It’s time to announce the first big piece of exciting news for the 2018 Sydney Whisky Fair: we’re coming home.

Run by leading independent bottle shop The Oak Barrel, the Fair’s spiritual home is our extensive tasting room and warehouse space at the rear of the CBD store.

As announced in January, we remain on our traditional date, the last weekend in August, as we have for a number of years.

Our 2018 Venue: Locked In

We’re back to where it all began this year, utilising the many tasting room and warehouse spaces of The Oak Barrel, on Elizabeth St in Sydney’s CBD and near both train and bus stops. It’s our spiritual home and the location of some of our best memories.

Last year we expanded back up to Australia Hall, a theatre located above the store. It is unavailable this year undergoing renovations and repairs. Investigating all possibilities and horizons for this year’s event, we spoke to a number of nearby venues in recent months about relocating the show.

It became clear that to move to an external location Whisky Fair would have to change.

The logistical and financial implications would force us to either raise prices considerably or increase our capacity significantly. While we have no issue with letting more people in, Sydney Whisky Fair has always been about the rare, the exclusive, the new and the small. We would risk losing what makes Whisky Fair special if distillers and bottlers were suddenly forced to pour beyond their means of these small, something incredibly so, releases.

Instead, we’ve decided to invest in our own space – more space, more air conditioning, more lighting and more atmosphere. We hope to reveal some special features in the lead up to Fair.

What Does It Really Mean?

In real terms, it means that the 2018 Sydney Whisky Fair will be more exclusive than ever. A reduced capacity from 2017 to ensure by necessity and to ensure the event is the best it’s ever been. We ‘re dedicated to keeping Fair as Australia’s favourite whisky event.

We’ll be upgrading our intimate tasting space are and dedicating more of The Oak Barrel’s floor space to the 2018 event. You’ll stand shoulder-to-shoulder with distillers, importers, bottlers and whisky fans from all over the country.

The Oak Barrel’s loyal member base will again be given priority for tickets, ensuring that those who have long supported local, independent bottle stores receive another thank you from us. Specifics on the ticket release date and members pre-sale will be announced next week.

Some pictures below from the 2016 and 2015 events downstairs by Jonathan Walczak.