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David Beckham in Singapore to launch his very own whisky brand

SINGAPORE — He’s been a footballing sensation, kilt-wearing fashion plate, Spice Girl-marrying paparazzi favourite and men’s underwear designer. Now, David Beckham can add whisky brand creator to that list.

SINGAPORE — He’s been a footballing sensation, kilt-wearing fashion plate, Spice Girl-marrying paparazzi favourite and men’s underwear designer. Now, David Beckham can add whisky brand creator to that list.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid footballer was in Singapore last Friday to launch his very own whisky label, Haig Club. Developed in partnership with alcoholic beverages company Diageo together with Beckham’s manager and British entrepreneur Simon Fuller, this new single grain Scotch whisky is crafted at Scotland’s oldest grain whisky distillery — Cameronbridge in Fife.

“Diageo came to me with this idea at the end of my career. As soon as they said the ‘Haig Family’, I started to think what that name meant to me,” shared Beckham, speaking to the press at the launch. “I remember every Christmas when I was growing up, my grandfather would go get his bottle of Haig whisky in the middle of a meal and pour himself a spot of whisky. That brought me back to a special moment in my life. Seeing my grandfather do that every Christmas and every special occasion,I knew that there was something special with the brand.”

“I am incredibly proud to be part of the creation of Haig Club,” shared the 39 year-old. “If you’re a new whisky drinker, Haig Club is a good place to start. If you’ve been around whisky for a long time, I think you can forget everything you knew about whisky.”

Being an integral part of the Haig Club launch across Europe and Asia has further solidified the father of four’s seamless transition from footballer to entrepreneur.

“Going from being football player to being a businessman or entrepreneur… I’m just very lucky to have a great team around me,” he shared with TODAY. “I’ve learnt from Simon (Fuller) along the way. It didn’t just happen overnight, we’ve been planning.”

According to Beckham, it was media mogul Fuller — his and wife Victoria’s long-time manager — who said to him quite plainly, ‘At the end of your (football) career, we need to have things ready for you to jump into.’

“Literally the day after I played my last game in Paris, I, slightly hung-over, jumped on a plane to Miami and we started working on the franchise we have there,” he revealed with a laugh.

“I’m a more responsible drinker now,” the leader of the Haig Club responsible drinking programme quickly added. “I appreciate a well-made drink and I like to take my time and enjoy it. I try to drink better, not more.”

As for Miami, Beckham shared that it’s his way of “giving back”. Earlier this year, he announced that he will co-own a Major League Soccer expansion team in Miami.

“I have been a footballer for my whole career, and I want to give back,” he explained. “And my way of giving back is staying involved in football, in any way I can. People have asked me whether I want to be a manager, or a coach. But at this point in my life, that doesn’t give me the passion. The passion is ownership, and ownership of a team.”

And although he still loves coaching kids, being a manager simply doesn’t interest him at the moment. “It might change in 10 years… “ he shared with a smile.

“There are a lot of politics involved in ownership of a football team which I’m finding out about,” he revealed. “But we are slowly getting there. The people of Miami are ready for a team and I think it’s really what Miami deserves.”

Becks also confessed that all this post-football-retirement work, from the Miami franchise to playing an intrinsic role in developing the Haig Club brand, is markedly “different” from what he’s used to.

“For 22 years, I’ve been used to getting up early and kicking a ball around,” he laughed. “I still stay fit now, luckily. But instead of a football, I now have four children to chase around.”

Haig Club is now available in Singapore islandwide and at duty free shops at Changi Airport.

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