As we went to press The Angels’ Share, formerly The Hudson, is getting set to open in Edinburgh. The new look hotel, bar and club is a fresh initiative from Billy Lowe and Andy Pollard who have transformed the hotel that Lowe bought two years ago. Billy told DRAM, “I loved the idea of the Angels’ Share (the whisky that evaporates during distillation) and visited whisky bars all over the world to get a feel, but I also wanted to take the Scottish feel throughout the whole hotel. I didn’t want tartan and heather but cool and current. We also had the idea of naming rooms and theming them after Scots who were also cool and current. It’s similar to what we did at Le Monde with the worldwide cities. So we will have rooms named after the likes of Kelly MacDonald, Gerard Butler, Lulu, Andy Murray, Nicola Benedetti, Denis Law, Ewan McGregor, Paulo Nutini, Gordon Ramsay, Gavin Hastings and so on. All in all there will be 30 rooms.”
Downstairs there will be a New York style speakeasy with a Scottish twist called the Devils Cut. Billy explains, “The plan is to have a daily or weekly password that those in the know use to get in. And we will be serving cocktails in cups and such like. We’ve moved the piano downstairs and we will have a regular pianist too. While the Angels’ Share bar will feature some great whiskies – some 300 in total.”
As of his collaboration with former colleague Andy Pollard, says Billy, “The chemistry between the two of us is really good. I like the creative side while Andy is an expert on the operational side, and he has been very successful in his right with his Pizza Express franchise business. It’s great to be working together again, and his involvement has allowed me to streamline the company. My focus will always be the continued success of Le Monde while Andy will focus on the Angels’ Share.”
Says Andy, “I am really excited, it’s great to be back in Edinburgh and to be working alongside Billy. We are in the business of creating another venue that we can be proud of. I really think when people walk in they will go ‘wow’.”
