The best whisky bars in London

Lovers of the malted grain have being paying homage at the whisky specialist Milroy’s since 1964. It has accumulated an enormous range of whiskies: around 400 from Scotland alone. A copper-topped tasting bar on the ground floor is the best place to sample it straight-up – it’s whisky-and-whiskey-only here. If you’re looking for other spirits, head downstairs. The basement bar, aka The Vault, is a ‘speakeasy’ hidden behind a fake bookcase where cocktails are king. Make ours an old fashioned. 

At this revolutionary whisky bar, there’s no actual bar. With help from staff pacing the room, work your way through three cabinets filled with over 250 bottles of whisky, which are organised by flavour profile: smoke, fruit, spice etc. Dots placed on each bottle give you the price – one, two or three dots; £8, £10 or £12 a slug. In the middle of it all is half the trunk of a magnificent 185-year-old oak tree, laid flat and topped with glass. It acts as a table but doubles as a ‘whisky’ river, within which the bar’s own blend is aging. 

It’s a beautiful bar with a great pedigree: an old glue factory transformed into a gin and whisky distillery. ELLC were the second to produce whisky in London in over 100 years (read more about that here) when they released their London Rye at the end of 2018. So stop by the bar to see if any new distillations are available to sample and savour, as well as exploring other drams from around the world that are kept in very strong stock. London whisky has a certain ring to it, don’t you think?

This bar at the foot of Shoreditch High Street serves an extensive selection of rare and premium whiskies hailing from Japan and Scotland. It’s the Japanese range that makes this bar such a destination for whisky lovers, though – one of the largest collections in the capital. The line-up includes Nikka From the Barrel and rare Karuizawa bottlings. There are some brilliant Scotches too, and a list of inventive whisky cocktails – no bull.

If for you whisky and tartan go hand in hand, Boisdale should be top of your list. This easterly branch of the Scottish restaurant group is a fantastically tartan-strewn celebration of food, jazz, cigars and, of course, whisky. It’s not cheap, but neither is a quality drop, and this is perhaps the best place to drink your way round Scotland (apart from actual Scotland, of course). The bar’s Scotch list is an epic 70-page read that takes you through the Highlands, the Lowlands and all the bits in between.

While upstairs is dedicated to light, bright aperitivi, the basement at Swift is all dark and brooding – the perfect place for the bar to hide away its ‘Whisky Library’. There are 250 drams to explore. Over half of them are Scotch while the rest hail from Ireland, Japan and America. An epic cocktail list supports the selection; loads of cocktails have whisky at their base. Make this your nightcap destination.

The Sun Tavern – a pub since 1851, but with a more modern approach these days – focuses on nearly 40 brands of Irish spirits. While its poitín stash gets a lot of attention for being rare and wonderful, the pub’s collection of Irish whiskey is also something to behold, celebrating many new distillers and resurrected brands. There are over 70 to sample, as well as a few whiskey cocktails populating the menu. 

While the minimal, wood-clad basement bar at Ollie Dabbous’ Green Park restaurant is dedicated to all of the spirits (with specialist knowledge from partners Hedonism Wines), whisky gets its fair share of attention. There are close to 100 scotches to select from, while bourbon and rye are in healthy supply. Japanese and Irish whiskies follow up the charge, plus English, Swedish and Australian drams for the adventurers. Some of the rarer drops come in 10ml measures so you don’t come too close to bankrupting yourself on the water of life.

Richmond has its very own secretive whisky saloon, nestled above popular pub The Tap Tavern. While there are more extensive whisky lists in London, what’s on offer is well-chosen, poured in 35ml measures and starts at £6.50. They also mix up cocktails from their boozy collection and keep the door (albeit a fairly hidden one) open until 1am from Wednesday through to Saturday.