Opening up whisky (and whisky conversations) with Ryan Sweeney

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My Aunt Margaret, my Granny’s cousin, was quite an anomaly in her time. She was unmarried, had no children, lived by herself, had a career and – shock horror – drank whisky. We were her closest relatives and so celebrated many occasions with her, and the joke went that she was my Granny’s dancing partner and my Grandpa’s drinking partner. 

Being a bit of a maverick, Aunt Margaret got away with it, but it was generally seen as uncouth for women to indulge in the water of life. Two generations on things are undoubtedly much better, but it's still all too often that whisky bars and tastings are frequented by people who look very similar, and this can make them intimidating to others who don’t fit the mold of the stereotypical whisky drinker.

It's a problem that Whisky & Alement’s newest hire, Ryan Sweeney, noticed as they started to immerse themselves in the whisky industry in the UK. They are half Irish, half Indian and grew up in a working class area of England. They also identify as gender queer and non-binary. Ryan has a background in tax and the civil service, but has loved whisky from a young age and worked closely with the whisky industry while negotiating free trade agreements. During the pandemic they started hosting online whisky tasting with friends, and decided to pursue that avenue more once everything opened up again. 

Ryan found a niche with Australian whisky in particular, still reasonably uncommon in the UK market, when they first tried Morris Muscat cask. 

“The door was blown open that there was this New World whisky that I hadn’t tried. I went down a bit of a rabbit hole and tried everything I could find in the UK, mostly Starward and Morris, but I went to a whisky show in Birmingham and That Boutique-y Whisky Company were there with their Return to Oz collection – I tried Fleurieu, the Gospel, Corowa, Limeburners… they were so interesting, I was fascinated, and that’s why I’ve ended up in Victoria.

They ended up freelancing for Morris whisky, as well as hosting other tastings as a side gig to their day job in the civil service. Inclusivity in these spaces has always been important to Ryan, and one of the reasons they are drawn to Australian whisky is that it is a less regulated, more experimental whisky category with a diverse group of people involved in the production, brand and venue sides of the industry, but we need to make sure that translates to the community as a whole. 

“I remember walking into a tasting in Edinburgh, and I was the last person to show up, and I was met with a room of men, all white and of a similar, older, age. One of them had brought his wife, and I came in, 30 at the time, my nails painted and dressed maybe a little flamboyantly, and she said “isn’t this such a diverse room.” And I was like – is it? I think she and I brought all of the diversity.

“It was pretty clear that I knew more about Australian whisky than anyone other person in the room that was a consumer, but I also found that I wasn’t really saying anything, I didn’t raise my hand, I didn’t make any comments until the end of the class when I was one on one with the host. 

“I reflected on that: as someone who is male passing and white passing and actually knows what they’re talking about, if I feel that way, imagine what it must be like for someone from a marginalised community who looks ‘different’.

“So that’s why I started my tastings and wanting to create spaces that were inclusive, not just in the way I was targeting them but also learning from people who I admire in the industry, particularly women, and how they present in a way that is engaging and informative but also allows space and holds boundaries to make everyone feel comfortable. It's controlling the room so that there are no stupid questions, and everyone is learning together.”

This led Ryan to launch Drag and Drams with a friend who is the bar manager at Soho Whisky Club. The idea was to push past the idea of inclusivity to something a little satirical, aimed specifically at members of the LGBTQI+ community and allies. The first event was held on the day of London Pride with the aim of everyone coming as their full Pride selves, not having to mask as many often feel they have to in stuffier whisky spaces. 

“We drag up, let’s just take the piss out of each other, take the piss out of everyone else but also take the piss out of the industry too.” 

Ryan came up with the alter ego Shrimp on the Barbie. “I went for the stereotypical dumb blonde Barbie vibe – pink has always been my colour anyway – and I’m going to challenge that stereotype by schooling everyone about whisky. At a whisky tasting you expect to see a man with a beard in a blazer and a bow tie, and I’m going to give them the beard and the blazer but the blazer is going to be hot pink…it’s a quiet but exuberant flipping off of the status quo.”

Drag and Drams was also a hit at Tasmanian whisky week, where Ally Bhana (brand ambassador for Sullivans Cove) sat on the planning committee. “It's incredibly important that we continue to introduce whisky to new audiences. The next generation of consumers must feel that we are creating an inclusive space where they can enjoy our products. There should be no pretentiousness or gatekeeping – whisky should be for everyone and appreciated in any way people choose,” she says. 

As a female co-owner of a bar with a lot of whisky, it's something I am also very conscious of. As Ryan points out, it's a privilege to be able to host and have the authority that comes alongside that. 

“We are the people providing the service, the entertainment, the knowledge – just like a teacher can say class, let’s be quiet please so we can all learn together, we can do that too. We can read the room and have larger conversations using whisky as the conversation framework. I love the whole approach of Australian hospitality, where everyone who comes into your venue is a friend.”

I can’t wait to make friends with Shrimp on the Barbie – details below.

Around the Bars

• Ryan is hosting Melbourne’s first Drag and Drams event at Whisky & Alement on Sunday 15th December. Expect a line-up of whiskies that champion diversity and challenge the status quo, and lots of laughs. $60 gets you a cocktail and five whiskies.
• Massive congratulations to Byrdi who turned five with a bang on Sunday. They continue to push boundaries and elevate the Melbourne hospitality scene – here’s to many more. If, like me, it has been a minute since you’ve had the chance to check out what they’re doing, consider this a gentle reminder.
• Askal have opened a Filipino cocktail bar on their rooftop called Inuman. Given how great the drinks are in the ground floor restaurant, I can’t wait to check it out!