They took out the top gong at the Time Out Melbourne Bar Awards and their love of whisky is practically contagious – so it comes as no surprise that Whisky and Alement are now continuing their passion for firewater by opening another bar, the Melbourne Whisky Room.
The bar – which is actually tucked away just upstairs from from Whisky and Alement – is set to open up tonight and will focus on, wait for it... whisky. Much like its basement brother bar, the Melbourne Whisky Room will pride itself on its collection of independent bottlings. Owner Brooke Hayman explains "We’ll actually have a lot of rare, vintage, independent bottlings that we import ourselves." Again, they'll be focusing on affordability, with many of the bottles and tastings costing a fraction of the price they'd go for at other bars. "We really want to give people a snapshot of what they’re trying before they buy it, so it’s never a blind sale."
The 50-seat bar will also be a table service venue, meaning punters will get a chance to really pick the brains of their bartenders, who are all encyclopaedias when it comes to whisky. "We’ve got some of our bartenders from 5-6 years ago, that had moved on, [they’re now] coming back to work the bar. The bar’s maturing into something a bit different – it’s nice to see that we’re maturing and our staff are as well."
They will also be doing express whisky tastings, "A lot of our customers that have a special occasion coming up want to try out the whiskies." These tastings will be designed for 6-16 people and you can book them from February 21.
The Melbourne Whisky Room opens above Whisky and Alement Friday February 10.