Best Pubs in Edinburgh, Part 10

Bennets Bar
8 Leven St.
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH3 9LG

So we made it to ten posts under the BEST PUBS IN EDINBURGH banner. Should it stop here?

If so, there is no better place to end than one of the pubs I miss most. I could walk in here any time of day (and I mean ANY time) and find friendly folk and the creamiest pint of 80/- at the ideal temperature. It would never take long to slug back one of these barley milkshakes.

Add to that a bar with great history: from the private nook up front to the dimples from canes on the bar to the embedded water taps for cutting your whisky (they have nearly 100, and some oddities, too!) to the gorgeous woodwork and beautiful Victorian mirrors. I left my heart in Bennets, and it is lovely to know that I can always go back there to pick it up.

Something visitors always noted was the fact that the men's room has a great urinal as well, if that is something even worth mentioning. I always loved the acoustics in that room. As a result, men can often be heard singing their way through a slash.

And please remember, as a good friend once put it, "one does not go into the Green Room."

For more of Dr. Whisky's picks of the best pubs in Edinburgh, click HERE.

Best Pubs in Edinburgh, Part 9

The Cloisters Bar
26 Brougham St.
EH3 9JH
0131 221 9997

A wonderful pub that is regularly busy and therefore doesn't really need my promotion, but a pub this good cannot go unmentioned on a list of this nature.

With an ever-changing selection of guest ales, this is an excellent place for real ales that comes complete with a seal of approval from CAMRA. Add Dr. Whisky's seal of approval for their excellent selection of single malt whiskies all served in 35ml servings AND in appropriate glassware. Excellent dramming to be had.

Furthermore, you can add to the drinking benefits of this pub the fact that their is no music played, that there is a working fireplace, gorgeous old beer and spirits mirrors. Yup, add all this up and you have the makings of an absolutely wonderful pub experience, which is why you will rarely be the only folks enjoying its pleasures.

For more of Dr. Whisky's picks of the best pubs in Edinburgh, click HERE.

Best Pubs in Edinburgh, Part 8

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society
87 Giles St
Leith, Scotland
EH6 6BZ

Like the first installation of this series, here's another pick that is not really a pub but is among the best places in the world to enjoy good whisky. Actually, it is not even in Edinburgh, technically, but whatever.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society is an international members club with "club houses" in several countries around the world. There is one on Queen St. in Edinburgh, but this location in Leith is the real gem. With 30-foot ceilings, a working fireplace, cozy couches, and charming staff, its as if the 100+ whiskies are superfluous, never mind the free tea and coffee.

But yes, it is a members club, so how do I get in? Well, thank goodness, this club lacks the stringent stuffiness expected from the format. Anyone can join (you don't need to have been a graduate of Eton or whatever) for £100, which gets you your membership card and lapel pin, a regional tasting pack (it used to be a bottle... hmm), a SMWS file box, a map, and a subscription to their bottling catalogue and unfiltered magazine.

Also, if you want a taste of what the society does without fully committing to membership, guest day passes are available for the venues. They cost £10 which is refunded off the cost of your membership if you join up. You just pick them up at the time of visiting and they allow you access to both Edinburgh venues throughout that day.

The whiskies are all single cask, and cask strength, and can be ordered by distillery number (a system the SMWS derived for labelling their bottlings, by distillery name, or by what you feel like "got anything that tastes like beeswax and grapefruit juice?" See some SMWS bottlings tried on the Malt Mission HERE.

And although many of my friends and colleagues are already breaking my balls about revealing too many of their secret spots in Edinburgh, it is worth a walk down to The Shore (to the right as you leave The Vaults) and explore the pubs and restaurants in a charming little stretch of Leith.

For more of Dr. Whisky's picks of the best pubs in Edinburgh, click HERE.

Best Pubs in Edinburgh, Part 7

...continuing our ever-extending list of the best pubs or bars in Edinburgh to enjoy all the good stuff one does in pubs and bars...

Royal Oak
1 Infirmary St.
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH1 1LT

So it's last call at the pub you love and you couldn't stomach going to a ra-ra dance club on George St. or a no-entry fee, 5 floor meat market (Espionage, anyone?) in the old town, and your drunk logic insists on consuming one more pint. The best place to keep taking your medicine like an old man is at The Royal Oak.

