Famous Whisky Bars of the World

In 1981, Glasgow’s Pot Still began its whisky chapter with over 300 bottles on the gantry, Glasgow History reports, in premises that had already been a pub since 1867.[3] That distinction captures much of the pleasure of famous whisky bars: the collection tells one story, the place another.

From the Pot Still to Tokyo’s Zoetrope, these bars have built their identities through long pub histories, specialist selections, remarkable collections and the people behind the counter. What follows is an index of those approaches, not a ranking by bottle count.

A world of whisky bars, by country and region

Scotland’s entries range from a Speyside hotel bar to established city pubs and a whisky society. Beyond Scotland, Japanese specialisation, large American collections and European hotel bars offer different ways into whisky.

These selected examples introduce that variety rather than attempt a complete directory or crown one country’s bar culture. For the qualities that matter beyond a famous name, start with what makes a great whisky bar.

Scotland: Speyside

The Quaich Bar at the Craigellachie Hotel looks well beyond Speyside. The hotel says its collection holds over 700 single malt whiskies from around the world, bringing an international range to this whisky setting.[1]

The name adds a note of hospitality. In the hotel’s own description, a quaich is “a cup of love, a cup of friendship”.[1] It is an inviting account of the bar’s identity: rooted in its surroundings, but with a collection that reaches far beyond the whiskies made nearby.

The hotel also says the bar was founded over 120 years ago.[1] That claim of longevity should not be converted into a founding year by counting backwards from today.

Scotland: Glasgow

The Pot Still on Hope Street owes its whisky identity to successive custodians. SLTN credits the Waterson family with introducing both the whisky focus and the Pot Still name, then follows the bar through the Storrie and Murphy families.[2]

The change of name and direction marked a new chapter within the older pub, rather than the beginning of its life as a pub.[3] Its story is as much about the families behind the counter as the bottles on the gantry.

Story: Three families behind the Pot Still

• Beginning: A pub since 1867, the premises became the Pot Still whisky bar in 1981. SLTN credits the Waterson family with setting that direction.[2][3]
• Turning point: Frank and Geraldine Murphy and their father Brian took over the lease in November 2011, opening the next family chapter.[2]
• Record: SLTN traces the whisky bar through the Waterson, Storrie and Murphy families. Its whisky specialism dates from 1981, distinct from the premises’ earlier pub history.[2][3]
• Sources and claims: Pub history and 1981 identity: https://glasgowhistory.co.uk/pot-still. Family succession and November 2011 lease: https://sltn.co.uk/2018/01/04/legendary-whisky-bar-is-a-family-affair/.
• Last checked: 7 November 2026

Verdict: Documented

• Claim: The Pot Still’s whisky bar history has passed through the Waterson, Storrie and Murphy families.
• Record: SLTN identifies those three family chapters and dates the Murphy lease to November 2011.
• Contrary evidence or gaps: None found.
• Earliest known source: Not reliably established. SLTN published its account on 4 January 2018.
• Source: https://sltn.co.uk/2018/01/04/legendary-whisky-bar-is-a-family-affair/.
• Last checked: 7 November 2026

Scotland: Edinburgh and Leith

The Bow Bar stands at 80 West Bow, Victoria Street, Edinburgh, in a tenement dating from 1863.[4] The tenement’s date provides architectural context; it does not establish when the Bow Bar opened.

At The Scotch Malt Whisky Society at The Vaults, Leith, the documented date concerns a company rather than a building. Companies House records that The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Limited was incorporated on 6 May 1983. Its registered office is The Vaults, 87 Giles Street, Leith, Edinburgh.[5]

Dates tell different stories in these venues. A tenement’s construction, a company’s incorporation and a pub’s adoption of a whisky identity are separate events. The official record establishes the Society company’s incorporation and registered address, rather than the age of The Vaults building.[5]

For a closer city comparison, continue to whisky bars of Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Japan: Tokyo

Zoetrope in Nishishinjuku brings a reported collection of more than 300 Japanese whiskies to this index. Condé Nast Traveler identifies Atsushi Horigami as the person running it.[12]

Those Japanese whiskies offer a counterpoint to Craigellachie’s reported collection of single malts from around the world. The source does not establish what proportion of Zoetrope’s full range its Japanese whiskies represent.[12] The contrast is between the selections described, not a judgement on the breadth of Zoetrope’s wider collection.

For more on the city’s whisky venues, continue to whisky bars of Tokyo.

United States: Washington, DC

Jack Rose Dining Saloon, in Adams Morgan, lists more than 2,700 whisky expressions on its own website.[7][8] Breadth is central to the venue’s public identity: this is the broad collection model on an imposing scale.

That is a self-reported selection, counted as “expressions”, rather than an independently audited comparison with other bars. It should be read on those terms, not automatically equated with a count made under another organisation’s record rules.

For help making a clear request, see how to order whisky in a bar.

