Bruichladdich Islay Barley
6:30pm - 18th November 2026
The Peacemaker Saloon, Braddon
Cost: $119 Only $99 for newsletter subscribers and members of The Whisky Club!
Tickets on sale soon! →
Location, Location, Location.
Or in Whisky's case; Terroir, Terroir, Terroir.
Bruichladdich's Islay Barley range is all about the provenance of the barley; with all of the barley grown across multiple farms located on Islay. Jim McEwan (former head distiller) and Adam Hannett (current head distiller) believe that the terroir of the barley affects the barley enough to flow through into the flavour and texture that ends up in your glass even after distilling.
This concept is not particularly popular with the large distillers; they've spent decades saying nothing survives the distillation process (which makes one wonder why there's a difference in flavour between rum and whisky then), and they've also spent decades pushing for barley that has the highest yields rather than varieties that are in tune with their environment and produce maximum flavour or texture.
This November, we're going to sample a range of Bruichladdich Islay barley releases alongside a dinner of smoke meats from the Peacemaker kitchen - including 2 from the innaugural release that was distilled in 2004; with the standard release, and a small batch that was aged in Sherry casks and released exclusively at the distillery during Feis Ile 2010 - Islay's annual celebration of all things Islay!
In an auspicious coincidence; this November Bruichladdich in conjunction with The Whisky Club here in Australia are launching the first age-statement Islay Barley release under the Bruichladdich label (unpeated) - so we're going to sample this new 14 year old Islay Barley with Scott Fitzsimons from The Whisky Club!
The Whisky:
- Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2004
- Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2004 Sherry cask for Feis Ile 2010
- Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2010
- Bruichladdich Islay Barley 2013
- Bruichladdich Islay Barley 14yo (exclusive to The Whisky Club)
The Food:
Dinner in the way of meat platters will be provided by The Peacemaker Saloon. Vegetarian options are available - please advise if required.
The Fine Print:
This event is only for persons aged 18 years or older.
Photo and/or video recording of this event may occur.
If you have dietary requirements, please get in contact with us as early as possible.
Tickets are now on sale for our VIRTUAL (via Zoom) events!
Jim McEwan's answer to critic who claimed Bruichladdich didn't make peated whisky beacuse they didn't have the skills to do it well. With "heavily peated" whisky starting at 30ppm, we'll just call Octomore's 80-308ppm "super heavily peated".
Octomore's young and cask strength spirit should be as current master distiller Adam Hannet has joked, Bruichladdich's most undrinkable whisky: "It’s too young, too strong and too peaty." Also known as "The impossible equation"; an equation that the Bruichladdich Distillery has mastered.
Join us for a series of whisky flights as we drink our way through the first decade or so of Octomore's journey - paired with a current release at each flight!
Sign up to our newsletter to be reminded when each session is coming up!
The Lineup:
All sessions $160 per ticket inlcuding whiskies & food (for in-person events in Canberra & Sydney).
Virtual sessions $160 per ticket inlcuding whiskies & delivery Australia-wide.
Flight 1
Canberra: 6:30pm Wednesday 6th August 2025
Private Tasting Room, Liquor Legends Hawker
Sydney: 6:30pm Tuesday 12th August 2025
Bar 26 Lilyfield
Virtual: 7:30pm Wednesday 29th October 2025
Virtual via Zoom with sample packs delivered
- Octomore 01.1
- Octomore 06.3
- Octomore 07.4
- Octomore 09.2
- A Current Octomore Release
Flight 2
Canberra: 6:30pm Wednesday 4th October 2025
Private Tasting Room, Liquor Legends Hawker
Sydney: 6:30pm Wednesday 8th October 2025
Bar 26 Lilyfield
Virtual: 7:30pm Wednesday 26th November 2025
Virtual via Zoom with sample packs delivered
- Octomore 02.1
- Octomore 06.2
- Octomore 08.1
- Octomore 09.3
- A Current Octomore Release
Flight 3
Canberra: 6:30pm Wednesday 3rd December 2025
Private Tasting Room, Liquor Legends Hawker
Sydney: 6:30pm Wednesday 10th December 2025
Bar 26 Lilyfield
Virtual: 7:30pm Wednesday 21st January 2026
Virtual via Zoom with sample packs delivered
- Octomore 03.1
- Octomore 07.2
- Octomore 08.4
- Renegade: Meleager
- A Current Octomore Release (16.2)
Flight 4
Canberra: 6:30pm Wednesday 4th February 2026
Private Tasting Room, Liquor Legends Hawker
Sydney: 6:30pm Tuesday 10th February 2026
Bar 26 Lilyfield
Virtual: 7:30pm Wednesday 18th February 2026
Virtual via Zoom with sample packs delivered
- Octomore 04.1
- Octomore 08.3
- Octomore Ten (Edition 1)
- Renegade: Epione
- A Current Octomore Release (16.3)
Flight 5
Canberra: 6:30pm Wednesday 15th April 2026
Private Tasting Room, Liquor Legends Hawker
Sydney: 6:30pm Wednesday 22nd April 2026
Bar 26 Lilyfield
Virtual: 7:30pm Wednesday 29th April 2026
Virtual via Zoom with sample packs delivered
- Octomore 05.1
- Octomore 07.3
- Octomore Ten (Edition 2)
- Octomore Discovery
- A Current Octomore Release (15.3)
Flight 6
Canberra: Wednesday 3rd June 2026
Private Tasting Room, Liquor Legends Hawker
Sydney: Wednesday 10th June 2026
Bar 26 Lilyfield
Virtual: 7:30pm Wednesday 17th June 2026
Virtual via Zoom with sample packs delivered
- Octomore 06.1
- Octomore 08.2
- Octomore Ten (Edition 3)
- Octomore Event Horizon
- A Current Octomore Release (15.2)
Flight 7
Canberra: 6:30pm Wednesday 5th August 2026
Private Tasting Room, Liquor Legends Hawker
Sydney: 6:30pm Wednesday 12th August 2026
Bar 26 Lilyfield
Virtual: 7:30pm Wednesday 19th August 2026
Virtual via Zoom with sample packs delivered
- Octomore 07.1
- Octomore 02.2
- Octomore Futures 2002
- Character of Islay Whisky Company Single Cask 9yo
- A Current Octomore Release
Flight 8
Canberra: 6:30pm Wednesday 7th October
Private Tasting Room, Liquor Legends Hawker
Sydney: 6:30pm Wednesday 14th October 2026
Bar 26 Lilyfield
Virtual: 7:30pm Wednesday 28th October 2026 NEW DATE
Virtual via Zoom with sample packs delivered
- Octomore 09.1
- Octomore 04.2
- Octomore Futures: The Beast
- OBA (Octomore Black Arts)
- OBA: Redux
The Food
A light dinner will be provided during these events.
The Fine Print:
If you have dietary requirements, please get in contact with us as early as possible.
Photo and/or video recording of this event may occur.
This event is only for persons aged 18 years or older.
Upcoming Flights
We've got a great selection of flights planned for the near future, with destinations including some favourite distilleries from Islay, and Speyside, in Scotland; a tour of Irish single casks, a meandering tour across Europe and Scandinavia, and some stunning sights from the United States of America.
We will also be taking off for some domestic destinations, where stories abound of the hard yakka that goes into setting up some of The New World's most loved distilleries - where we will try some of the boldest, meatiest, whiskies that have been slumbering away on this sunburnt country of ours!
Make sure your luggage is securely stowed, and your seatbelts are done up low and tight folks - some of these flights will be like none that have ever graced this beautiful capital of ours!