The Shard and Tower Bridge
In the hierarchy of British cities for whisky lovers, London has not traditionally ranked very high, principally because the UK’s whisky makers were all located more than 400 miles to the north. But today Britain’s capital city has numerous nascent distilleries, including several specializing in whisky, joining a lively network of whisky bars to make this ancient city a whisky destination to rival any in Europe.
As one of the world’s most cosmopolitan cities, London abounds with lodging options. Choose one that has a bar you’ll want to visit anyway.
Built in what was at one time the largest school in England, St. Paul’s Hotel in Hammersmith offers 35 rooms set on three rambling floors of a neo-Gothic building. While the hotel’s entryway might seem a bit underwhelming, pride of place on the ground floor is given to Melody Whisky Bar, offering an extensive list of single malts including special Fèis Ìle releases, whiskies from shuttered distilleries, and hotel exclusives.
More centrally located is The Beaumont, a luxury Art Deco-inspired hotel that opened in 2014. Its gorgeously appointed Le Magritte Bar, cloaked in warm wood tones and decorated with original artwork, is the ideal spot for a restorative Old Fashioned prior to heading back out on the town.
Day One
If you’re not breakfasting in the cozy Gatsby’s Room at The Beaumont, stroll around the corner to Cardinals of Mayfair, an Italian café that nevertheless does a superb job on the breakfast classic known as the ‘full English.’ Divide the balance of your morning between two of London’s finest art destinations, the Tate Britain and Tate Modern, each with free admission. That’s also the case for many of the city’s major galleries and museums.
Leaving the Tate Modern, stroll over to Borough Market, where roughly a millennia of history counts it as one of the oldest and finest food markets in Europe. Peruse the stalls, sampling English cheeses and Mediterranean olives before retreating to the nearby The Whisky Exchange London Bridge, a shop that complements its impressive spirits selection with an extensive offering of whisky miniatures starting at just $5.
For lunch, treat yourself to a pint of Harvey’s Sussex Best alongside a steak and ale pie at the Royal Oak, just a five-minute walk south. Resist the temptation to while away the afternoon in its seductive grasp though, since you have both a bar and a distillery to visit.
Just two stops away on the Northern Line is the Merchant House of Bow Lane, a self-described “world of gin, rum, and whisky.” Its spirits list runs 30 pages and highlights whiskies from such far-flung distilleries as Australia’s Starward and India’s Paul John, in addition to the expected bounty from Ireland and Scotland, including treats like Teeling The Revival 1999 $30/50 ml) and Port Askaig 19 year old $41/50 ml)—as well as seven English whiskies. If it’s not busy, ask for a peek at what’s billed as London’s smallest bar, the reservation-only, four-seat Brig.
Next, it’s off to East London Liquor Company for its pre-booked Whisky Your Way tour. Following a welcome cocktail, you’ll be given a tour of the distillery that concludes in the barrel room with a sampling of a half-dozen whiskies, including the first—and, to date, only two—editions of the distillery’s own East London Single Malt.
A short rideshare brings you to a dinner like no other at Acme Fire Cult, where open-fire cooking is the rule and, unexpectedly, vegetables take center stage in dishes like Coal Roast Celeriac and Aubergine Steak, complemented by beer from the adjacent 40ft. Brewery.
After dinner, take a 15-minute stroll to MAP Maison, where the leather-bound menu features an impressive 14 pages of Japanese whiskies, a collection built up over the proprietor’s many visits to Japan. Of particular interest are selections from seldom-seen distilleries like Nagahama (Edition No. 1 at $28/50 ml) and Chichibu (Ichiro’s Malt Wine Wood Reserve at $42/50 ml).
Day Two
Begin your day by hopping on the Underground rail network, or “the tube” as it is commonly known, to one of the city’s unsung gems, Leadenhall Market, a Victorian arcade in the center of what was Roman London. There you can breakfast on magnificent pastries from Aux Merveilleux de Fred before shopping at the fifth-generation family-owned Barbour or browsing the range of cigars at Kandies.
