9 great whisky bars in Edinburgh
From cosy locals to skyline venues, these are Edinburgh’s essential whisky bars
The Abbey Whisky Bar
65 South Clerk Street
With up to 700 whiskies on the back bar, including a selection of their own single-cask bottlings, The Abbey is a fine place for a dram. Or maybe try a flight curated by region, age, decade or distillery, or groupings like blends and grains.
Athletic Arms
1–3 Angle Park Terrace
Better known as Diggers, this Polwarth institution likes its sport, showing everything from darts to dogs. It has a wonderful whisky offering at great prices and when you see folks in hi-vis and suits in the same bar, you know you’ve found a melting pot.
The Belfry
1–3 Barclay Place
A bar for locals as well as whisky enthusiasts, their selection of around 100 bottles may be small but it’s well curated. Featuring one-of-a-kind and independent bottlings, sought out from auction sites, the ethos is to offer good drams that you might not find elsewhere.
The Black Cat
168 Rose Street
Claiming to be the only independent public house on Rose Street, this modest one-roomed pub’s size belies its heft as a whisky bar. With over 250 bottles on the back bar and monthly highlights, it’s also an energetic spot, with live folk music three nights a week.
Café Royal
19 West Register Street
This classic pub (with adjoining oyster bar, famous for its shellfish, stained glass and ceramic tiles) has an excellent whisky list, representing all the regions of Scotland, with a nod to the rest of the world and helpful highlighted dram suggestions for the indecisive.
Port Of Leith Distillery Bar
11 Whisky Quay
A smart skyline bar above the UK's first vertical distillery, its industrial chic is a far cry from the old-man vibes of more traditional whisky bars. The views from the ninth floor are outstanding. So too are the whiskies (flights are available), cocktails and small plates.
Also try… Diggers’ newly opened sister pub, Diggers Leith, which continues the Polwarth formula, either of the two Teuchters bars (West End and Leith) or The Last Word in Stockbridge.
This TipList is taken from Eat & Drink 365, our sister mag recommending the best in restaurants, bars, cafés and more across Edinburgh. Want a copy? It’s available online or across all good stockists in Scotland’s capital.