After attending a show I’m a part of at Edinburgh’s Fringe Festival 2022, two fellow Swaggers marched me a mile or two in the pouring rain to find this gem of a place, situated in-between the Usquabae Whisky Bar and the Johnnie Walker Experience on Princess Street.
‘The Smallest Whisky Bar in the World’ popped up a few weeks ago in conjunction with the Fringe. The venue, an old Police box, seats or stands just three – two outside and just one inside – though it can claim 1.978 square metres of floor space (a widely reported stat) given its on-street locale.
.
The whiskies are accompanied by historical tales of the rains, trains, and witches, as told by (ex-Mackmyra Brand Ambassador) Micky Plummer, and all served in ‘Nice to Eat You’ Cupffee cups. The company who make the cups says:
- A sustainable, tasty alternative to plastic and paper cups
- Does not alter the taste of the beverage
- No recycling needed – just eat it when you are done
The only issue is, they do dominate the aroma of the whisky. Genius idea, however!
.
As a party of three, we were fortunate enough to try three whiskies, all from independent bottler Cask 88 (WB)- single cask/small-batch, high/cask strength releases that will appeal to the enthusiast.
.
First up was a 15yo Deanston (WB), a bourbon cask-matured, soft-fresh/crisp breakfast/summer dram,… Lovely (85/86).
This was followed by a 14yo Linkwood (WB), and the story of infamous ‘witch’ Isobel Gowdie and the possible links between witchcraft & distilling. Finished in an ex- Chateau Lafite barrique, I found this single cask #804146 to my liking (86/87). A bottle from this, the Scottish Witchcraft series, is to be released every halloween.
We finish with a single cask 14yo (Tobermory) Ledaig finished in an oloroso hogshead #18206 (WB). A clean example (Caol ila-esque in that respect), a wet smokiness ensued with just the right amount of fruitiness from the cask (87).
.
Book your spot today (via Eventbrite). Highly recommended.
With thanks to Micky, and to Jasper for leading the way.
whiskylovingpianist.wordpress.com 