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Back in 2012, around 4am after knocking off from my shift at The Kodiak Club (RIP), I was on the floor of a tiny bar on Russell Street. Braced in a push-up position, I was face-to-face with Rob Libecans (now co-owner of Caretaker’s Cottage and Three Horses) opposite me in the same pose.
We were about to crab fight.*
And if you’ve ever seen Rob’s biceps next to mine, it will come as no surprise who won.
This is just one of many hazy, happy memories of Chez Regine, opened in 2010 by Brooke Hayman and Julian White, who were just 24 at the time. With one of the city’s rare 5am licences, it was a prime spot for bartender knock-offs. The $7 drams of Talisker 10 were a big draw, too, just one of many well-priced single malts on their backbar, which quickly became one of the city’s most interesting and comprehensive selections of whisky.
The venue is now called Whisky & Alement, and after many years of late night silliness, incredible whisky and countless awards, they’re celebrating a sweet 16 years in business this Sunday. It’s set to be an epic event, with access to some once-in-a-lifetime whiskies by the nip, including a pre-Prohibition era bourbon (!!!), bottles from closed distilleries in Japan (Nishinomiya) and Scotland (Port Ellen), and a 25-year-old single cask from the Scotch Malt Whisky Society.
Less insane drams will also be on pour for genuine 2010 pricing, including The Glendronach 12 for $8.50 and Lagavulin 16 for just $10. Tickets to the event which guarantee a seat and access to the rare drams are sold out, but there will be plenty of room for walk-ins from 2pm-11pm, and those unicorn bottles will be available to try by the nip until they run out.
I asked Julian how he went about picking the bottles to open for this special occasion. “I know a lot of former staff have eyeballed the Port Ellen wanting to open it, and I often find myself showing off that bourbon as the oldest bottle we have in our collection. The Nishinomiya is just pure curiosity as we literally don’t know anyone that’s ever tried it, and we felt like we needed to feature a bottle from the SMWS because that partnership has been so important,” he says.
“We’re super excited to finally be able to try these whiskies we’ve been staring at in the cupboard for the better part of 10 years, to say, ‘fuck it, let’s open them!’ There’s no point in just letting them sit there.”
I was lucky enough to work with Brooke and Jules at Whisky & Alement for a couple of years, so I may be somewhat biased, but I genuinely think the whisky program they’ve built is the best in Australia — and one of the best in the world. Once you delve into their selection, their philosophy, their deep involvement in the whisky industry both locally and internationally, the insane guests they’ve had through over the years, the effort they put into the professional development of staff, and the absolute unicorn bottles they regularly open, it’s actually a pretty easy statement to make.
Former Whisky & Alement staff now include brand ambassadors, marketing professionals, writers, government liaisons and venue owners, as well as distillers, blenders and other folks involved in spirits production both locally and internationally. Two of the original staff of Chez Regine are Ev Liong, who has just left a long stint as part of the blending team for Archie Rose, and Luke McCarthy, author of multiple books on Australian spirits and their history.
Ev remembers with fondness the Sullivans Cove French Oak Cask Strength old fashioneds they would drink for knock offs, right on the cusp of it exploding as Australia’s most sought-after whisky. “If I knew what that would cost me now, I'd have drunk a few more to etch it into memory,” she says. Ev also remembers doing blind tasting battles to hone their palates, and Julian’s excitement for upcoming releases of Brora single malt. “He wouldn't sit still, just pacing back and forth looking out for the postman,” she says.
Luke says it was the hospo community’s love for Chez Regine that really left an impression. “It was a bartender’s refuge,” he remembers. “You could see this giddy, kidlike excitement emerge as weary hospo pushed through the old giant door from 3am to 5am."
In 2013, Brooke and Jules decided to rebrand the space, giving up the 5am licence to focus 100 percent on whisky. Since then, they’ve built one of the most incredible spirits selections in Australia, with around 500 bottles open on the bar at any given time and thousands more in storage waiting to be opened. These bottles include single casks that the team have selected themselves from distilleries all around the world, rare and nearly impossible to find vintage bottles, and collaborations with local producers that have literally changed the way we make whisky in Australia. Far from being just a bar, Whisky & Alement is a critical part of the evolution of the local whisky industry over the last 16 years.
“The fact that Brooke and Jules were constantly pouring exceptional whiskies at stupidly low prices completely changed how the industry related to the drink,” says Luke. “They made it accessible; simplified the jargon, debunked the bullshit marketing myths, and just talked about flavours and told great stories.
“Their absolute commitment to creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for anyone who was curious about whisky was, and is, a truly awesome achievement.”
I reckon that’s worth celebrating.
*For the uninitiated, this was a favourite bartender challenge of the time, when two people would get into the pushup position facing each other and try to knock the other person onto their face by swiping their arms out from under them. So stupid (but fun). The more common game at Chez Regine was the Ardbeg Challenge where you’d see who could hold a shot of Ardbeg in their mouth for the longest. That shit burns.
Around the Bars
Single Barrel Soiree. Speaking of awesome whiskey, we’re having our first tasting event of the year at Goodwater this Sunday (March 15th) with Aaron Lawrence, General Manager of Blanton’s Distillery visiting from Kentucky to show off eight incredible single barrel whiskies from their collection, with food provided by the Goodwater kitchen. Grab a ticket here.
Lucha Libre. If you want a shot at winning a trip to Mexico as part of the Espolon Cocktail Fights World Champion, the journey starts by attending your first Melbourne Cocktail Fights Training Camp at Moondrop Bar in Fitzroy on Monday, 16th of March: 2pm - 4pm. Lunch will be provided plus skills, training, tastings and merch as the Espolon team takes you through everything you’ll need earn the championship belt. RSVPs essential, so do so here.
One Hundred Wonders. Nominations are now open for the 2026 Drinks 100 Australia Awards. This is your opportunity to recognise the bar industry professionals who you think are shaping the culture in Australia right now. Enter your nominations here.
The Bartenders’ Weekender timetable is now live, with over 32 events in store across three days. Take a look at bartendersweekender.com now (and check out the 25-30% discount on accommodation in Adelaide before they book out).
