Three Levels of Mischief: Whiskey, Beer & Music at The Porter House.

Sydney finally got the whiskey festival it didn’t know it was waiting for. Forget dimly lit tasting rooms where the loudest thing is someone muttering about esters - High & Low at The Porter House brought 75+ whiskies, craft beer, live DJs, and a rooftop party together under one roof, and the result was equal parts education and indulgence.

From the get-go, the vibe was clear: this wasn’t going to be a reverent swirl-and-spit exercise. The tasting booklet was less bible, more treasure map, and you quickly realised the $20 food token wasn’t so much sustenance as a survival tactic between pours of Buffalo Trace’s sturdy bourbon backbone and Paul John’s oloroso-soaked Indian malt that practically hummed sitar chords on the palate.

The masterclasses gave the whole thing a backbone of credibility. Sazerac flexed with a line-up that escalated from Eagle Rare’s chocolate-fantail charm to EH Taylor Small Batch’s big-shouldered bourbon confidence, before dropping the mic with the unicornish Weller CYPB - a dram that made seasoned collectors glance sideways as if they’d spotted contraband. Archie Rose, never one to play it safe, showcased their restless innovation: an Infrared Toasted Rye that sounded like a physics experiment but tasted like a redgum campfire dressed in silk. Manly Spirits, meanwhile, kept it local and audacious with a ginger beer cask whisky that was less “respectfully Scottish” and more “Bondi surfer cracking a tinny at sunrise.”

On the main floors, the diversity was dizzying. You could ping-pong between Kurayoshi’s 12-year-old elegance (a masterclass in restraint) and Kinglake’s Full Noise (which does exactly what it says on the label). Or drift over to the Starward table, where their honeycomb dram sidled up like a late-night secret you know you shouldn’t but absolutely will, before crossing to Sullivan’s Cove – Australia’s liquid crown jewel – which all but leaned in to purr, “this is history in a glass, try not to look insufferably pleased with yourself.

And because not everyone wants to wax lyrical about phenolic compounds all night, the Young Henrys rooftop pop-up was the great equaliser. Froths, RTDs, live music, and a crowd that looked equal parts Bond Street and back alley - it was whiskey culture unbuttoned, proving that whisky nerds and beer kids can in fact cohabitate without anyone pulling rank.

High & Low also had a deliciously cheeky sense of timing. Kicking off at 3pm meant the late afternoon light streamed through The Porter House’s windows, casting an almost ecclesiastical glow on tables stacked with drams. By the time the rooftop afterparty was humming, it felt less like a tasting event and more like a miniature festival - one where you didn’t need gumboots or a tent, just a steady hand and maybe a Berocca for the morning after.

The verdict? High & Low is the whiskey festival Sydney didn’t just deserve, but needed. It proved you can showcase the gravitas of names like Balvenie and Glenfiddich 21 Gran Reserva, while still pouring shots to a soundtrack of live beats instead of bagpipes. For the curious, it was a crash course. For the connoisseur, a candy store. And for everyone else? A rollicking reminder that whiskey doesn’t have to be worshipped - sometimes, it’s best enjoyed with a wink, a tune, and maybe just one more pour.

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Words by AW.