Woodford Reserve Women In Whiskey

Nestled down Russell Place, chic cool Bar Ampere was host to the first Women in Whiskey event – a chance for women to share knowledge, share experience, come together and taste and experience whisky. Bought to us by Woodford Reserve, I was greeted with a welcome cocktail (a spritz styled with bourbon, honey, Chambord and lemon) and soaked up the eclectic, energetic bunch of women around me.

We were escorted through a small tunnel like corridor to a lovely room adorned with a giant branch, fairy lights and beautiful table settings of drams of whisky, tasting notes, and a board of orange, chocolate and cheese. The evening was lead by Bartender Magazine Australian Bar Awards Rookie of the Year 2015 Nominee, Winner of 2015 Diageo “Beauty of the Blends” single-malt Scotch whisky competition in Australia, Brazilian-born mixologist, Thalita Alves. Thalita had us drinking in her charisma from the get go. Her story is an incredible one – she moved from Brazil to Australia to do her Masters in Education and got a job as a bartender on the side. She begun to get absorbed in this culture and in the end gave up teaching for whisky and mixology. Her passion and drive is clear, and tenaciously inspirational.

Thalia points out how we are the third generation of women who have had freedom to decide who we marry, what we do for a living, where we live, how to travel, and Women in Whiskey is a chance to celebrate that. The cliché of whiskey being a drink for old men in lounges with cigars is dated – and this night proves just that. Thalita teaches us how to taste whisky – it starts with the eyes, the nose “make love to it” she says in her smoothly subtle Brazilian accent. With every sip we move our way through the different tipples and are given a chance to share as a group the tasting notes we are experiencing. We are challenged to embrace every sense: smell the orange, smell the whisky. Taste the orange, taste the whisky. “I love how smells can take us places – it’s almost poetic”, Thalia says.

This evening was more than just trying dark spirits and eating canapés. It was a chance to experience and appreciate how much time and labour goes into making quality alcohol to be enjoyed. It was a chance to immerse ourselves in a sensory experience and connect and share with women doing the same. It was a wonderful chance to learn from a person who diverted from their set path to follow their passion and see how far it has taken them. Most importantly, it was a chance to smudge stereotypes and meet powerful smart women in a relaxed fun environment.