Taste Waubs Harbour, maritime Tasmanian single malt

From the remote town of Bicheno on Tasmania's east coast, Waubs Harbour distillery have been quietly going about creating a whisky that is uniquely Australian and uniquely maritime in a way that whisky lovers could not have expected. 

There's a lot of talk in the whisky world at the moment around "speaking of place" and expressing the environment which surrounds a whisky distillery. Whether it's by growing barley on site or in the case of Waubs harbour, allowing the maturation environment to bring unique flavours and quality to their whisky. It's a difficult attribute to put a tasting note to, as the Tasmanian maritime environment is literally worlds away from what maritime notes could be like in Scotland. A general rule of thumb would be that humidity is higher near the sea and temperatures, generally more moderate than inland. A recipe for accelerated maturation and heightening of rich, dense characters to Waubs malts. 

Since their first release in 2023, Waubs harbour's following has grown in eagerness and numbers with new releases selling very quickly. Now that there's a few additional years of maturity in the bond store, these maritime qualities will have developed somewhat, giving us a perfect excuse to invite Ben Cook up from Tasmania for an in depth tasting of Waubs latest sellout dram, Port Royal and some other archived releases which do even more to integrate that sense of place into a delicious Tasmanian maritime dram. 

This is the only formal tasting on Ben's trip to Melbourne in June, where he'll share with us a deep understanding of Tasmanian whisky and the Waubs Harbour process to best capture it's unique location. 

On Tasting:

• 15ml x Newmake 63.4%
• 15ml x Waubs Original 43%
• 15ml x Waubs Harbour Port Storm 48%
• 15ml x Waubs Harbour Kelp Revival 45.7% - 2024 Archive Limited Release
• 15ml x Waubs Harbour Yeast Cask 52%  - 2025 Archive Limited Release
• 15ml x Waubs Harbour Port Royal 55.6% -  2026 Limited Release
• 15ml x Waubs Harbour Founders Reserve 62% 
  

Tickets: $59 per person

When? Where?

Wednesday the 24th of June 2026

Doors open at 6:45pm for a 7pm start

Upstairs, Whisky & Alement, 270 Russell Street, Melbourne 

Want to sit with your friends?

Please indicate in the comments if you would like to be seated with anyone in particular. 

Cancellations

No returns, refunds, cancellations or exchanges on any tickets. If you're unable to attend a class or event, we recommend nominating a friend or family member to take your place! No notification is required for change of attendees name, simply quote the booking name on arrival.

Last minute cancellation due to exceptional circumstances

We understand that unexpected events can pop up at the last minute. In the case you are unable to make a class or event and are unable to give 14 days notice prior to your original booking date, please follow the details below:

~ Illness: In the case that the participant is unable to attend due to an illness, please email a medical certificate and your booking reference (beginning with ‘R’) to info@whiskyandale.com.au by no later than 12pm on the day of your class or event booking. Our team will be in touch within 5 working days. All booking cancellations in the case of illness will be offered a full refund or change of booking date minus booking fees and administration fee of $15 per person.

~ Family emergency: In the case of a family emergency, please email your booking reference (beginning with ‘R’) and emergency details to info@whiskyandale.com.au no later than 12pm on the day of your class or event booking. All booking cancellations in the case of a family emergency will be offered a full refund minus booking fees and administration fee of $15 per person.

~ Government enforced lockdown or isolation directive: In the case that the participant has been ordered into a government enforced lockdown or self isolation we are here to work with you. 

a) In the case that your class or event date falls on a day of government enforced lockdown for the Victorian region, our events team will contact you as quickly as possible following the lockdown announcement. Effected participants will have the option to change their booking date to a future class or event date, or be issued with a cash voucher that can be used to book a future class, event, or at the bar and bottle shop (not available for online bottle shop purchases). 

b) In the case that the class participant has been ordered into self isolation by order of the Victorian Government, please email info@whiskyandale.com.au with details and our team will do their best to respond within 48 standard business hours. Effected participants will have the option to change their booking date to a future class or event date, or be issued with a cash voucher that can be used to book a future class, event, or at the bar and bottle shop (not available for online bottle shop purchases).

Age Restrictions

All participants must be over the legal age of 18 years in order to participate and consume alcohol.

Disabled Access
Please note that the tasting room is located on level 1 and accessible only via a single staircase. If you are unable to climb stairs, it may be possible to move the tasting to a wheelchair accessible venue located on the ground level. Please email info@whiskyandale.com.au to confirm if disabled access is available before booking. 

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Gift vouchers

Gift vouchers cannot be exchanged for cash or the online bottle shop.