House Made Hospitality has kickstarted a new chapter in Australia’s whisky landscape, launching the Australian Whisky Embassy at Bar Tilda in Sydney – a membership-based social club designed to give Australian whisky a dedicated home.
While whisky clubs are not new to the global spirits scene, the initiative aims to build a genuine community around Australian whisky – a permanent, curated space devoted to showcasing the diversity, craftmanship and innovation of local producers.
Through monthly tasting events and guest appearances from distillers and brand founders, the Australian Whisky Embassy offers an inclusive platform for both industry and consumers to engage with local distillers, explore emerging styles and foster deeper appreciation for the category.
Jason Williams, House Made Hospitality’s Director of Beverage, says Australian whisky is deserving of a home in Sydney. “A bar that is brand agnostic, social, with great drinks and engaging hospitality from a team that want to tell the stories of Aussie whisky,” he explains.
Jason acknowledges that there are amazing bars around Australia already championing Australian spirits, but his ambition is to do it in a more premium, ‘hotel’ context. And although Bar Tilda isn’t a whisky bar in the traditional sense, Australian whisky now accounts for 25 per cent of the drinks served at the venue, demonstrating a genuine appetite for the bar’s respected local list.
“We opened with just over 100 Australian whiskies and the aim wasn’t to be the biggest, but more so the most thoughtful representation of what the Australian whisky industry is right now. It had to be representative,” says Jason.
“That meant spreading representation across state lines, climates, types of grain, types of barrel aging. Making sure there was solid traditional types of single malts, but then also hybrid styles, American styles and a heap of weird and wacky stuff. We also wanted to give respect to the iconoclasts, and the legacy distilleries. We refer to some of the whiskies as ‘museum whiskies’ as they were distilled before there really was an industry.”
Building community around Australian whisky
Jason will tell you that the Australian Whisky Embassy is dedicated to the appreciation of Australian whisky and the people behind it – but equally, it’s about accessibility and inclusivity.
“Whisky still often has an antiquated reputation for formality, masculinity. Also, for being a bit serious, even boring. We want to be the opposite of that.”
Showcasing some pretty serious whisky in a not-so-serious way, the monthly sessions will consist of a tasting of five drams, one of which will be limited edition or rare. For the whisky aficionados, each event will have a special guest of either a founder or distiller. For those less serious about whisky, the sessions will also include light-hearted Q&As, cocktails and food.
“We held a quiet, unofficial launch on World Whisky Day with Bill Lark, which felt like the right way to begin – bringing together people who love Australian whisky in an intimate, relaxed setting with the godfather of Australian whisky.
“Sure, we will get access to the most influential and innovative characters in the industry, and we’ll drink some amazing drops – but we’ll keep it light-hearted and make it a social community just has much as a geeky one,” he told Bars & Cocktails.
“Once we’re truly up and running, women in whisky will be a sub focus too, and we’re hoping that will encourage all genders to get involved.”
To ensure the initiative is truly inclusive, it also needs to be approachable from a price-point perspective, hence the three membership tiers catering to varying levels of interest and experience. That includes a discounted rate for bartenders too – 30 per cent off the normal joining fee.
Memberships begin with Whisky Curious, joining the Embassy database with no annual fee; Consulate Level, for $185 per year members receive a welcome pack, priority access to events, 10 per cent off Bar Tilda’s whisky collection and other exclusive perks; and finally, Embassy Level. At $450 annually, Embassy Level membership provides all Consulate benefits along with a personalised bottle of Lark Classic Single Malt, first access to all events and more.
Rewriting the rulebook
For Jason, the launch of the Australian Whisky Embassy is just the beginning of a much bigger opportunity to tell the story of Australian whisky. In the same way that Australian wine has realised its global potential, he is excited to see Australian whisky establish itself as a globally renowned category – with bars and bartenders playing a key role in shaping it.
“Bars and bartenders have long been the spokespeople and shopfronts for brands. Therefore, Australian bars will play a vital part in helping to establish Australian whisky as a ‘normal’ whisky of choice for local drinkers. Specifically, I think bartenders can play a role in democratising whisky – helping explain what it is, how it tastes and how to drink it.”
Praising the category for its unconventional approach, he sees Australia’s whisky makers rewriting the rulebook, with a vibrant future ahead.
“Looking forward, Australian distillers seem to be so much more creative, innovative, and anti-establishment than other regions and the consequence is a diverse, creative, and innovative industry. There are so many whiskies being made from various grains, distilled in numerous ways, and aged in all sorts of barrels.
“Many of our whiskies would be scoffed at in Scotland – and that’s great. I am excited by this vibrant and no-holds-barred approach to production, liquid, and branding. It’s certainly not boring as a category – and let’s face it whisky can be a bit stuffy at times,” he concluded.
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