How do you find a great whiskey bar? We’re assuming that you have your favorite local place but what if you are traveling? In case you haven’t noticed, we are deep into a whiskey renaissance. New distilleries are cropping up around the world, with big Japanese brands building international momentum and craft Irish whiskey whisky buzzing as the category du jour. Bars and restaurants from Tokyo to Chicago have responded accordingly, giving whiskey (and its Scottish counterpart, whisky), a special place on back bars and menus as more and more people warm up to the spirit.
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We surveyed our community here and talked to some whiskey fanatics and purveyors about the best bars to visit to try some awesome whiskey. The bars that comprise this list are as varied as the expressions of whiskeys they serve. Some are off-the-beaten-path village meeting places that have endured decades by virtue of stiff pours and careful curation. You’ll find old, some quaint, even avant garde and other types of places amid bottle lists ranging from double to quadruple digits.
Our community members have given their favorite recommendations for whiskey bars around the world. If you’re traveling to a new city and want to find a good whiskey bar, start with this list. If you find a good one that’s not on the list, let us know about it and we’ll add it to the list. By the way, bars do come and go frequently, and if you see one here that’s no longer in business, please let us know.
NORTH AMERICA
- Delilah’s (Chicago)
- American Whiskey (New York City)
- Benjamin Steak House (New York City)
- Ward III (New York City)
- The Flatiron Room (New York City)
- Keens Steakhouse (New York City)
- Monk’s Cafe (Philadelphia)
- Old Seelbach Bar (Louisville)
- The Feathers (Toronto)
- Dundee Dell (Omaha, Nebraska)
- Bourbon’s Bistro (Louisville)
- Jockey Silks (Louisville)
- Bar & Books (New York)
- The Dam Pub (Thornbury, Ontario)
- Proof on Main (Louisville)
- Seven Grand (Los Angeles)
- Seven Grand (San Diego)
- Mac McGee Irish Pub (Decatur, Georgia)
- The Scottish Arms (St. Louis)
- The Daily Pint (Santa Monica, California)
- Jack Rose Dining Saloon (Washington, DC)
- Bourbon (Washington, DC)
- Nihon (San Francisco)
- Highlands (New York City)
- West End Tavern (Boulder, Colorado)
- One Barrel Bar (New York City)
- Pint’s Pub (Denver)
- Paddy’s (Portland, Oregon)
- The Franklin (Philadelphia)
- MacNiven’s (Indianapolis)
- Dive Bar (New York City)
- Noorman’s Kil (Brooklyn, New York)
- Anvil Bar & Refuge (Houston)
- Poison Girl (Houston)
- Caledonia Scottish Pub (New York City)
- The Lunar Rogue (Fredericton, New Brunswick)
- Amherst Coffee (Amherst, Massachusetts)
- Death Valley’s Little Brother (Waterloo, Ontario)
- Trinity Hall (Dallas)
- Piper’s Pub (Pittsburgh)
- Local Whiskey (State College, Pennsylvania)
- Village Whiskey (Philadelphia)
- Boyd’s Jig & Reel Pub (Knoxville, Tennessee)
- Multnomah Whiskey Library (Portland)
- The Half Barrel Bar & Kitchen (Rochester, Minnesota)
- Lloyd (Philadelphia)
- The Ball & Biscuit (Indianapolis)
- The Dam Pub (Thornbury, Ontario)
- Cascades Whiskey Bar at the Stanley Hotel (Estes Park, Colorado)
- Bourbon (Columbia, South Carolina)
- Rough Draught Whiskey Bar (College Station, Texas)
- Bar 1919 (San Antonio, Texas)
- Barnett’s Public House (Waco, Texas)
SCOTLAND
- Bon Accord (Glasgow)
- The Pot Still (Glasgow)
- The Highlander Inn (Speyside)
- Craigellachie Hotel (Speyside)
- The Grill (Aberdeen)
- The Mash Tun (Aberlour, Speyside)
- Whiski Bar & Restaurant (Edinburgh)
- The Fiddler’s Inn (Drumnadrochit)
- Dornoch Castle Hotel (Dornoch)
- Oran Mor (Glasgow)
- Duffie’s at the Lochide Inn (Islay)
- The Caley Bar (Edinburgh)
- The Bon Vivant (Edinburgh)
- Lynnfield Hotel & Restaurant (Orkney)
- Bramble Bar (Edinburgh)
IRELAND
- The Brian Boru (Dublin)
- Dingle Whiskey Bar (Dublin)
- Dick Mack’s Pub (Dingle)
ENGLAND
- Athenaeum Hotel Whisky Bar (London)
- Mizuwari at Bincho (London)
- John Bull Inn (Alnwick, Northumbria)
EUROPE
- Harry’s New York Bar (Paris)
- Bar & Books (Prague)
- Wallace Bar (Lyon, France)
- Villa Konthor (Limburg, Germany)
- Rubens Bar-Bistro (The Hague)
- Whisky Cafe L&B (Amsterdam)
- Akkurat (Stockholm)
- Saddle & Sabre (Stockholm)
- Dom Whisky (Jastrzębia Góra, Poland)
- King & Mouse Whisky Bar & Shop (Vilnius, Lithuania)
- J.D. William’s Whisky Bar (Amsterdam)
- Whiskeria (Prague)
ASIA-PACIFIC
- Malt Vault (Singapore)
- Bar High Society (Tokyo)
- Zoetrope (Shinjuku, Japan)
- Bar High Five (Tokyo)
- Malt Whisky Bar (Hong Kong)
