Johnnie Walker Jet Black Party is Back!

Black is the new gold when it comes to an ultra-chic clubbing experience with Johnnie Walker. And I’m not exaggerating.

Last year, I had the privilege to be invited to attend the world’s number one Scotch Whiskey’s Jet Black parties in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and felt first-hand, the true meaning of partying in class and style!

The good news is, Johnnie Walker Jet Black party is back again and you could win yourself a pair of invites to this super exclusive, by invite-only event!

To whet your appetite of the awesomeness that is Jet Black, here are videos I took during the party series last year at Red Dot Museum (Singapore) and Palace of the Golden Horses (Kuala Lumpur)…

Johnnie Walker Jet Black Party, Singapore – 12 Mar 2011 

Johnnie Walker Black Circuit Lounge, Kuala Lumpur – 9 Apr 2011

The 2 parties were totally hot with not just great music by the superstar DJs but with gorgeous models, celebrities and famous personalities turning up the glam factor! And the best part was, Johnnie Walker flowed freely the whole night! Now you know why the party’s location is kept secret.

Likewise, the location for this year’s party remains a mystery. Up to this point, even though I’ve accepted the invitation, I have no idea where Jet Black 2012 is going to be held. All I know is the line-up of celebrity-status DJs who would be specially flown in to spin at the party…

A celebrity in his own right, DJ Cassidy is a much sought after DJ who's played at weddings and parties of A-list celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Kanye West, Oprah Winfrey, Tina Turner, The Black Eyes Peas, Mary J. Blige, Alicia Keys, and even President Obama! There's simply no crowd he cannot move so Singapore is in for a real treat!

It's a wonder Crystal can be a DJ. Because I think any vinyl touched by her would simply melt. She's smoking!! Not just in looks but her stellar DJing skills as proven by this Taiwanese vixen's string of appearances in helming the soundscapes of major fashion shows and events. Can't wait to feel her... music that is!

Born in Tokyo, raised in San Francisco, DJ KAKU's cross-continental music influences has gained him a wide fanbase in the hottest clubs in California and Asia. I bet my legs would find no rest when his set is on!

I’m so psyched about the upcoming party just writing this blog post! Can’t wait for it to happpen. And here’s your chance to join in the fun too! Simply answer the following question as a comment on this post and stand to win a pair of invites to the party :

Who are the 3 DJs who will be spinning at Jet Black 2012 party?

Doesn’t kill any brain cells to answer right? Heh heh. Leave your comment-answer here by 15 Apr 2012 and I’ll pick via lucky draw the winner of the exclusive invites. Result will be announced on this post on 16 Apr so do check back if you’ve won.

Meanwhile, think of the place at home to keep your car keys if you are coming to the Jet Black party and click here to become a fan of Johnnie Walker!

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Update (16 Apr 2012) : Winner of Johnnie Walker Jet Black Party Invites

Thanks to all who took part in my first-ever blog giveaway! Here’s a short account of the lucky draw to show transparency of the picking process.

Names of all 17 of you who left an answer-comment on this post.

To be unbias, I got my colleague to do the draw. He mixed up all the name slips, tossed them into the air and grabbed one. And the lucky person is...

Congrats to Juliana! You've won a pair of invites to Johnnie Walker's exclusive Jet Black Party this Saturday! See you there!

Once again, my gratitude to all of you who participated. Really wish I could give everyone invites but alas, I only have 1 pair to share. For updates on the Johnnie Walker Jet Black party and happenings, do check back to Celebrate Life Lah! again.

Johnnie Walker Black Circuit Lounge 2011

Now I know what it feels like to be Paris Hilton or any jet-setting celeb who parties out of a suitcase (minus the shenanigans). And the feeling’s simply terrific!

Imagine being flown to another city, lodged into a classy 5-star hotel, wined-and-dined at some of the most happening boutique restaurants, just to attend an exclusive V-VIP dance party… that’s like being handed the holy grail of the clubber’s bible!

For the socialites and crème de la crème of the entertainment circuit, this kind of treatment may be a drink of water but for a nobody like me, it’s something I’m still showering my karmic angels with kisses for. I am so very grateful. If I sound like I’m gushing here, please bear with me. This is the first time I’ve ever been invited on a party-and-blog stint overseas. Kuala Lumpur isn’t very far away, but to be inducted into the Johnnie Walker entourage is something to holler about because when the world’s number one Scotch whiskey brand says it’s a V-VIP experience, it REALLY is.

The bigshot feeling started at the airport where each of us was given a very nice party accessory that also acted as an entry ‘pass’ to the Black Circuit Lounge event (if you have no idea what this event is about, please visit my pre-trip entry here). The guys were given a stylish money-clip while the gals received an exquisite necklace with a pendant in the shape of Johnnie Walker’s trademark Striding Man. There’s a set of numbers behind each of these welcome gifts and were used to gain admittance at the venue. What a clever way to combine a party invite with a functional keepsake to remember the event by. So, was the event memorable?

