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Pushing Boundaries
& Paving Pathways
with Kino Soh
Johnnie Walker, one of the world’s most famous
Scotch brands presents the second version of the
Blenders’ Batch with a take on bourbon. They
have bestowed the title of brand ambassador to
Kino Soh, the owner of the first all ladies bar in
Singapore. With her zealous spirit and drive, Soh
embodies the vision of Johnnie Walker’s Blenders’
Batch with style and warmth.DD: How do you feel being the brand ambassador
for Johnnie Walker in Singapore?
KS: I’m very honoured and excited to be part of the
Johnnie Walker family! It’s a very exciting project
for me and even more so to be representing the
world’s most popular Scotch – a brand that I’ve
always respected and admired. We may be in
the golden age of bartending, but the options
for bartenders are actually quite limited: you can
start small and move up the ladder in a restaurant
or bar, you can open your own place, you can
stop bartending after a few years or you can aim
high and represent a brand that you love. Apart
from opening my own place, becoming a brand
ambassador has always been a dream of mine.
When I opened my bar, I never thought I could be
one. Then one day, Johnnie Walker approached
me. They wanted to hear my story. We met and
when they asked if I was interested, my replied wasDD: How did your story connect to the
Blenders’ Batch?
KS: I started bartending in my 20s, bar-backed at
a few bars, and finally opened my own at thirty. It
was a big move and I was definitely apprehensive,
but I wanted to be bold and conquer my fears. So, I
followed my heart and stepped out of my comfort
zone to open Highball - Singapore’s first all-female
bar. At Highball, we only hire ladies. More than one
of my girls has been turned down before because
people tell them that only men can be bartenders
and women are seen only as waitresses. With
Highball, I hope that I’ve created an avenue for
women to kick-start a career in bartending, to give
them what I didn’t have in the past. The Johnnie
Walker team felt that my ‘can-do’ attitude is an
embodiment of what they set out to do with the
Blenders’ Batch series which is to push boundaries.
They were heartened by my entrepreneurial
spirit and passion, and my desire to inspire other
budding female bartenders to chase their dreams.
The same way that the Johnnie Walker Blenders’
Batch is a game-changing Scotch, my ambitions are
what keep me going to create a stir in the industry.“Absolutely!”
The Johnnie Walker team felt
that my ‘can-do’ attitude is an
embodiment of what they set out to
do with the Blenders’ Batch series
which is to push boundaries.
Kino Soh