London is among my favorite cities with its magnificent architecture, lush parks and clockwork. In addition, I can say that London has a special place for me since I went almost every weekend while studying in Nottingham.

On my last trip to London, I visited the city through the eyes of a whiskey blogger this time, although I had been dozens of times before. In this article, I have mentioned the name of which I heard often and finally got the opportunity to go. Milroy's of SohoI'm going to talk about London's leading whiskey bars.

In addition to the whiskey bars, I will also mention the whiskey shops that I think every whiskey lover going to London should visit. 

Milroy's of Soho

Milroy's is located on Greek street in London's Soho district (For full address). Opened in 1964, Milroy's is one of the leading bars not only in London but also in the world.

Milroy's has a small but friendly atmosphere. When you enter inside, the first thing that catches your attention is the bar section where there are hundreds of bottles. If you are lucky, you can find a stool here and have a pleasant chat with the bartender while sipping your whiskey.

If you can't find a place in this section, there are a few small chairs where you can sit at the entrance of the bar.

Milroy's has an incredible selection of whiskeys, as you can imagine. There are only 400 different whiskeys from Scotland in the bar. In the bar where you can find brands from all over the world, you can also try Milroy's own bottling.

I tried 3 different whiskeys at Milroy's: Talisker 18, Glenlivet Nadurra Peated Cask Finish and Hazelburn 10.

Especially Talisker 18I can say that I adore… (My Detailed Tasting Notes)

There's also a hidden gem inside Milroy's of Soho. *Speakeasy It has a bar. The Vault Entrance to this bar is through a secret door in the library. In addition to whiskey, Speakeasy-themed cocktails are also served here.

*Speakeasy The bar concept originated in 1920s America. These bars, which do not have a license to sell alcoholic beverages, were places where not everyone could enter and were kept secret. Slowly disappearing in the 1930s, the concept has become increasingly popular today as a retro bar.

black rock

Black Rock finds it within walking distance of Liverpool Street tube station (For full address). The most striking feature of this bar is the presence of a gigantic 185-year-old oak tree instead of the classic American bar.

This tree was cut in half and turned into a table. In the middle of the table, there are 2 channels opened with a special craftsmanship. Burnt-in American and European oak clapboards were placed in the channels and covered with glass.

Different whiskey cocktails are poured into these channels, so that the drinks are both stylishly preserved and aged. Let's also mention that each of the channels can take 17 liters of liquid.

In addition to whiskey cocktails, Black Bar finds 250 different whiskeys from various countries.

Whiskeys are exhibited in different corners of the bar, divided into categories such as Balance/Balance, Smoke/Smoke, Spice/Spicy, Sweet/Dessert, Heavy/Intense, Fragrance.

Boisdale of Canary Wharf

Boisdale of Canary Wharf, a little far from the touristic locations of London, is a successful whiskey bar with its stylish decoration and rich whiskey selection. (For full address)

In fact, it wouldn't be right to call it a whiskey bar, as there is also a restaurant, terrace and a cigar section inside.

The most striking detail about the venue is the huge 12-meter bar and the 1,000 bottles in this bar. Scotch whiskeys make up the majority of the bottles.

If you are one of those who likes to listen to music while drinking whiskey, I should also mention that there are live Blues and Jazz performances at Boisdale of Canary Wharf starting from 9 pm.

Britannia

Home to around 150 different whiskeys, Britannia is a small but friendly whiskey bar. (For full address…)

We can actually call Britannia a local pub, but the fact that it has a very rich whiskey menu compared to an ordinary pub makes it a good spot for whiskey lovers. If you want to sip your whiskey in a more local place away from the crowd, I recommend you to try Britannia. 

One of the most important advantages of Britannia is that its prices are affordable compared to other places.