Is a blue sky blue? A black swan black? Grass green? And I’m handsome? Haha… gotcha!

Matters of opinion are always subjective but I did find the party to be memorable. I’m not paying lip-service because I was well-hosted for the event; neither is my favourable impression a result of my propensity to dance even to your handphone’s ringtone if I have enough alcohol in me, but as a comparison to the big parties I’ve been to. The party was packed so I guess that speaks of its standards.

Anyway, here’re some photos and a video that illustrate my checkpoints of fun during Black Circuit Lounge 2011…

The venue was located within The MINES Resort City at Seri Kembangan, about 30 mins by car from KL city centre depending on traffic conditions. The out-of-city location added a shroud of mystery as to what the actual set-up looks like.

The party space was created with a huge tent erected on an empty plot near the Palace of the Golden Horses Hotel. The ultra posh hotel is a nominee at this year's World Luxury Hotel Awards. The whole look and feel of the Black Circuit Lounge was alright but I much preferred it to be non-smoking inside the tent.

Totally in love with the awesome lasers, lighting placement & chereography. As the venue was medium sized, the lights filled the whole space nicely without it being too blinding or having not enough length for the laser beams to really stretch.

Posing with the iconic Johnnie Walker Striding Man and the sizzling lady, Fadilah. And here's my version of the Twin Towers with the Black & Gold labels. The Black Label has a blend of about 40 whiskies aged at least 12 years old while the Gold Label is a blend of around 15 single malts bottled at 15 or 18 years. The Gold Label commands a prestige second only to the most expensive bottle in the Johnnie Walker collection... the Blue Label. Each bottle is individually serialised & sold in a silk-lined box. I shall go Blue to celebrate my 40th birthday!

About 1,400 V-VIP guests turned up for the party & there were iPad stations for us to post updates on Facebook. I felt that the guests at Black Circuit Lounge in Malaysia embraced spontaneity & bizarre antics better than those at the Jet Black Party in Singapore.

Good looking people with a wide body vocabulary of beautiful grooves were everywhere. It's like a model bomb exploded in there! I left the party with a crust of sugar on my pupils from all those eye candies. Even my companions for the trip were head-turners that will cause vision diabetes. Seek doctor's advice before seeing the next 2 pics. They may raise blood pressure & cause hyperventilation. Ha.

In the company of social influencers. (Left to right) Simran from online news portal asiaone.com. She handles the Plush section which according to her, requires her to party all the time & write about them. Sounds like the best job in the world! Next to her are singers Vanessa (formerly a DJ with 98.7FM under the moniker Ms Vandetta) & Alicia who's a health nut with an irrepressible energy. Then there's Fadilah who I owe my invite to; & Jak, Brand Manager for Johnnie Walker. These 2 are only in their 20s but they're really good at what they do... people with substance. At the back are Charlie & her husband who were my unit mates at the Ascott serviced apartments where we put up. Hope they weren't traumatised by having spent the night with me.

More of the who who's I went with. Top left : We are joined by Harry, who deejays for Power 98FM & a really funny guy! Top right : With the bubbly & effervescent Maggie Tan, a familiar face in the Singapore modelling arena, & Christopher Pua, Cleo Bachelor of the Year 2007. (Note to self : Never stand next to this guy when taking photos. He amplifies the Big Mac effect of my face.) Bottom left : Thumbs up for Eugene, our photographer for the night. Bottom right : With 2 of the 3 blogger dollies - Yee Kit & Jocelyn. Looking at them was like seeing Japanese anime characters come to life! Check out their blogs at kit-soloveyou.blogspot.com, jocelynkau.com, & myfatpocket.com/celestina-loves.

Never drink & drive. Johnnie Walker stands by this reminder very seriously. I posted a shoutout on my Facebook before the trip to jokingly say that since 'I don't drive, I'm gonna drink till I can't walk.' Very promptly, I received an email to remind me of Johnnie Walker's advocacy in responsible drinking. So, Keep Walking if you've been drinking! That's good advice from the car.

I was recovering from a bout of flu just before departing for the 3D2N trip so I was rather deanimated most of the time from meds to stop the sniffles. But the party managed to inject life into me despite my limbs feeling like they weighed a ton!

For giving me the premium experience of V-VIP partying, I would like to thank the good folks at Johnnie Walker who took very good care of us. To Simran and Fadilah, I am regretful about the puke facial I gave you gals, but I hope your complexions are glowing now. Muahahaha

For super class partying, Step Inside the Circuit of Johnnie Walker’s premium Scotch whiskies…

For more photos of the event and this trip to KL with quick quips on places to eat, please click here. If you’d like to be informed of upcoming Johnnie Walker parties and get a chance to be invited to these fabulous events, click here to join the Johnnie Walker Singapore Facebook fanpage!

