THE Balvenie at Xiansuo — Balvenie Flavour Exhibition (2022)

The sixth floor of Xiansuo hosted the Balvenie Flavour Exhibition, a five-senses walkthrough of the whisky maker's craft.

The venue

Xiansuo occupies a converted commercial building on Yanping Road in Shanghai's Jing'an district, a short walk from Changping Road. Its upper floors hold studio, showroom and event space behind a retained concrete structure, with open floorplates, exposed columns and daylight from long window bands. The sixth floor is a self-contained level reached by lift, used for exhibitions, launches and creative-office events.

How the space was used

The sixth floor was divided into a sequence of colour-coded rooms, each keyed to one flavour note, so visitors moved in a single loop from entry through the sensory installations to a tasting counter. A workshop area hosted craft sessions, including installation art and paper-cut demonstrations, while seating along the windows gave visitors a place to pause between stations.

Why it works here

Upper-floor creative complexes like Xiansuo suit sensory brand exhibitions because the raw shell absorbs set-building and lighting without competing with it, and lift access keeps visitor routing controlled. The address sits in a central district already used by design and hospitality tenants, so the audience arriving is receptive to craft-led programming.