Having shopped up a thirst, it’s time for a tour at one of London’s overlooked and, until the company introduced tours nine years ago, barely noticed landmarks, Beefeater Distillery. After a half-hour self-guided interactive exhibit, you’ll be given a proper tour ending with—what else?—a Gin and Tonic in the distillery bar.
On your way to your next distillery, stop off at Connaught Hotel’s famed bar and treat yourself to a Black Truffle pizza and an “ethereal” foam-topped Cloud Nine cocktail, made with raspberry and pistachio-infused Michter’s bourbon and Orange Cocchi Americano. Or really treat yourself with a 50 ml pour of Macallan M Edition 2017 for $835.
Another tube ride now takes you to Bimber Distillery, a 7 year old, single malt-obsessed operation in North Acton. Its focus on semi-wild fermentation and direct-fire distillation makes for a fascinating pre-booked tour, and an even better tasting afterward.
A quick ride on the Central Line and a short walk up the famous Portobello Road will land you at The Distillery & Ginstitute, where a three-hour exploration of world whiskies called The Whisky Thing Experience includes a bottle of your personally blended whisky. Alternatively, enjoy people-watching with a Highball in the light-strewn downstairs distillery bar The Resting Room.
With sunset approaching, stop by your hotel to freshen up before heading to dinner with a spectacular view at Oblix at The Shard, an elegant restaurant atop one of the most iconic modern buildings in the city. Enjoy a Toki whisky-based Sayan Sour cocktail on the east side before crossing over to the west side for a delectable dinner of dover sole.
Conclude your stay with a pre-arranged visit to one of the city’s two leading private whisky clubs, Dram House at Milroy’s of Spitalfields or Soho Whisky Club. Each is located on their building’s second floor, with Dram House offering the added dimension of an outdoor cigar bar and Soho sitting conveniently atop the venerable Vintage House whisky shop, which offers whiskies dating back to the 1930s and happily stays open until 11 p.m. most days. Both clubs offer non-resident rates—$47 per person per day at the Dram House; $147 annually at Soho, plus a $60 joining fee—which, after your remarkable 48 hours here, will probably have you thinking makes a lot of sense for the future.
Distilleries/Breweries
Beefeater Distillery, 20 Montford Place; beefeaterdistillery.com
Bimber Distillery, 56 Sunbeam Rd.; bimberdistillery.co.uk
East London Liquor Company, 221 Grove Rd. Unit GF1; eastlondonliquorcompany.com
Bars & Restaurants
Acme Fire Cult, Bootyard, Abbot St.; acmefirecult.com
Aux Merveilleux de Fred, Leadenhall Market; auxmerveilleux.com
Cardinals of Mayfair, 115C Park St.; (no website) 44 20 7629 3531
Connaught Bar, Carlos Place, Mayfair; the-connaught.co.uk
Le Magritte, 8 Balderton St., Brown Hart Gardens; colonygrillroom.com
MAP Maison, 321 Kingsland Rd.; mapmaison.com
Melody Whisky Bar, 153 Hammersmith Rd.; melodywhiskybar.uk
Merchant House of Bow Lane, 13 Well Court, merchanthouse.bar
Milroy’s of Spitalfields, 76 Commercial St.; milroysofspitalfields.co.uk
Oblix at The Shard, 31 St. Thomas St., oblixrestaurant.com
Soho Whisky Club, 42 Old Compton St.; sohowhisky.club
The Distillery & Ginstitute, 186 Portobello Rd.; the-distillery.london
The Royal Oak, 44 Tabard St.; royaloaklondon.co.uk
Hotels
St. Paul’s, 153 Hammersmith Rd.; stpaulhotel.co.uk
The Beaumont, 8 Balderton St., Brown Hart Gardens; thebeaumont.com
Attractions
Borough Market, 8 Southwark St.; boroughmarket.org.uk
Leadenhall Market, Gracechurch St.; leadenhallmarket.co.uk
Tate Britain, Millbank; tate.org.uk
Tate Modern, Bankside; tate.org.uk
Shops
Vintage House, 42 Old Compton St.; vintagehouse.london
The Whisky Exchange London Bridge, 88 Borough High St.; thewhiskyexchange.com
