Laundy Hotels have bought one of Australia's most iconic pubs, The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel. The news brings an end to Blair Hayden's impressive 38 years at the helm of one of Australia's first brewpubs.
In a statement posted to social media, The Lord team said it was a sad decision for the long-term custodians of the building, but added that retirement beckoned for the visionary owner.
"It was time for Blair and his partners tenure to come to an end, after an almost 40-year journey as custodians of this magnificent old bloke," the statement read.
"The Lord has been more than a pub for the custodians and their families; it’s been home, community and a much loved member of the family too, and the decision to sell has not come lightly."
The old boozer is located in The Rocks and, fittingly for an area suffused with history, The Lord is Sydney's oldest licensed hotel: the grand sandstone building dated back to 1841.
For the time being, the pub will continue to operate as it has for decades. And, with Blair not completing the handover until October, there remains plenty of time to pop in and see him while enjoying a pint of his favourite beer, Three Sheets Pale Ale.
Blair and a consortium of owners bought the pub in 1986 and promptly started brewing ales inspired by those Blair had fallen in love with while in the UK, thus joining the likes of Chuck Hahn and the team behind the Sail & Anchor and Matilda Bay in WA as craft beer pioneers – long before the term "craft beer" was even used.
The onsite brewery at The Lord is a small system mostly focused on keeping the pub's taps full and the lineup of beers changing; packaged beers have long been brewed off-site.
The brewery and pub was initially put up for sale in 2021, with Blair telling The Crafty Pint at the time that he was ready for his tenure to come to an end.
“I’ve been putting my heart and soul into the Lord,” he said then.
“And the Lord has been absolutely fantastic to me. It’s been an amazing journey and we’re all very very proud of the Lord Nelson, its achievements and what great staff have been through here over the years."
Laundy Hotels is owned and operated by the Laundy family and is one of New South Wales' largest hospitality groups with more than 40 venues operating under the banner. Buying The Lord isn't the group's first foray into craft brewing with the team also operating The Marsden Brewhouse in Sydney's west.
The Crafty Pint has reached out to both The Lord and the Laundy teams for further comment on the sale and their plans for the hotel, brewery and range of beers in the future.
For a detailed history of Blair's time at the helm of the pub, you can read this article we published when the brewery turned 30.
Below is the full statement posted by the team at The Lord Nelson Brewery Hotel.
Statement on the sale of The Lord
It is with sadness (for us) but also hope for what’s to come that we share today that The Lord has been sold to the Laundy Hotel Group. Here’s to the next stage of Sydney’s oldest continually licensed hotel, Australia’s oldest pub brewery and let’s be honest… ‘the best pub in the world!’
It was time for Blair and his partners tenure to come to an end, after an almost 40-year journey as custodians of this magnificent old bloke. The Lord has been more than a pub for the custodians and their families; it’s been home, community and a much loved member of the family too, and the decision to sell has not come lightly. However, retirement beckons and it’s time for The Lord to welcome its next era.
Please note: Trading will continue as usual with the same great craft brews, pub fare and hospitality you’ve come to expect when you visit us. Blair will finish handover in October, so if you’d like to pop in and see him, he’ll be around the place until then.
We thank you for your community and custom over the years, we know The Lord has some of the most loyal customers an establishment could imagine and we acknowledge that with the deepest gratitude. Families have grown up visiting us, visitors given the tour (and a brew or two…) when in town, milestone birthdays and weddings held Upstairs, first ‘official’ beers with Dad often a ‘Lord’ ritual.
The hospitality crew who have championed our independent brewery from the get-go of our ales being packaged. We thank you and hope to continue enjoying a Three Sheets or two at your fine establishments.
The wine community who made us their base when in town and championed our ales in their parts of the world. We’ve loved having you part of our Lord crew.
Our loyal team, you have helped make this an amazing establishment. The many awards, the standards as a truly hospitable venue, the ‘vibe’ of The Lord are unique and authentic, something of which we should all be extremely proud.
We have been privileged to have all your support. The Lord has always been a traditional public house in the truest sense. 183+ years of beers, pokie free and a place for community and connection.
Cheers to being part of that with us.
Will Ziebell is a history graduate who knows more about The Wire than he does about beer. He was awarded the AIBA Best Media trophy for 2018; HBO have told him to please send his fan mail elsewhere. He can be found on Instagram, Twitter and TikTok.
The beer(s) or moment(s) that turned you on to good beer:
Spending time living in the UK (and backpacking across Europe) when I was 21 certainly gave me a better understanding of the beer and different styles of the world. But I'd say it was a holiday to the High Country a little while later when lunch and a tasting paddle at Bridge Road Brewers created an obsession with Australian breweries and locally made beer.
You've got three beers to turn someone else on to good beer; what are they and why?
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Boatrocker's Miss Pinky: It's a raspberry-packed Berliner Weisse that neither looks or tastes the way many people conceive of beer.
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Bad Shepherd Hazelnut Brown: A luscious mix of chocolate and hazelnut that can appeal to the sweet tooth within us all.
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Stone & Wood Pacific Ale: As the father of my oldest friend once said to me: "It's the perfect refreshing pint that smells like they've loaded it with the God's herb."
The last beer you enjoyed:
Garage Project's DFA while sitting at the bar at Miss Moses as the sounds of The Rolling Stone drifting in the background.
Three things that represent you:
- Bruce Springsteen
- Ken Burns
- The State Library of Victoria