Usually about 15 single malts to be had, well kept ales and cold lagers, and live "folk" music (meaning acoustic music played by some old folks) in the corner, the Oak will always provide you with one last drink while reinforcing the fact that, really, you should go home.

Sunglasses advised if you can't bear the brightness of this gem. And if you can't handle te vibe upstairs (really, the place to be) check out the basement, often as uncomfortable as it is unforgettable. For a full Royal Oak experience, talking to strangers is strongly advised.

For more of Dr. Whisky's picks of the best pubs in Edinburgh, click HERE.

Best Pubs in Edinburgh, Part 6

The White Horse Bar
266 Canongate
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH8 8AA

Located just around the corner from The Waverley (see yesterday's post), The White Horse Bar is probably the only other place in the whole Royal Mile area that has not suffered a makeover for the benefit of tourists. No, this little gem caters to locals and it is mainly locals who fill the tiny interior (6 stools at the bar and three tables along one wall), although tourists and strangers will be sure to receive a warm welcome, so don't be shy.

This pub is located just outside what would have been the old Flodden Wall (read a bit about the old town here), the gates of the city (hence the name of The End of the World pub on the opposite side of the intersection. When on this strip called the high street, royal mile, and canongate at different sections, tourists would be well advised to take note that if you are walking uphill you are going towards the castle and if you are walking downhill you are walking towards the palace. Helpful to know when by "walking" you mean "stumbling" back to your hotel/b&b/etc.

And as much as I want it to be true, I have recently learned that this is not the old coach house and inn after which White Horse whisky was named, but why the hell not go in and order a Lagavulin anyways?

For more of Dr. Whisky's picks of the best pubs in Edinburgh, click HERE.

Best Pubs in Edinburgh, Part 5

Just so we are clear, this not a "top 5" list, but it is a list of Dr Whisky's picks for best pubs in Edinburgh; places you really ought to drop a few pounds, slide back a few pints, and spend a few hours if and when in Scotland's capital city. In no particular order.

The Waverley Tavern
3-5 St. Mary's St.
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH1 1TA

First thing is first: like many whiskies enjoyed on this malt mission, this pub is not going to appeal to everyone. It kind of smells, has a very limited selection of drinks, and the bathrooms are pretty minging. But it is an old school classic in a stretch of touristy hell holes on the high street with, I think, a really gorgeous front facade and it is a place that I remember fondly... even the night that the whole red carpet was soaked and squishy under your feet from a bout of heavy rain and a structural leak.

McEwans Export is served in classic glass beer mugs and the drams of Teachers, Black Label, Laphroaig and Macallan come in at £2 or less. Match that with a well-dressed proprietor and the few attractive young ladies he hires to work around him and you have a pretty excellent drinking experience.

They also have an extra space upstairs if you are a larger group or just want a little privacy away from the bar.

For more of Dr. Whisky's picks of the best pubs in Edinburgh, click HERE.

Best Pubs in Edinburgh, Part 4

Happy Monday. We will continue to list Dr. Whisky's choices of the best places in Edinburgh to have a drink cuz life is too short to spend time in shit pubs.

The Dagda Bar
93 Buccleuch St (pronounced buck-LOO)
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH8 9NG
0131 667 9773

Formerly known as Proctors Pub, this pub recently (2005) fell into the hands of new management with a new overall vision for the place. And thank goodness. In fact, thank Alexander "Sandy" Patterson (the ginger-haired man often found behind the bar).

Named after the celtic God Dagda, the protector of the tribe, one couldn't feel safer in this small pub nestled between the bustle of Clerk St. (at one point or another known as South Bridge, Nicholson, and Newington Road) and the peace of the meadows, a large park to the south of the University of Edinburgh. Some believe the giant figure carved into the Dorset hillside is a representation of the Dagda.

The pub satisfies the important prerequisites to make it onto this list: it has a kind and conscientious barman in Sandy to maintain real cask ales and it has an excellent selection of malt whiskies well organised into price points by different coloured ribbons. Additionally, they keep some stellar bottled beers from the continent in their fridges including Kristin's much-loved Krosovice dark.

All this AND a well-stocked jukebox ready to rock you in that classic pop/rock kinda way.

For Dr. Whisky's other picks for best pubs in Edinburgh, click HERE.

Best Pubs in Edinburgh, Part 3

Staying in the heart of the old town, I continue my list of the best places to drink and be merry in Edinburgh.

