When Michel Lu launched The Orientalist Spirits in 2019, many people told him the idea was too ambitious, too complicated, or simply too early. “Maybe they were right,” he admits.
At that time, there were few independent spirits brands. And even fewer thought about Asia in a broader cultural sense. “There were outstanding products coming from across the continent, but they were mostly viewed through national categories like Japanese whisky, Chinese baijiu, Korean soju, and Taiwanese whisky,” he explains.
What appealed to Lu, who founded and ran businesses such as Centro, Hacienda, Stereolab, Foodology, The Privé Group, Wildfire Kitchen + Bar, and Savourworld, was a bigger vision: Could a modern spirits house draw on Asia’s richness and breadth rather than fitting into national categories?
That question led him to launch the all-Asian spirits house. Lu believes that 20 years from now, Asian spirits brands will sit on back bars alongside the world’s best pours without a second thought. He will be proud to have helped make that possible.
“If The Orientalist Spirits stands tall among the top names, that will be a personal milestone,” he says. The company’s core collection comprises four expressions, each rooted in a different region’s ingredients and ageing traditions.
They include Origins Vodka, a triple-blend spirit made from Taiwanese longan honey, Tibetan highland barley, and nine varieties of potatoes and Gunpowder Gin, a tea-forward gin produced from around 23 botanicals, including gunpowder tea, Kampot peppercorn, and Siberian ginseng.
There is also the 12 Year Old Dragon Whisky, an all-Asian bottle of blended whiskies from Japan, Taiwan, and India; and Imperial Solera 23 Rum, a small-batch sipping rum composed of rums from Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
Lu’s go-to is a Vesper martini using Origins Vodka and Gunpowder Gin, served bone dry, with no vermouth and perhaps a lemon twist that highlights the vodka’s natural sweetness.
In June, The Orientalist Spirits sponsored the inaugural Singapore Cocktail Crossover, connecting bars, restaurants, music, fashion, and art and lifestyle programming across the city, and culminating in a festival weekend at Mett Singapore in Fort Canning.
As a serial F&B entrepreneur, Lu knows first-hand how challenging it is to launch something from scratch. “If we want a stronger hospitality industry and cocktail culture, someone has to support those initiatives in their early years,” he says.
There is also a personal dimension. The Orientalist Spirits is now sold in 12 international markets but remains Singapore-based. “Being able to support a new festival in my home market feels deeply meaningful.”
