated single malt from South Korea, eyes turned to a quietly confident industry making small but sure waves in the world of world whisky. And at this year’s Whisky Show, the winners of that award – Ki One, for its Unicorn release – were inundated with visitors, tasting glasses aloft, eager to try the next coolest thing in the category.