Shaun Byrne

Shaun Byrne is an ideas man. Moving from the bartending world his first venture into production changed the game for a whole category - Vermouth. A huge education piece for the Australian public Maidenii is now a mainstay in Australia's bars, the best venues across the county come to Shaun to be part of Round Table to create their own Vermouths (Royal Mail, Speakeasy Group, Billy Kwong, Long Chim to name a few), and 6 years in Maidenii is still innovating with products continuing to win titles like ‘Best Aperitif’ and ‘Most Influential Spirits Innovation.’ His book on Vermouth; Published by Hardie Grant, is currently nominated for multiple awards and is being translated for print in multiple counties. His second title, ‘All Day Cocktails - Low (and no) Alcohol Magic,’ with Hardie Grant on the very timely topic of sustainability in the drinks industry will be released in the coming months and his third book is in the works.

His consultancy business Good Measure enables him to share his knowledge with the many startups that are entering the fold, and brings high quality bars and local products to festivals across the county. And two years ago Shaun brought the team together to founded Marionette Liqueurs, which immediately won best liqueur at the Australian Distilled Spirits Awards in 2018 and 2019. Although you’ll no longer find Shaun behind a bar he’s constantly powering away behind the scenes, finding categories that others may have overlooked and brings them to the centerstage.