Through her love of craft gin, an adventure that began as a simple passion project eventually led to Dimple establishing Hong Kong’s first gin distillery.
Name: Dimple Yuen
Graduating Year: 2007
Years at CIS: 10
Current city of residence: Hong Kong
Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Hi! My name is Dimple and I’m the Co-Founder and Head Distiller of Two Moons. I used to be a software engineer at a startup (and before that I worked in digital marketing at an international beauty company) so being a part of the F&B industry was never part of the plan. It was really through my love towards craft gin — an adventure that began as a simple passion project — that eventually led me to pursue a career in distilling and establish Hong Kong’s first gin distillery.
How did you get into the F&B/alcohol business?
My whole journey into the F&B business started very organically with all the incredible craft gins I’ve tried over the years. Inspired by the fascinating flavours and stories of master distillers behind them, I was amazed by how they were able to tell vivid narratives of their own experiences through different flavours in a bottle and it wasn’t long before I started to wonder if I too could distill my own bottle. Having found no craft gin from Hong Kong at the time, I also wanted to put our city on the map and showcase my personal stories to the world through gin.
Two Moons Distillery is the first gin distillery in Hong Kong, and you are the first female distiller in the city – both fantastic achievements. What do these things mean to you?
I’m proud to have made a bit of history there as it was no easy feat, but I hope to be much more than that. While I feel extremely proud and lucky to be able to represent women (and particularly Asian women) in distilling, it’s not new news that the alcohol industry is a male-dominated one, so it’s important to break any stereotypes and/or glass ceilings we get boxed into.
I hope to be recognised by my profession first before any gender identity and Two Moons should be known beyond simply being “the first gin distillery in Hong Kong”.
What makes a good gin?
Since flavour is something that’s so personal, I’d say a good gin should be more about quality — so absent of any kind of harshness and smooth enough that you can enjoy neat. Other than that, a good gin should incorporate authentic stories, so when people try them it’s not just about the flavour, but the experiences behind them as well.
What is your favourite gin drink?
I enjoy innovative cocktails that challenge interpretations but my go-to classic cocktail drink is probably a Negroni.
…and favourite non-gin drink?
Red wine.
What is your favourite drinking game?
I can’t hold my liquor so I don’t like drinking games! (laughs)
What challenges have the pandemic presented to you, and how have you and your company overcome them?
I’m sure we’ve all felt the strain that the pandemic has brought to not only the F&B industry, but many other industries as well. For us, it meant that export plans came to a halt and a lot of projects that were in discussion had to be put on hold as, understandably, everyone was panicking and tightening their belts.
To avoid sounding too cliché when answering this question (as I’m sure we’ve heard it all before), I do want to share an interesting finding about the industry. Back when lockdowns were at its worst (mandatory 6pm closures everywhere), we were pleasantly surprised to find a huge spike in online sales on our e-commerce website and that was when I realised how special the alcohol industry was — people drink when they’re happy, but people drink (maybe even more) when the economy is bad and they’re stuck at home, which I found very amusing.
Now, thankfully, things are back to some kind of normalcy, though I’m sure we are all waiting for the day we can start traveling without restrictions again. There’s still a lot we aren’t able to do because of the closed borders, but life goes on!
What is your favourite memory from CIS?
The whole school production! It was so fun to be a part of the crew and get to know people from other years. Even now, I have distinct memories of all the songs from South Pacific.
Which teachers (past or present) would you most want to have a drink with?
Probably Mr. Wellington, as he taught me IB Chemistry and I thought about him a lot when I was doing my Diploma in Distilling. I’m ashamed to say I had to google what “mole” meant again and I found it incredibly amusing that 10+ years down the road, long after I’ve chucked my chemistry notes away, seemingly irrelevant things he taught me were actually so applicable to my career.
I’d also grab a drink with Mr. Frost because he was the reason English was my favourite subject and Mr. Lee because he was our most loyal Homeroom teacher, standing by us since Year 7!
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