CAMBEWARRA .135 SINGLE BARREL WHISKEY
Name
Cambewarra .135 Single Barrel Whiskey
Inspired By
2019 / 20 Bushfire Appeal
Year
2020 / 2023 / 2025
Spirit
Whiskey
Cask
Local Gum / White Oak
AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRE APPEAL x CAMBEWARRA .135 SINGLE BARREL WHISKEY
Red skies & black smoke covered Australian towns.
Ash & soot fell from the sky like snow.
Fiery embers kissed our sunburnt country,
quickly becoming raging monsters that ravaged our homes, our communities,
burning millions of hectres, killing over one billion creatures
& thirty four people.
These times were a call to arms:
ordinary people turned heroes,
families sticking together, communities arm-in-arm,
strangers there for each other in ways they never were before.
All telling a story of survival. All saying We Will Not Give Up.
There are so many across our country that need help,
Not just now, but in the years to come. That is why we made the Cambewarra .135:
A whiskey to be sold in 1 year, 3 years, & 5 years,
providing ongoing support for the families, the firefighters, & all those
affected by the bushfires.
Cambewarra is a local indigenous word meaning, Mountain on Fire,
& it is from here we stood in late November, some of the first to fight the flames,
only to watch as edged our way to safety, but the country fell further into Hell.
Its from these fires this whiskey is aged.
Its from this whiskey that, in some small part, will help our country heal.
In honour of those who stood against the fires, those who fought, who sacrificed,
who never gave up, this is for You.
enjoy irresponsibly
Leaden Hearts Cambewarra .135 Limited Edition Whiskey was inspired as a bushfire appeal initiative to assist the extensive damage due to wildfires that swept across Australia from 11.2019 – 03.2020.
More than 18.5 million hectares have been burnt. 34 people have died. Over a billion animals have died.
In a diverse country that harbours between 600,000 to 700,000 species, many of which are not found anywhere else in the world, this is beyond devastating. The intensity, the scale, the number, the geographical range, the fact that it all occurred simultaneously, & the sorts of environments that are burning made this a continental scale emergency.
There has been an outpour of support from all over the country & across the world. Bushfire appeals for the firefighters, the volunteers, the people who lost their homes, & the wildlife – so much has been raised, both financially, in support, & in awareness. A lot has been done, but there is a lot more to do.
We spent some time thinking about how we could be make a contribution. Having fought the fires ourselves we know first hand what it’s like – that is why we decided to make a new whiskey, the Leaden Hearts Cambewarra Whiskey, & donate 100% of everything we make to the cause.
Using techniques we developed for the Nyungar Balga Barrel Whiskey, we took charred wood from the edge of our property that was ravaged by the bushfires, fashioned them with the white oak we use to age our whiskey in custom sized, small batch barrels, & created a unique batch of our signature whiskey.
One thing we talk about is sustainable change, which is why we are planning for the Cambewarra Whiskey to not only help now, but next year, in 3 years, & 5 years. We are aging 3 batches, releasing 1 every few years, generating support & funding for now only now, but many years to come.
It is a heartwarming feeling to be part of such a strong collaborative effort in service of such a worthy goal. There is no use having a voice if not to speak out on important issues, to speak for those who can’t, or believe they won’t be heard.
The man in the photo, our distant grandfather, Lionel Walter Freeman was one of the first ranchers in this area near a hundred years ago. To see his land now, he would be proud, of all those who stood up, and protected these lands he loved so dearly.
In honour those who stood against the fires, those who fought, who sacrificed, who never gave up, this is for You.
cambewarra .135 single barrel whiskey
We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands where our stories were born, where our ancestors walked, and where our spirits find home. We honour the people whose lands hold the tools of our trade, where steel meets hand, where the work we do carries forward.
But it does not stop there.
Our work, our journeys, and our lives stretch across many Countries, guided by the wisdom of the land and the knowledge of those who have cared for it since time immemorial. We pay our respects to Elders past and present, to the knowledge keepers, the storytellers, and the custodians of culture.
Leaden Hearts is built on the belief that the past is not gone – it walks with us. Every road we take, every bottle we pour, every machine we restore is tied to the deep songlines of this Country. We walk gently, listen deeply, and give back where we can—because to live and work here is to carry a responsibility, one that stretches beyond us.
We acknowledge the sacred connection between people, land, and story, and we commit to honouring that connection in all that we do.