From savvy staff to wee drams with toasties, chef Jock Zonfrillo shares his top whisky bars around the country and tips for whisky beginners.
Jock Zonfrillo is a Scotsman through and through. He’s got the accent, the friendly nature, and he can talk whisky till the Highland cattle come home. He’s a card-carrying fan of his country’s national drink – he’s even started barrel aging some of his own – so you’d expect him to have a thing for bars that specialise in it, too. But with so many dedicated whisky venues popping up around the country, the chef and MasterChef judge has some criteria. To tell the good bars from the great, it’s all about the staff. “You can have a backbar full of amazing whiskies, but without someone in there who can talk you through them, it’s not the same. That’s what makes all the difference.”
With so much choice when it comes to whisky – and so many countries now turning out seriously great ones – bartenders play a critical role in sharing the love for this age-old spirit. Jock’s number one tip for anyone newer to the whisky game is to always chat with the team. “Talk to your bartender. Introduce yourself! And ask questions,” he says. “As a good bartender, they’re inevitably going to ask you, ‘What do you fancy?’ and they’ll lead you down a path. Through that little bit of engagement, you open up this relationship with your bartender and they feel a sense of ownership over you as a customer. Don’t be afraid to lean on their expertise – they want the best for you. If they make you a drink and it gives you facial neuralgia, they’ll make you something else. ”
Despite his self-confessed bias towards Scotch (“I almost always choose it because I almost feel guilty if I don’t”), Jock has discovered many exciting international whiskies thanks to enthusiastic staff. “Japanese whisky has a certain beauty to it that’s different to Scotch. A fair share of Yamazaki and Hibiki bottles find their way through our house.” He’s not opposed to crossing the ocean to Ireland either – “Redbreast have a 12-year-old whiskey that I think is far better than the 15,” he says. From Australia he’s partial to Victoria’s Loch distillery and Timboon’s Port Expression.
The best bartenders, he says, will not only know their stuff, but also be busting to match a whisky to your taste. “Nine times out of 10 they’ve been to the distillery and can wax lyrical about the water difference between Tasmania, South Australia, and Sydney, or where the barley comes from and how it’s malted,” Jock says. “If you want to get sucked into the whisky hobby, just have a conversation with the bartender.”
Another shared trait among Jock’s favourite bars is their intimate appeal. “I think there’s a cosiness around the bars I love,” he says. “There’s something nice about the type of place where you can have the attention of the barkeep. If you’re a whisky connoisseur, or someone who wants to be interested in whisky, I don’t believe you can have the same experience if you’re at a super busy bar and the bartenders are 10-deep in dockets. It’s just not the same.”
For more than 20 years, Jock has cooked in some of Australia’s best restaurants, including his own former celebrated Adelaide venue Restaurant Orana, so food is understandably high on his list of criteria. He’s a sucker for a side of potatoes (“It doesn’t matter what you do with them – pomme fondant, mash, chips – potatoes and whisky is where it’s at!”) and the snacks don’t have to be fancy, either. A perfect example is Melbourne’s Bad Frankie with its “banging” toasties. “I usually go there if I’m going to try some Australian whiskies because they’ve got such an impressive selection,” Jock says. “And you can have a jaffle. Who doesn’t love that?”
Another favoured Melbourne haunt is The Elysian (pictured left), with a range that blows Jock’s mind. “They get their hands on really interesting stuff. The other night I had something that was bottled by Blackadder in Glasgow for the Japanese market, and I’d never even heard of it. It’s a special bottle for Japan, so how does it end up here?” As someone who’s had the privilege of trying nearly every Balvenie, Macallan and Glenmorangie in the world, there’s something to be said for a bar that can serve up something Jock’s never come across.
The Victorian capital boasts three of Jock’s top picks, with the CBD’s Whisky Den rounding out the trio. It’s a tight space, but somehow squeezes in hundreds of whiskies, from the common classics to the ultra-rare, and its laid back vibes hit the spot.
Rounding things out, for a top-quality whisky fix in Brisbane, Jock recommends Death & Taxes (pictured left) and The Gresham Bar. Both slick city spots are home to impressive backbars with unrivalled ranges on display, complete with ladders to reach the really good stuff.
Jock visits these bars whenever he has the chance, taking friends and family along with him. “I’m not into big, peaty whiskies, but one of my best mates is nuts for them. We can all go to any of these bars. My wife can have a Martini while I’m enjoying a beautiful single malt.”
