The Year is 2025, nothing is original and everyone is thirsty… Every day new whiskies are bottled, and are sent out to roam the world in search of a glass…

From the fire-y pits of hell, a hero will rise.

Dramnation (n.) (dræmˈneɪ.ʃən): The condemnation of one’s palate to be surrounded by incredible spirits, and yet be unsure of what to drink

Fire & Dramnation is a whisky blog started by local spirit enjoyer Tom Ryan in the April of 2025 that seeks to find joy and value in the whisky market of today. There will be biases, there will be surprises, there might even be a little fun.

Hailing from Sydney, Thomas Ryan heads up the Whisky & Spirits department at The Oak Barrel, one of Australia’s finest independent liquor stores. Responsible for running monthly masterclass events, along with the Sydney Whisky Fair each year in September, they are constantly surrounded by incredible drams, whether it be the latest release from a cherished Scottish distillery, a work in progress spirit from friends in the local distilling scene, or something entirely different, Fire & Dramnation will be a place to share these opinions with the world.

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Why Fire & Dramnation?
Dramnation by its self sounds too close to a tangible place, a Nation of Drams if you will…*

Fire & Dramnation embraces the intangibility of our favourite liquid hobby. From the tasty chemicals that make up our increasingly abstract tasting notes, to the history and people behind the distillery, to the biases and special experiences that may tip the scales of enjoyment beyond an objective viewpoint.

*Shout outs to DramNation! Note the difference in capitalisation. Different concepts, same spelling!