Darlinghurst debuted Whisky In Wilfreds

Sydney has seen somewhat of a whisky renaissance over the last year or two lead by small bars like Baxter's Inn, Road House (Byron) and a few others that we're sure are in the fold and we thought we'd get us some of that sweet sweet whisky action so to kick it off we held our very first 'Whisky in Wilfreds' tasting night on Thursday hosted by David 'Fish' Fisher from Baxter's Inn. 

While our new whisky list isn't exclusively a Scotch list, we stuck to the scotch for the night with Fish taking us on a whisky tour all around Scotland.

First up was the Arran 12yo Cask strength, a great one to start with due to its lighter and sweeter flavour (despite its high strength). After that, we moved onto the Mortlach 15yo, the base whisky for Johnnie Walker Black and Blue. This one was also on the light side, with a complex and rich flavour. Aberlour A'bunadh Cask strength was next, and at 59% it was a big one with earthy and caramel flavours. 

After that we got into some of the peated whiskys, starting with the Caol Ila 1998, which was a massive peat bomb, huge and smokey!!
Finally, we got onto the Lagavulin 16yo, the crowd favourite, which struck a really nice balance between peat smoke and some lighter sweeter flavours.

Cosidering this was the first Whisky in Wilfreds, we had an amazing sellout crowd that were full of questions, red noses and enthusiasm and we hope that continues as we showcase the remaining 15 new whiskies that adorn our Main Bar walls.

The Local Taphouse is sending a big thanks to Fish and everyone who came! It was a super enjoyable and informative night.
So stayed tuned for more info to come regarding the next Whisky night coming soon.
(The Local Taphouse whisky list attached below)
($25 per paddle of 5 whiskies of your choice)

Japanese Whisky and Beers at Wilfred's - Nov 28th in St. Kilda

Konnichiwa!

Next Wednesday's Whisky at Wilfred's features treats from a special place - Japan. A great selection of famous Japanese whiskies will be matched with Yoho brewery beers from Nagano, Japan.

The selection of whiskies includes:

• Nikka from the barrel

• Habiki 12 yr old whisky  +

• Yamazaki 18 year old whisky

Great Japanese food will accompany these fine beverages.

The details:

Where: The Local Taphouse, Wilfred's room
When: Wednesday November 28th
Time: 7pm start
Cost: $45
Book: here

This will be our last "Whisky at Wilfred's" session for the year - we'll return in January with great new whiskies and a new host!

Whisk(e)y at Wilfred's, the rye edition...

Wednesday saw the second installment of Whisky at Wilfred's - our monthly get together to taste a few out there whiskeys and match them with some equally interesting beers.

And what a night!

With Brendan Moylan 'Skyped in' as our very entertaining guest (more on that later), we tasted 3 of his beers. It was a fairly reserved start with the Irish red, then we stepped it up to the Kilt Lifter Scotch Ale, and iced the cake with the massive Barleywine.

Along the way of course were the whiskeys... for these, in keeping with the American-ness of the beers, we tasted three of the rye variety whilst Russell filled us in on a brief history of American whiskey. We went for Moylans own rye whiskey, followed by an immature whiskey from Peter Bignell of Belgrove in Tasmania and then to go with the Barleywine we went for a big New York rye from Hudson Whiskey called Manhatten Rye.

The beers were great, the whiskey was fantastic, but it was the 'entertainment' that really made the night. you see it was 3am in California where our guest was situated. So it was great of Brendan to drag himself out of bed for a chat. It was also great of him to make it his first point of business to ask how many beers we had all had, just so as to be sure as to how much catching up he had to do, and then set about said catching up immediately. As it turned out, he caught up alright. Easily. And then sailed right past all of us.

Whilst extolling the virtues of drinking beer, drinking whiskey, and enjoying the squeak and the pop that is the sound of a cork being plucked from a whiskey bottle, Brendan gave us some great insight into the brewing scene in the US, the rise of  'craft' spirits, the patience required to make a quality whiskey.

And when he ran out of beer and had to get up and go to the fridge, he showed us that when you're a rockstar brewer/distiller, you simply don't have to wear pants to a live Skype session.

Next Whisky at Wilfred's in on October 24th where we'll be turning Japanese for the night. Book Here

See you there.

St. Kilda's Whisky at Wilfred's - The Next Installment

The second installment of Whisky at Wilfred's is a very special RYE Edition. Join special guest Brendan Moylan via Skype from Moylan's Brewing in California as he chats about his brand spanking new whisk(e)y - yet to be released in Australia.  We've got a few bottles that we'll be cracking and pairing with beers.

Date: September 26th
Time: 7pm
Cost: $45
Venue: The Local Taphouse, St. Kilda, "Wilfred's Room"
Included:  Nibbles, 3 whiskey & beer pairings, heaps of education and fun times

This will sell out quicker than you can say "I love whiskey" so get your tickets here.

Whisky at Wilfred's - A St. Kilda First

Last night saw a fantastic turn out for the first ever "Whisky at Wilfred's" monthly whisky appreciation sessions held in the intimate "Wilfred's" lounge.

Our host, Russell Stubbs, was on hand to introduce the program for the night and describe his vast experience and "obsession" with whisky before special guest Evan Hunter from Lark Distellery started the commentary and education with the first pairing of beer & whisky. The Lark Distillers select cask whisky was paired with Seven Sheds' Willie Warmer Spice Ale with a great result.

The second pairing of Seven Shed's "Up your Kilt" Scotch Ale was very special as the beer had matured in the very casks that paired whisky - "Lark cask strength whisky" - had been matured in. 

The last pairing of Scottish whisky - Highland Park 12yr with Harviestoun Ola Dubh 12 year old dark ale was another sensational combination.

Questions were asked, nibbles were had, cheeks were flushed red with a whisky warmth and frankly, we can't wait for the next one. The whiskies featured in this session of "Wilfred's" are also now available at The Local Taphouse.

Stay tuned for the next session on September 26th, featuring Brendan Moylan of Moylan's Brewing and his new whisky which has just been released in the United States.

St. Kilda hosts Whisky at Wilfred's

What could be more warming in the heart of Melbourne winter than Whisky? Come on down to Wilfred's  room at The Local Taphouse on Wednesday, August 29th at 7pm and learn about everyone's other favourite amber beverage.

Special guest Evan Hunter, from Lark Distillery in Tassie, will take us through some of their great whiskies - plus we've got a very special keg of Seven Sheds Scotch Ale barrel-aged in Lark whisky barrels. Who could ask for more?

Oh yah, and nibbly bits and education to boot!

We're all just feeling a bitter warm inside aren't we?  Book here and we'll see you there.