By Sacha Delfosse
World of Whisky ambassador, Dan Woolley, has recently relocated to Byron Bay – taking his extensive whisky collection with him – and has joined forces with the team at The Roadhouse.
Literally living at the venue, Woolley has taken over the running of the bar, and says that the response so far has been great.
“People are coming into the venue because they heard it’s a whisky bar,” Woolley says.
"We are selling loads of whisky to males and females of all ages, I’d say 25 per cent of our bar sales are whisky and 60 per cent are cocktails."
While whisky is the main focus, with 55 different expressions on the back bar at the moment (which will eventually grow to 500), Woolley has also crafted a cocktail list that features six classic twists (made using seasonal fruits) covering all the major spirit categories.
There is also whisky and food matching on offer, and Woolley will be introducing weekly masterclasses as well as working on installing close to 28 separate whisky cabinets.
“Most of the different distributors will get their own cabinet and I’ll also be housing whiskies from my own collection in them. When we are done I think it will be the biggest selection in the country.”
During the day The Roadhouse operates as a café, serving up a breakfast menu made from locally-sourced organic produce, as well as great coffees, teas, tinctures and even an in-house made ginger and turmeric kombucha.
In the evenings the venue operates as a restaurant bar, offering daily special dishes prepared by a Michelin star chef, as well as an array of local cured meats and tasty local and imported cheeses.
The Roadhouse
6/142 Bangalow Rd, Byron Bay, NSW
Ph: 0413 966 618