Frisky Whisky-Soaked Jerky: The Ben Buckler and Bondi Smokehouse Cook Up Sydney's Best Bar Snack

Two homegrown Sydney names, one late-night idea, and a jerky that's actually soaked in gold-medal whisky.

Some collaborations get workshopped for months in a boardroom. This one, by the brand's own account, came out of a late-night brainstorm between the misfits at The Ben Buckler and the fire-loving crew at Bondi Smokehouse. The result has a name that doesn't leave much to the imagination: Frisky Whisky-Soaked Smoked Chewy BBQ'y Quirky Jerky.

What it actually is

This isn't a jerky with a whisky-adjacent flavour sprayed on for marketing. It's smoked, chewy, BBQ-style jerky that's genuinely soaked in The Ben Buckler's gold-medal-winning single malt, the same whisky finished across ex-tawny port and bourbon barrels that's picked up four international gold medals in San Francisco, New York, Asia and China. Bondi Smokehouse brings the smoking know-how; The Ben Buckler brings the barrel character. It's built to be the thing you reach for between pours, not an afterthought stocked next to the bottle.

Two Sydney names, one shared identity

Both brands trade on the same coastal, unpretentious, slightly cheeky Sydney identity. The Ben Buckler's whole story comes from Larry Emdur turning a 60th-birthday whisky idea into an award-winning single malt. Bondi Smokehouse has built its own reputation on serious, fire-driven cooking. Putting the two together isn't a stretch collaboration between unrelated categories; it's two local names that were always going to end up in the same room eventually.

How to get it

The jerky is available as part of The Ben Buckler's product range, and right now it's built directly into the brand's own gifting mechanic: order two or more bottles of The Ben Buckler Single Malt Whisky and a pack of the jerky comes free. It turns a straightforward bottle purchase into a proper tasting pairing, whisky and a snack that's quite literally made from it.

Why it matters

Food-and-spirits collaborations are everywhere at the moment, but most of them are surface-level branding exercises. This one holds up because both sides of it are real: a genuinely award-winning whisky, and a smokehouse with an actual fire-cooking pedigree, making a product neither could make on their own. For a brand built on the idea of good people, good stories and nothing too precious, a whisky-soaked jerky born from a late-night idea is about as on-brand as it gets.

Order The Ben Buckler Single Malt Whisky at thebenbuckler.com, two bottles or more, and the Frisky Whisky-Soaked Jerky is on the house with a complimentary Limited Edition Cap for Father's Day.*

Frequently Asked Questions

Who makes The Ben Buckler whisky jerky?
The jerky is a collaboration between The Ben Buckler and Bondi Smokehouse, genuinely soaked in The Ben Buckler's gold-medal single malt whisky.

How do I get the free Ben Buckler jerky?
Order two or more bottles of The Ben Buckler Single Malt Whisky and a pack of the whisky-soaked jerky is included free, plus a complimentary Limited Edition Cap. Father's Day limited time offer.

What does Ben Buckler whisky jerky taste like?
It's smoked, chewy, BBQ-style jerky genuinely soaked in whisky finished across ex-tawny port and bourbon barrels, carrying the same barrel character as the whisky itself.