The Dark Spirits Festival

Overview

Craft & Co's seasonal gin markets have become a firm fixture on Melbourne's booze calendar. And now, those boozy events are set to score a new sibling, with the Collingwood venue kicking off its first ever Dark Spirits Festival.

Running across Thursday, August 18–Sunday, August 21, it's a celebration of top-notch Aussie artisan rum, whisky and other dark drops that promises to introduce you to a heap of new favourites.

It kicks off Thursday night with a five-course spirits-matched dinner ($95), starring pours like Artillery's eight-year barrel-aged rum, The Gospel's Solera rye whiskey and the Coastal Stone sherry cask whiskey by Manly Spirits Co. Diners will also get the chance to pick some brains at a meet-the-maker Q&A session, and score a goodie bag to take home.

Across the next three days, you'll catch Craft & Co's inaugural dark spirits market, running as a sit-down tasting affair — a little bit like booze producer speed-dating. Pull up a seat and relax as the distillers drop by your table to show off their latest creations, pour samples and answer all your burning questions.

There are six market sessions running (7pm Friday; 11am, 2pm and 5pm Saturday; and 11.30am and 2.30pm Sunday), but spots are limited, so you'll want to book quickly. Tickets range from $35–40, including all tastings and a take-home showbag. And as always, there'll be a pop-up bottle shop where you can stock up on goodies for your home bar.