Pour the water into a large pot. Add the beans, shallot, garlic and half of the ginger root. Set aside.
Place the star anise, cinnamon stick, cloves, bay leaves, black peppercorns and chilies on a piece of cheesecloth. Form into a bundle and fasten with butcher's twine. Add the bundle to the pot with the beans.
Place the pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover. Let cook for 1 hour.
When the beans are in the last 15 minutes of their cook time, place another large pot of water on to boil. Once the water is boiling add the pork belly, the scallions and the remaining slices of ginger. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook for 1 minute. Drain the pork belly and discard the ginger and scallions. Set aside.
Heat the canola oil in a large wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the sugar and cook until melted. Add the pork belly and toss to coat in the caramel. Work quickly so the sugar doesn't burn.
Deglaze the wok with the whisky and add the contents of the bean pot to the wok. Fish out the garlic, shallot, and ginger but leave the spice bundle. The beans should still be fairly watery.
In a small bowl whisk the molasses, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, dark soy sauce, and dry mustard powder together. Pour the mixture over the pork and beans and bring the everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover the wok and let cook for 40 minutes. Remove the cover and let cook for 20 minutes more.
Remove the spice bundle and serve the beans immediately with a round of cold beers.