The Village Table & Tavern MEREDITH K SNIDER PHOTOGRAPHY
Bars with outdoor seating are in high demand when the weather starts to warm; bars that are on the water even more so. And while most waterfront watering holes will reliably have the classic summertime cocktails—think Margarita and Gin and Tonic—on offer, the 10 listed here are actually whisky destinations. After all, true enthusiasts know that whisky has no season. So sit back, relax, and raise a toast to summer as you enjoy your whisky by the water.
Bourbon Prime
Morgantown, West Virginia
With a dining room featuring indoor and outdoor seating that overlooks the Monongahela, the mother river of rye whiskey, this bourbon-focused restaurant offers a casual take on upscale chophouse fare, complemented by a whisky list of more than 80 labels. It claims to be the first establishment in West Virginia to develop its own private selection bourbon from Woodford Reserve, which it calls the Country Roads Blend. The current batch is No. 29 and can be enjoyed by the 1 ½ oz. pour ($14) or in the bar’s signature Almost Heaven cocktail ($22), which is a cherrywood-smoked take on the Old Fashioned featuring that bourbon plus simple syrup and cardamom bitters, garnished with a lemon peel and Filthy black cherry. bourbonprime.com
Firewater Kitchen + Bar
Oakland, Maryland
With its prime location right on the shore of Deep Creek Lake at its widest point, this spot is even accessible by boat from May through October. Enjoy views of the lake from indoors year-round, and the patio is open from early spring through late fall, with heated pavers and a 32-foot fireplace to keep outdoor diners warm on chillier days. Complementing the eclectic American fare is a selection of nearly 90 whiskies, including bourbon, rye, scotch, Canadian, and Irish options ranging from $8/2 oz. pour of Old Forester 86 up to $110 for Whistle Pig The Boss Hog, plus six different whisky flights. The bar is also known for its craft cocktails, including a Smoked Old Fashioned ($13) served on tap and comprising Old Forester rye, oleo saccharum, and Angostura bitters, served in an oakwood-smoked glass. firewaterkitchen.com
Kirwan’s Irish Pub
Washington, D.C.
Located in The Wharf, D.C.’s southwest waterfront neighborhood, this Irish pub features several inviting spaces—the main bar with sweeping views of the Washington Channel, the more intimate whiskey bar, and the gastropub dining area—and in warm weather the venue opens its two patio spaces, one of which is directly on the water. No matter where you choose to enjoy your visit, there are around 230 whiskies on offer, including many allocated and high-profile bottlings from various Irish distilleries, including Midleton ($45-$125 for 1 1/2 oz.), Redbreast ($15-$180), and Spot ($15-$60), along with its food menu of modern takes on traditional Irish cuisine. The venue’s Irish identity can also be found on the cocktail menu that highlights classic Irish drinks like the Tipperary ($16)—Writer’s Tears, sweet vermouth, green chartreuse, and orange bitters—and the Irish Coffee ($14)—Slane, coffee, demerara sugar, and Baileys—as well as Irish riffs on classics, like its Irish Espresso Martini ($14), blending Jameson Cold Brew, espresso, Kahlua, and demerara sugar. kirwansonthewharf.com
Levee Bourbon Lounge
Louisville
This upscale bourbon bar attached to River House Restaurant and Raw Bar offers views of the Ohio River, which you can enjoy from indoors or on the patio in good weather, in the heart of bourbon country. With a modern speakeasy vibe, one of the walls of the bar is decorated with bourbon barrel heads, and the bar’s whisky collection of just over 400 is naturally bourbon-focused, including many single barrel picks. There’s also an extensive whisky flight menu, with more than 20 to choose from, ranging from $14 options like the Four Roses flight, featuring 1 ounce each of the Small Batch, Single Barrel, and Yellow Label, up to the $220 George T. Stagg flight, offering the 2017, 2018, and 2019 expressions. leveebourbonlounge.com
The Muse Whiskey & Coffee
Everett, Washington