United States: San Diego

The Whiskey House in the Gaslamp Quarter has a dated certification behind its collection claim. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Guinness certified 2,467 distinct whiskeys there in January 2019.[10]

The comparison with Jack Rose is straightforward: Jack Rose publishes its own selection of expressions; The Whiskey House’s figure comes from a newspaper report of a Guinness-certified count of distinct whiskeys.[7][10] The evidence and apparent measures differ, and the January 2019 certification records a historical achievement, not who holds a corresponding record today.

Switzerland: St. Moritz

Devil’s Place at the Hotel Waldhaus am See puts a collector at the heart of its story. The hotel credits Claudio Bernasconi’s collecting and says its first Guinness entry came in 1996 with 1,000 bottles, followed by another in 1999 with over 2,500.[9]

Those two entries trace the collection’s growth in the hotel’s own account. The dates belong with the figures: they describe historical records, not a claim to the largest selection now. Here, the distinctive thread is Bernasconi’s collecting, just as family succession shapes the Pot Still’s story and Japanese specialisation distinguishes Zoetrope’s reported selection.

Sweden: Färjestaden

Hotel Skansen has two separate milestones in its collection’s history. The Local Sweden reported that the hotel first set a Swedish record for whisky bottles in 2001, and that Guinness counted 1,179 whiskies there in June 2018.[11]

The Swedish record came first; the Guinness count followed later. Alongside the Swiss and American examples, Skansen shows how widely separated places appear in the record of notable whisky collections.

Why the largest collection remains disputed

The impressive totals invite comparison, but bottles, distinct whiskeys and listed expressions are not necessarily the same measure.[7][9][10][11] The verdict brings the figures, dates and sources together.

Verdict: Disputed

• Claim: Which bar has the world’s largest whisky collection is disputed.
• Record: Devil’s Place cites over 2,500 bottles in 1999; reports give Skansen 1,179 in 2018 and The Whiskey House 2,467 in 2019. Jack Rose lists more than 2,700 expressions.[7][9][10][11]
• Contrary evidence or gaps: The dates and apparent measures differ. These figures do not establish a current, like-for-like winner.
• Earliest known source: Not reliably established. The hotel reports a Guinness entry in 1996.[9]
• Sources: Devil’s Place: https://www.waldhaus-am-see.ch/en/whiskey-wine/. Skansen: https://www.thelocal.se/20180912/the-bar-with-the-worlds-biggest-whisky-collection-is-on-a-swedish-island. The Whiskey House: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2019/01/18/2800-bottles-of-whiskey-on-the-wall-gaslamp-bar-nabs-guinness-world-record-for-most-whiskeys-2/. Jack Rose: https://www.jackrosediningsaloon.com/whiskey.
• Last checked: 7 November 2026

Where to go next

• What Makes a Great Whisky Bar: look beyond the collection total.
• How to Order Whisky in a Bar: turn an unfamiliar list into a clear request.
• Whisky Bars of Edinburgh and Glasgow: explore the Scottish city venues more closely.
• Whisky Bars of Tokyo: continue with a focused city guide.

Sources

[1] The Craigellachie Hotel. The Quaich Bar: 700+ Single Malts. Undated webpage, producer’s account. https://craigellachiehotel.com/quaich-bar/.

[2] Scottish Licensed Trade News. Legendary whisky bar is a family affair. 4 January 2018. https://sltn.co.uk/2018/01/04/legendary-whisky-bar-is-a-family-affair/.

[3] Glasgow History. The Pot Still: Glasgow’s Great Whisky Bar, est. 1867. Undated webpage. https://glasgowhistory.co.uk/pot-still.

[4] Hidden Scotland. The Bow Bar, Victoria Street, Edinburgh. Undated listing. https://hiddenscotland.com/listings/the-bow-bar.

[5] Companies House. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society Limited, SC083022. Company register entry. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC083022.

[7] Jack Rose Dining Saloon. Whisk(e)y. Undated webpage, producer’s account. https://www.jackrosediningsaloon.com/whiskey.

[8] Liquor.com. Jack Rose’s Owner Talks About Selling Off Its Record-Setting Whiskey Collection. Web article, publication date not supplied in the fact sheet. https://www.liquor.com/jack-rose-sells-whiskey-collection-5025053.

[9] Hotel Waldhaus am See. Whiskey and Wine: Devil’s Place. Undated webpage, producer’s account. https://www.waldhaus-am-see.ch/en/whiskey-wine/.

[10] The San Diego Union-Tribune. 2,800 bottles of whiskey on the wall: Gaslamp bar nabs Guinness world record for most whiskeys. 18 January 2019. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2019/01/18/2800-bottles-of-whiskey-on-the-wall-gaslamp-bar-nabs-guinness-world-record-for-most-whiskeys-2/.

[11] The Local Sweden. The bar with the world’s biggest whisky collection is on a Swedish island. 12 September 2018. https://www.thelocal.se/20180912/the-bar-with-the-worlds-biggest-whisky-collection-is-on-a-swedish-island.

[12] Condé Nast Traveler. Zoetrope. Undated listing. https://www.cntraveler.com/bars/tokyo/zoetrope.

This desk-researched article uses the site’s verified fact sheet, distinguishing company accounts, trade reporting and the official company register.

Last checked: November 2026