Johnnie Walker Jet Black Party 2011

I never bought the excitement about Formula One racing. What’s the thrill in busting your ear drums with those noisy engines and sitting there for hours just to catch a car zoom past you in a split second? But I’ve just found my reason to be interested in F1 through Johnnie Walker. In anticipation of the 2011 season of the world-class race chanmpionships, the premium Scotch whisky brand celebrated with an exclusive invite-only party last Saturday in Singapore. The event was so hot, guests were requested to keep the venue secret!

Blazing the party trail on 12 Mar 2011 at Singapore's Red Dot Design Museum. The VIP event revved up the cool factor with social media integrated technology, stylish sets and celebrity deejay, DJ Skribble.

The ‘gag order’ was necessary because it was free-flow all night with an internationally renowned celebrity deejay flown in specially from New York to hem the party. This is as good as getting a world-class clubbing experience for free! And the organiser promised to make partygoers feel like they’ve been to the 3 different race cities all in 1 night. What an entertainment tall glass to fill!

Dot marks the spot. Sitting at the historic Tanjong Pagar area, the Red Dot Design Museum is the former home of the Singapore Traffic Police Headquarters. The conserved heritage building was in November 2005, converted into a junction where Singapore's creative forces congregate. A F1 party in an ex-traffic police joint with lots of booze... 'never drink and drive' couldn't have found a better occasion to hit home.

Now, I’m NOT a party boy.

Less than 5 years ago, I’ve only kept a regular routine of getting drunk at least 4 nights a week and had attended some of the most spectacular circuit parties in and around Australasia. I haven’t seen everything, but I’ve been around the block and Johnnie Walker’s Jet Black party is definitely one event to kill for if one wasn’t invited. Here’s a glimpse of what’s unique about this party besides the abundance of booze…

9:00 pm - With her highness of gorgeousness, Fadilah, from Grayling Asia Pte Ltd. The privilege of my invitation to this premium event was all thanks to her.

One cool feature of the party was the use of RFID (radio frequency identification) technology assimilated with Facebook & Twitter. Each guest who registered was given a wrist band which we could tap at check-in booths throughout the venue & our location will be posted on our FB walls. We can also tap to take a photo & it will automatically be posted onto our FB page as well. Guests without FB profiles missed out on the fun of this.

Laying the foundation for the artful form of hip partying to be built upon an age-old tradition of fine whisky. Whisky means the 'water of life'! I'm all ready to take a Walk with this happy juice...

On the rocks. My fav way of having Scotch whisky. Bottles of Black Label were generously distributed throughout the party venue for guests to help themselves. I lost count of how many drinks I had in just 2 hours.

Didn't quite get the feeling of being in 3 cities in 1 night but the party was kick-ass nonetheless. The different cities were represented by belly dancers & Arabic decor (Abu Dhabi); Hello Kitty, anime & all images banzai (Japan); & a Euro-centric ambient sound (London).

DJ Skribble shifted the night's velocity into high gear with the latest club anthems & trance hits. Around 1,000 Johnnie Walker fans, media, & business partners had a drink of the simple chic that is the Jet Black party.

The beauty of some girls correlates with the amount of alcohol you have in your bloodstream. The more you drink, the prettier they get. But the looks of these hot gals didn't need any help from Johnnie.

No Power Rangers here but 'go-go geisha power'! There were performances by sultry belly dancers & sexy Jap nymphs to sizzle up the F1 cities. I love the layers of LED screens that created a stunning visual impact.

11:00 pm - Celebrating life with Johnnie Walker Black Label on the rocks! No drunk no go home (不醉不归)!

I party a lot less these days and having clocked prime clubbing hours years ago, an experience like Jet Black is hard to come by. Most club launches or events I have the good fortune of being invited to usually just give you a complimentary drink or 2. Exclusive parties organised by big alcoholic distributors where they don’t stinge on booze and you can pour as much as you want is clubbing gold.

But it’s not all about the free-flow. It takes only 2 drinks with 12% alcohol by volume to get anyone in the mood to lose inhibitations. That’s 2 glasses of wine. So the rest of the road that makes up a good party would be the visual thrills, people, space, atmosphere and music… all of which the Johnnie Walker Jet Black Step Into the Circuit party has distilled with perfection!

*In the midst of celebrations especially with all things Jap, my heart and thoughts go out to the recent earthquake and tsunami tragedies in Japan. How fragile life is. How important it is to celebrate every moment with excess for being alive.*