Wild Turkey Creative Director and Academy Award-winning actor, Matthew McConaughey, unveiled an off-the-grid cabin yesterday, which will be housed on the Central Coast of NSW as part of the Wild Turkey With Thanks initiative built to encourage more Australians to reconnect with the wild, while protecting and preserving it for future generations.
The actor led the design of the cabin, named The Reserve, in partnership with Australian builders from travel start-up Unyoked, to ensure it aligned to Wild Turkey’s unapologetic commitment to its craft, and history of doing things the right way for nearly 100 years.
McConaughey said he was proud to see the solar-powered, no-wifi cabin come to life after months of hard work from the Australian build team, who only used sustainable materials to ensure the cabin melded seamlessly with its natural surrounds.
“I’ve always been in awe of Australia’s natural beauty. My hope now is that The Reserve by Wild Turkey x Unyoked cabin will inspire Australians to reconnect with nature as an antidote to the frenetic pace of life. I’m also proud that the cabin will form part of the Australian Wild Turkey With Thanks initiative that will support people and organisations who demonstrate unwavering conviction to preserving and protecting Australia’s great wilderness and wildlife.”
From conception to the physical build, McConaughey made a range of design decisions, including the layout, furniture, furnishings, through to the cabin’s most revered feature; a hidden Wild Turkey bar.
Other personal design elements selected by McConaughey were a curated selection of vintage books available inside the cabin, including “Origins of African Wisdom for Everyday” by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Collection of Essays, and “The Greatest Salesman in the World” by Og Mandino.
McConaughey also ensured he could share his love of American country and folk music by selecting a range of his favourite tapes to be enjoyed on the cabin’s vintage cassette stereo, including Bob Dylan’s “Highway 61 Revisited”, “Talkin Timbuktu” by Ali Farka Toure and Ry Cooder; and “Metamodern Sounds of Country Music” by American country music singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson.
When it was suggested by the local build team to name the custom built Wild Turkey bar, Matthew’s Bar, the self-deprecating actor said the “cabin’s toilet would be much more appropriate”. Therefore, a wooden plaque is proudly hung above the bathroom door etched with the word’s ‘Longbranch Loo’, aptly named after McConaughey’s own Wild Turkey bourbon blend.
The cabin is now available for bookings and will be housed on the Central Coast of New South Wales from early December. A percentage of proceeds from the cabin and $1 from every bottle of McConaughey’s Wild Turkey Longbranch sold in November and December will be donated to Unyoked’s charity partner, the Foundation for National Parks & Wildlife.
