Malaysia

Scott Lam

Scott’s first introduction to the world of wine and spirits came at a wedding party, when he “sneakily tried [his] first sip of scotch”. He recalled it “tasted like kerosene”, but even so, he became alive to the possibilities it presented and knew he wanted to be involved in that industry. The only Chinese student in his class at school in Malaysia, Scott was sadly subject to much bullying – an experience which, led him “to gain resilience and strength to see through the obstacles” in his path. At university, he “started learning to appreciate the art that goes behind the mysterious liquid in that bottle”, and subsequently he began exploring the wine path through the WSET Level 2 in wines. Alongside his work, which involves creating a wine club to promote brands to both businesses and consumers, including the launch of a new Chinese liquor in Malaysia, Scott is also involved in organising educational wine and spirits workshops. Through these, he seeks to spread his passion for and knowledge of wines and spirits to others and inspire their own interest in the topic, and he feels that the WSET in Spirits courses which he will undertake as a result of his scholarship will be immensely useful as he develops these further.