Eat, drink, be merry, and drink some more at this charity gala for bushfire relief. Showing some true Aussie spirit, more than 100 distilleries have donated bottles and experiences for auction, including tours, masterclasses, and rare and limited-edition bottles. Tickets for the night cost $127 and include dinner, music, hobnobbing with distillers, and of course plenty of craft spirits. You'll sip whiskey, gin, vodka and schnapps from Starward, 5Nines, Wandering Distillery, Cedar Fox, Four Pillars and even several bushfire-affected distilleries.
If you're not in Sydney, you can still bid on most of the items online. However the top tier items will be auctioned live on the night, and they include some really special drops. There's a rare bottle of Lark Single Cask LD84 from Bill Lark's personal archive, the last ever bottle of Prohibition Liquor Co's sold-out cult Christmas gin, and museum stock whiskey from the now-defunct 3Souls distillery.
But the hero items are five barrels of a spirit that's been created specifically for the event, dubbed "The Aussie Spirit" whisky. Malt spirit donated by a number of distilleries have been laid down in a variety of casks, and are now aging in Tasmania under the guidance of Bill Lark – otherwise known as the Godfather of Australian Whisky to true aficionados.
For serious collectors, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. For everyone else, it's a chance to raise a glass while raising funds: 100% of ticket sales and auction bids will be donated to Rural Aid to assist agricultural communities overcoming drought and bushfires. Now that's something we can all drink to.