Chin never imagined he would make a career out of his passion for unique whiskies (All photos: Patrick Goh/The Edge)
For the average patron without an encyclopaedic fount of expertise, we know how shopping for alcohol goes: We peruse the price tags, raise our eyebrows at the labels — adorned perhaps with something charming, like a cute illustration, or reassuring, like a picture of an estate and the word “château” — shrug at the tasting notes, then plonk a bottle down on the cashier’s counter and hope that the first sip works out.
At best, we have found something new and interesting. At worst, we have made a poor investment destined for the back of the cabinet. It is an expensive risk, admits Elwin Chin, the mind behind Kedai Minuman Keras Orang Baik who is set on changing the way Malaysians approach drinking. The quaintly named retail space in Gasket Alley, Petaling Jaya, is the physical outlet for Chin’s online liquor store The Good Stuff, which has gained a reputation for its comprehensive suite of lesser-seen bottles and tongue-in-cheek approach to educating its clientele on the wonderful world of whiskies and more.
Chin’s professional life has not always been about the 21-and-above goods though. “Believe it or not, I was actually in education. I was working with private international schools teaching kids from six to 17 how to budget, save, invest and spend,” he says. At around age 19, he and a close friend cultivated an interest in whisky, but wished to venture out of the same few brands they would see in every store. “We were more intrigued by different bottles. The only issue was, what would happen if I spent that few hundred ringgit on something I ended up not liking? It would have been a huge burn in our pockets, especially considering we were students back then.”
The duo then came up with a workable idea. Whenever they travelled abroad, they would buy a bottle at the duty-free store in the airport. Early acquisitions started at the figurative bottom of the shelf — Dewar’s White Label, Teacher’s, Grant’s — before climbing up to pricier purchases like Johnnie Walker Swing and Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel, Chin recalls.
It was only during the pandemic that his thirst for the water of life turned into a full-time job. With everyone stuck at home and little else to do, his friends would come to him regularly for recommendations on new things to drink. His assessment process began with two simple questions: What do you like? What do you not like? He would then follow up with queries on their budget and favourite brands, making a point of never steering too far above the asker’s price range. “If you like the bottle you try based on my recommendation, you’re more likely to come back. I don’t suggest anything just for the sake of trying to sell something or because the margin is better. I want my friends and customers to be happy,” he affirms.
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Keeping to this ethos of prioritising the client’s satisfaction has served him well over the years, as establishing a network of trust trickled down to more new faces willing to come to Chin for suggestions. The company started out selling online, before venturing into distribution and setting up a physical retail outlet in 2024.
The straightforward moniker “The Good Stuff” was adopted as something of a self-fulfilling prophecy. “When you eat or taste something nice, you’ll say, ‘This is good stuff!’ I wanted to make sure the name sticks in people’s minds,” says Chin. Subsequently, when it came time to christen the store, the apple did not fall far from the tree. “By law, we need to put kedai minuman keras on our storefront. I initially wanted to name it ‘Barang Cun’ or ‘Barang Padu’ as a play on ‘Good Stuff’,” he says. His partner at the time suggested “Orang Baik”, a literal translation of the company’s name, Good People Collaboration Sdn Bhd. “I said, ‘There’s no way the authorities will approve that!’, but he insisted, ‘Try it, you never know.’ And somehow, we got it!”
Passersby must surely have spotted the vintage kopitiam signboard, inspired by the Good Friends Club in Penang but, according to the owner, made with a slightly more irreverent energy in mind. Accompanying the Malay words are Chinese characters laden with liquor-based puns — the characters for “long time” are replaced with “alcohol”, while the idiom of “peaceful coexistence” cheekily features a “bottle”.
Though the e-commerce platform had been doing well, the owner insisted on setting up a place where visitors could actually interact with what they were buying, especially given the often costly and individualistic premise of purchasing spirits. “For me, what’s lacking in the online space is the human touch. People just click ‘add to cart’ and that’s it. There’s no interaction. Here, we consider this more of a showroom.”
When a patron comes in with only a budget for the brief, Chin pours a few samples to get a feel for their preference, a policy inspired by his regular visits to Taiwan. “I travel there quite often because it’s like the Mecca for whisky in Asia-Pacific. The retail spaces always have a few open bottles, and they allow customers to try.” This technique curbs the common fear of sticking one’s neck out to purchase something unfamiliar instead of just resorting to ol’ reliable. “I brought this concept of trying before buying back to Malaysia where I allow people to actually taste [my recommendations] first.” Inviting them to “preview” their tipples before investing lets them be more open, both in mind and palate, cultivating a sense of faith in the proprietor.
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Part of Chin’s long-term mission is also to break stigmas about what makes a good liquid — single malts do not equal superiority, price tags are not a substitute for taste and old is not always gold. “To me, there’s a bottle for every person and every occasion. Even if you asked me to have Famous Grouse or Jameson’s, I’ll still drink them! Not every meal needs to be fine dining. Sometimes, you just want chap fan,” he laughs.
Although they started out selling more well-known labels, Chin argues that these brands are too easily available and price competitive. The business therefore shifted to less accessible items and independent bottlers such as Glenturret, Single Cask Nation and Compass Box, the last of which was launched locally by The Good Stuff in April. Additionally, Kedai Minuman Keras Orang Baik hosts three tastings a month — the first for trade representatives, while wine and spirits are ticketed.
Leveraging social media and connecting to the younger market, which is increasingly responsive to unique, experimental ways of drinking, has been crucial to rising above in the cut-throat industry. On Instagram, The Good Stuff has gained notoriety for its humorous videos. “It helps us stay in tune with current trends. We try to make more comedic content, though they’re a bit vulgar at times!” says Chin. “My strategy is to use funny posts to pull people in, and then they can start learning from our educational stuff, like the Nightcap series, where I recommend certain brands.”
Looking to the future, he hopes to expand to Penang, Johor and even Singapore. They have also been working with several whisky enthusiasts, connoisseurs and collectors to organise an event called Whisky Lah. At the inaugural edition last year, entrants were charged a minimum fee and could pay to taste rare drams by the gram at a reasonable price. “Luckily, this year, some brands will be working with us. I want them to see us as collaborative partners and less as competition. It’s a way to foster the whole whisky community here in Malaysia.”
Asked his personal favourites, Chin is agonised by the prospect of narrowing down the options, but Linkwood, Ben Nevis and Port Ellen make the cut. He acquired a Glenfarclas 1993 to commemorate his 32nd birthday this year. “I don’t know how it’s going to taste though!”
But at the end of the day, drinks are for sharing, and the social value of clinking glasses with friends is more important than the price or prestige of what you are pouring. “For me, it’s more about who I’m drinking with. I like to make sure it’s a bottle everybody can enjoy, because that is a moment spent with your friends and loved ones.”
Whisky Lah will take place at Kedai Minuman Keras Orang Baik on Sept 27, noon to 9pm. For tickets, visit goodstuffmy.com.
This article first appeared on June 16, 2025 in The Edge Malaysia.