Happy Friday.

The Bow Bar
80 West Bow
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH1 2HH
0131 226 7667

Located on your way down Victoria Street (or West Bow), into what sometimes can feel like a different century, lies The Bow Bar. The five visiting cask ales are always impressive and well-kept and while the malt list is extensive (150 or so) it is also relatively expensive. Nonetheless, the malts of the month are worth trying, fairly priced, and the occasional splurge for a 27 year old indie bottling of Springbank, Clynelish, or Dallas Dhu are often worth it cuz the charming bar staff won't flinch and they will have the courtesy to serve it in the appropriate glassware.

I love the buzz in this place right after work, but be warned, it often closes quite early. Great mirrors and old adverts adorn the walls of this cozy, one-room pub. Worth checking out for the visiting ales alone, but whisky nerds will love to leaf through their malt menu.

For Dr. Whisky's other picks for best pubs in Edinburgh, click HERE.

Best Pubs in Edinburgh, Part 2

Sandy Bell's
25 Forrest Rd.
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH1 2QH
0131 225 1156

With customers from open til close (and often after... shhhh), Sandy Bell's is as welcoming as an old friend's hug. While the pints are oddly priced (£2.73 or something), there is always a malt of the month worth enjoying. The whisky selection is reasonable and reasonably priced and the best thing is that you will note that people actually are drinking the stuff. The people's dram as it should be, in the palms of the people. And the budget blend Black Bottle on optic for, I think, £1.75, is not to be missed.

Come before 9pm if you are scared of fiddles. Live folk music from different local boozehounds nightly. Once enjoyed,Sandy Bell's is a pub never forgotten and eternally missed.

For all of BEST OF EDINBURGH picks, click HERE.

Best Pubs in Edinburgh, Part 1

Continuing my list of the best pubs, bars, and whisky spots in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Royal Mile Whiskies
379 High St.
The Royal Mile
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH1 1PW
+44 (0) 131 225 3383

No, it isn't a pub or bar, but it is the best place to get whisky in Edinburgh, without any doubt, and creating your home bar is a great place to start. Lovely people who are always knowledgeable but never condescending or too whiskynerd-y, with some of the fairest prices to be found; they could be really taking the tourists to town when you consider where they are located. They sell excellent Scottish beers, too. And books. And haggis.

Say 'hi' to Stuart, Alex, Alaric, and whoever else is still in the shop and you are certain to be able to try before you buy. Be kind and you'll be treated kindly. They have been doing this since 1991 and have gone from success to success. They even bottle their own malts from time to time (Clynelish, Longmorn, Mortlach, to name a few).

They are always excited about "showing" you something and are determined to finding the right whisky for you, not the right whisky for their sales goals or profit margins. Not a whisky experience to miss while in Edinburgh and certainly worth popping in every time you walk past... if your mates/family/colleagues will let you.

Check out Royal Mile Whiskies in London, too.

For more of Dr. Whisky's picks of the best pubs in Edinburgh, click HERE.

Best Pubs in Edinburgh

So I think I will (finally?) make a list of what I think are the best bars or pubs in Edinburgh, Scotland. It's been asked of me by friends, family and Dr. Whisky readers on MANY occasions so maybe if I write it here I will never have to answer the question again!

Now remember, this probably means best whisky pub rather than best dance and/or cocktail bar. It is tourist season and Edinburgh can triple its population over the summer months. Here's a post to help you tourists avoid the wrong drinking holes. Life is to short to spend time at mediocre public houses.

Now, I like a pub that sells good cask ales and good whisky. Most of all, however, is that I resent being gouged for a dram of Scottish spirit IN Scotland. As a result you will not see any of the usual suspect whisky bars (you know who I mean) on this list because if a whisky drinker has to put up with piss-poor service and pay a minimum of £4 for a drop of the water of life, you know the bar doesn't give a shit about either water OR life.

So I tend to like what some would call "old man pubs": places that have 80/- shilling (Caledonian or other) on tap, at least one malt of the month/moment, veteran boozers holding up the bar, and patrons who don't look at you strange for expressing an opinion or two.

So HERE are Dr. Whisky's picks for the Best (whisky) Pubs in Edinburgh, or at least, the best places to drink whisky in Edinburgh.

One at a time. Possibly even daily!