Whisky Exchange

I can briefly say that the Whiskey Exchange in Covent Garden is a whiskey heaven… Whether you want to buy whiskey or not, you should definitely stop by here! (Address information)

As soon as you enter, walls filled with many different types of drinks such as gin, vodka, rum, tequila, champagne and liqueur welcome you. The thing that caught my attention the most were the miniature bottles that I had never seen before. If you collect miniature bottles like me, you may lose yourself…

Downstairs is an incredible whiskey archive. Especially rare Macallan and DalmoreThe part where the 's are located is almost a museum… In addition to whiskey, you can also find high quality cognac and brandy here.

Whiskey Exchange also has a keg where you can fill your own bottle. The contents of this barrel, which contains different types of liquor such as cognac, rum and whiskey, are changed regularly. 

A place where Whiskey Exchange also sells liquor. website exists. (link) Here, too, there is an incredible variety. According to the brand, there are close to 9000 different drinks on their website!

Royal Mile Whiskeys

Royal Mile Whiskeys first opened in Edinburgh in 1991. The shop, which gained a great reputation among whiskey lovers over time, has been selected as the best whiskey shop of the year 8 times since 2003 by Whiskey Magazine.

The London shop was opened in 2002. Although not as glamorous as Whiskey Exchange, Royal Mile Whiskeys is a very sympathetic whiskey shop where you can find hundreds of whiskeys. You can also find different types of liquor and cigars in the shop.

Royal Mile Whiskeys is located on Blommsbury Street. (For full address)

for more information to websites .

Gerry's Wines & Spirits 

Gerry's Wines and Spirits, located in Soho, is a shop where you can find many different types of liquors, wines, absinthe and mezcal in addition to whiskey. (For full address)

Let's also point out that Gerry's Wines and Spirits claims to have the largest selection of spirits and liquors in the UK. For more information: www.gerrys.uk.com

Cadenshead's Whiskey Shop

If you want to shop for whiskey in London, Cadenshead's Whiskey Shop is one of the places you should definitely visit. Located in Marylebone, Cadenshead's Whiskey Shop also has branches in Scotland, Italy, Germany, Denmark, and Switzerland.

The shop, which has a very warm and friendly atmosphere, is also really successful in terms of service. You can have as much whiskey chat as you want with the friendly and highly knowledgeable staff.

By the way, it should be noted that Cadenshead's history dates back to the 1800s and is one of Scotland's foremost bottlers.

In addition to hundreds of familiar whiskeys, you can also try rare expressions and the brand's own bottlings at Cadenshead's Whiskey Shop.

Before going to Cadenshead's to websites It's good to have a look. Because very high quality tastings are organized here that may interest you.

Others

• Radio Rooftop Bar – Great view, awesome rooftop bar.
• The Connaught – Coburg Bar – Located in the Connaught Hotel, Coburg Bar is a very stylish and quiet bar.
• American Bar – It is shown among the best bars in the world. They are particularly assertive about classic cocktails and American whiskeys.
• The Athenaeum Hotel Bar – A quality and classy hotel bar.
• The Vintage House – One of the oldest whiskey shops in London. It has over 1,300 whiskeys in stock.

Scotch Malt Whisky Society

When talking about London, it is impossible not to mention the Scotch Malt Whiskey Society (SMWS).

The story of SMWS begins in the 1970s, when a young man named Philipp Hills had a small whiskey tasting with his friends. This small group grows over time and now they visit whiskey distilleries to buy and taste barrels instead of bottles.

The reputation of the tasting group and the whiskeys they taste is slowly spreading. The group evolves into a corporate organization, taking the name SMWS in 1983.

In the following years, the SMWS group starts to sell by bottling their own barrels. With the income earned here, they start to buy places where they can taste SMWS. One of these places is in London. (For address information)

This special bar, which only SMWS members can enter, hosts very special bottles. Each bottle of SMWS has a number on it.

The first digit of this number indicates the distillery, and the second digit indicates which barrel it is from. In addition to the number, there is also a small description on the bottle describing the character of the whiskey.

SMWS You can check their website for detailed information. (link)

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You can check out my other articles about whiskey bars in different cities!