The best whisky bars in Sydney

That queue of people rolling out of a dark, nondescript laneway on Clarence Street is for the Baxter Inn – the inner-city whisky basement where the best kind of trouble is on the cards and pretzels are the bar snack of choice.

Open a business in the Rocks, and it’s pretty much a guarantee of heritage sandstone and regular tourist trade. The trick at the Doss House has been to tap into the local history (in past lives this bar was a hospital, an opium den and a bootmaker, and they make no secret of it) while bringing something to the area that attracts Sydney natives as well as the travellers. That something is whisky – a lot of it.

The Scots get a lot of the attention when it comes to whisky, but we all know the Irish are no strangers to the hard stuff. There's amazing boozy fun to be found in this hidden cocktail bar that has had a recent revamp but kept the whisky.

If you prefer American whiskeys to the Scottish stuff this is an excellent place to treat yourself to a bourbon extravaganza (they have over 150 in the collection), balanced by peanuts and fresh apple juice when you need a change of pace.

They're no strangers to the dark spirits that fuel fun times and shenanigans in equal measure, and if you're a newcomer they'll guide you towards an appropriate gateway dram to help along your journey.

On Pitt Street near Hunter, when you wander down two flights of concrete stairs beside a coffee shop, you don’t find Wonderland or Narnia, but you will discover a cellar cocktail bar that's equal parts timber ship’s hold and fairy bower. Door Knockmay be known for a strong list of cocktails but the other secret to success is a very serious whisky collection.

Take one look at the drinks list and you’ll realise this isn’t just a Chinese-themed bar. There’s ale from Japan, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, plenty of sake and soju, and umeshu (a Japanese plum liqueur). But the real focus at Uncle Ming’s is whisky. They’ve got more than 90 different types, with 60 from Japan alone.

Sydney drinking has left its awkward adolescence behind and is basking in a swan moment where you can now get a half decent Negroni in a pub. But there are many steps to ascend between that three-part aperitif and the degree of cocktail finesse on display at Bancho Bar, a refined Japanese whisky and fine drinking establishment in a Chinatown alley from the people who brought you Tokyo Bird in Surry Hills.

Grain is a jack of all trader, to be sure, but if it's a master of any, it's whisky. There are over 200 to choose from on the impressive list at this Circular Quay bar in the Four Seasons hotel. Grab a flight from $30 and take a globe trot to the world's top whisky regions.

There are few bars that match the old-fashioned glamour of the Hilton's Marble Bar. The lofty ceilings are best considered from a comfortable couch with a dram of something special in hand. In fact, a flight of three whiskeys from the US, Scotland or Australia will do just fine, but if money is no object you can blow a lot of it here on whiskeys old enough to go to uni.

This simple operation is the place to live out all those Mad Men fantasies. Come in, get fitted for a shirt or suit and do it with a nip of whisky in hand. In fact, if your finances stretch to liquor but not tailoring, you can pop in for the vibes and a drink without going home with any shopping bags. 

An omakase sushi menu, ludicrously tasty beef robata and elegant cocktails are all good reasons to visit Sokyo, but putting a dent in their Japanese whiskey selection isn't a bad way of blowing some cash, either. 

Too much fizz and not enough fire? Cast your eyes to the bourbon cabinet, where all your oaky, vanilla scented dreams come true. Order a nip of the Hochstadter's ‘Slow & Low’ Rock & Rye over ice. The bitter citrus peel and honey in the whiskey makes it taste like a Manhattan straight out of the bottle. They’ll also mix you up an Old Fashioned, a Gold Rush or a real Manhattan for $15.