🎙️ TV Host Turned Whiskey Founder? Larry Emdur’s Unexpected Second Act.

🖋️ A word from our editor…

What I liked most about this chat with Larry Emdur wasn’t the whiskey (though that part’s great). It was how honest he was about where it all started. No grand vision, no business plan—just a birthday idea for some friends that somehow turned into a real company.

There’s something refreshing about that. He’s not pretending to be anything he’s not. He’s not chasing relevance or trying to spin it into some big reinvention narrative. He just liked the taste, saw people respond, and followed it through.

It’s easy to think new chapters have to be bold or carefully planned. But sometimes they come out of nowhere. A random idea that sticks. A side project that turns into something more. That’s what this story reminded me of. You don’t always need to force it. You just have to stay open—and back yourself when something feels good.

Larry didn’t set out to build a brand. But now that he has, he’s having a lot of fun with it. And really, what better reason is there to keep going?

— Hao Nguyen, Editor

🥃 “I just wanted to make some whiskey for some friends.”

When Larry Emdur turned 60, he didn’t plan to reinvent himself. He just wanted to make a few bottles of whiskey to share with his mates. But that birthday hobby quickly spiralled into something much bigger—and now, the longtime TV host is the unlikely founder of one of Australia’s fastest-growing new spirit brands.

Best known for hosting The Price is Right, The Morning Show, and The Chase, Larry has been a fixture on Aussie screens for decades. But behind the scenes, he’s quietly building Ben Buckler Whiskey—a smooth, easy-drinking drop named after his childhood pocket of North Bondi.

“It was just meant to be 60 bottles for 60 friends,” he told Amy and Jono on No Business Being a Castano. “Now it’s won gold in San Francisco, we’ve sent pallets to China, and we’re talking to Malaysia.”

It’s a second act few saw coming. But in true Larry fashion, he’s leaned in with humour, hustle, and zero pretension. He’s not claiming to be a distiller. He just knows what he likes—and knew there was a gap for a whiskey that wasn’t intimidating, overly peaty, or “saved for your dad’s funeral.”

The drink is light, bourbon-influenced, and made in partnership with the team at Corowa Distilling Co. The goal? Accessibility. “I wanted to come up with a whiskey you could drink with your mates or your mum—just something nice, accessible, easy drinking,” he explained.

But the story behind the bottle is just as compelling. From a career of high-profile gigs (and just as many cancellations), to embracing unpredictability, Larry’s journey is one of reinvention—on his terms. He’s been axed more times than he can count, but always found a way to bounce back. “TV’s a rollercoaster. I’ve learned to build something that isn’t tied to the next contract.”

Now, at 61, he’s added “whiskey founder” to a CV already packed with unexpected turns. And he’s not slowing down. He’s taking meetings, shaping the brand’s global future, and still waking up at 4am to train before live shoots. All without losing the larrikin charm that made him a household face.

“This wasn’t part of the plan,” he said. “But I love it. And I reckon that matters.”

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