THE largest collection of purely Scottish whiskies available to the public in the capital, has been made available at a new Edinburgh watering hole.
Open Monday to Sunday from 10am to 1am, the Balmoral Hotel launched its new, ‘Scotch’ bar last week.
Scotch is an Olga Polizzi-designed bar, featuring a palate of whisky coloured tones creating a warm, intimate ambience in which to discover Scotland’s national drink.
The centre piece of the room is a hand-crafted oak panelled whisky cabinet and is complimented by natural fabrics like wool, cord and leather.
General Manager of the hotel, Franck Arnold said, “We are keen to showcase one of Scotland’s greatest exports. We set about transforming one of the hotel’s most intimate spaces into Scotch, where our young, passionate whisky ambassadors are looking forward to serving the finest of drams to the local community and guests alike for many years to come.”
And guests will be able to sample an impressive collection of 400 whiskies from the country’s traditional whisky regions like Speyside, Islay, Campbeltown, the Islands, and the Highlands and Lowlands.
A glass of the variety of blends, malts and vintages dating back to 1940, costs from between £4 to £85 a dram and is served with a selection of bar snacks.
Snacks include smoked almonds, wild boar salami and dark Swiss chocolate, selected to compliment the wide variety of whisky flavours on offer.
A menu of contemporary Scottish dishes, designed by the the hotel’s Executive Chef also offers guests a taste of the finest local produce.
That includes home cured whisky and honey salmon, seared west coast scallops, traditional haggis neeps and tatties and Blairgowrie fillet.
The collection of whisky is overseen by three highly trained Whisky Ambassadors, offering guests advice when selecting a dram.
The ambassadors wear attire designed by Kinloch Anderson, kilt makers to Her Majesty The Queen.
A brushed brass and black granite bar and back-lit artwork creates a striking sense of theatre in the room.