Housed in the historic 101 year old Weyerhaeuser office building in the Port of Everett on Port Gardner Bay at the mouth of the Snohomish River, this spot offers a diverse selection of approximately 400 whiskies and a carefully curated selection of craft cocktails, plus small bites and upscale coffees and teas. The impressive whisky list includes nearly 20 vintage labels, ranging from a 1992 bottling of Cabin Still straight bourbon ($59/1.5 ounces) up to a1958 bottling of Stitzel-Weller Very Xtra Old Fitzgerald ($2,500). On the cocktail side, the Dark Walnut ($22) is the most popular, mixing Irish whiskey, espresso, pistachio liqueur, walnut nocino, and agave syrup. thewhiskeymuse.com
Proof Reader
Portland, Oregon
This whisky-centric restaurant in the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront Hotel on the Willamette River has close to 200 bottles on offer, including several from Oregon, like Bull Run ($13-$14/1 oz.), Burnside ($11- $12), McCarthy’s ($12-$28), Trail’s End ($10- $15), and Westward ($20-$22), plus a “Go Big” collection of highly allocated bottlings, ranging from Laphroaig Cairdeas ($30) to Old Fitzgerald Bottled in Bond 19 year old ($135). The cocktail menu highlights a dozen whisky-based classics as well as modern riffs like the Bacon Bourbon Old Fashioned ($18), made with bacon fat-washed Jim Beam White, brown sugar simple syrup, and Angostura bitters. proofreaderpdx.com
Steak 954
Fort Lauderdale
Found in the W Hotel Fort Lauderdale, this modern luxury steakhouse is located right on Fort Lauderdale Beach Boulevard, across from the palm tree-lined beach, so you can enjoy sweeping views of the Atlantic both from the outdoor terrace and from inside through the floor-to-ceiling windows. In addition to its steak and seafood-focused menu, there are more than 70 whiskies offered, with notable pours including a great selection of Yamazaki— the Peated Malt ($130/1.5 oz.), Puncheon ($130), Spanish Oak ($130), and Mizunara ($180)—along with allocated Van Winkle 15 year old ($300/1 oz.), 12 year old ($220), and 10 year old ($180). steak954.com
The Strand House
Manhattan Beach, California
This restaurant touting New American cuisine also features two bar spaces: StrandBar is a casual bar and lounge with live music and DJs most nights of the week, while the upstairs Attic Bar is a more intimate setting with just eight seats. Both bars feature views of the Manhattan Beach pier and Pacific Ocean as a backdrop for nearly 70 whiskies to choose from, including allocated rarities like Knob Creek 18 year old ($45/2 oz.) and Old Forester Birthday Bourbon ($55), plus at least one single malt from every region of Scotland. thestrandhousemb.com
The Village Table & Tavern
Duck, North Carolina
Situated on the shores of Currituck Sound, this spot claims to be the only Outer Banks restaurant to combine stunning waterfront views with a world-class whisky selection. Complementing its pub fare menu are more than 150 whiskies on offer, with a heavy focus on North America, including a section devoted to a rotating list of limited release bourbons, with current offerings ranging from Old Forester Statesman ($13/1.5 oz.) to Weldon Mills The All Malt ($35). The Rebel Old Fashioned ($13) is the best-selling cocktail here, featuring Rebel bourbon, smoked simple syrup, turbinado syrup, Regans’ No. 6 Orange bitters, and Angostura bitters. villagetableandtavern.com
Waterbar
San Francisco
With a great location on the bay almost directly under the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, this seafood-focused restaurant offers incredible views of the water from its outdoor terrace as well as indoors through its massive windows. It also has an impressive selection of more than 60 whiskies from Japan, Scotland, Ireland, Canada, and the U.S. In addition to notable bottles like Springbank 15 year old ($48/1.5 oz.), Suntory Yamazaki Spanish Oak 2022 ($200), and Little Book blended ($42), the venue also has its own private bottling of Maker’s Mark that the bar team traveled to Kentucky to help create (the current third iteration is $26). More of a steak person? Waterbar’s sibling restaurant Epic Steak is practically right next door, offering similarly great views of the bay, and has its own vast list of more than 70 whiskies. waterbarsf.com
