The Whisky Barrel — Restaurant in Sault Ste. Marie

It all started with a trip to Sault Ste. Marie, but then it became obvious "let's go to Canada". After a few tense moments at the border and the kind words and assistance of border agents we made our way into our home and native land.

Impressed by the vast wetlands, the presence of United Steel Workers, and even more so the robust and rich vibes of the city. Though I will not discount the clear problems the town has, as a resident of the industrial Midwest it was not uncommon to me.

We made our way to this fine establishment on a whim, without any prior knowledge, we entered as it opened at 4 Pm and we're immediately greeted and seated by the one, the only Rick a music head who was more than happy to talk about his travels and his musical interests that meddled well, having the entire establishment to ourselves.

I found myself ordering a Scottish lager as per recommended (Innis and Gunn Lager) it was cold refreshing and one of the first beverages I had ever had at the bar to fill me with a sense of humor and further interest. I proceeded to order a deep fried pickle basket which was richly seasoned and well crisped in the fryer. It was gone almost instantly as per Compatriot B and her beauty.

My fellows ordered water and the rich and barely noticeable Thorn Berry blood orange cider, of which I had a tiny sip that came across to me as only being passingly alcoholic but still impressed.

Finally the main course came with a delectable fish and chip which I'm still salivating at the thought of, and a portion of the Shepards pie which absolutely finished me and had me begging my mother for forgiveness at it's flavor and complexity.

The burger was good, but my Compatriot J had little in the way of words that I had to describe it's flavor.

"The BLT was good" -Compatriot B

I finished all of this flavor off with a Northern Superior 11pm Dark Lager which was indicative of Guinness but with a sharper and lighter taste.

Just as 11 pm was sharp, so was our Bartender Rick who was with the most amount of compassion and kindness gave us a fantastic experience and I only have good things to say about him, I hope to one day come back through (Sundays-Tuesdays) and check back up on him.

I came away with a full belly, a clear head, and a couple band recommendations which I listened to on the way back to my home.

In solidarity all, please give your patronage to this fine establishment and may the Scottish soon find...

Great wee establishment. With Scotland running through my veins, i'm always looking for places to remind me of our time overseas. On our way home from out west, we decided to stay the night in The Soo. Both me and the wife were starving and decided to go out for a late lunch. Being in a pub kind of mood, I found The Whisky Barrel online, being a Scottish pub, and having very good reviews, it was a no Brainer. Coming from Alberta, where everything was open we forgot that Ontario was still on partial shutdown, however I must say, even though Covid regulations prevented us from going inside to enjoy our meal, the patio turned out to be a great experience. The waiter was very friendly, and helpful. Dunbar the owner came out and chatted with us for a while, what a pleasant young lad he is. I ordered the curry fries and scotch egg, all I have to say is the chef obviously knows how to work with flavors from Scotland, both were delicious. They have an amazing selection of whisky, which I had to try one of the premium brands that I would never buy a full bottle of, due to being so expensive at the lcbo. We enjoyed our lunch so much, that after an afternoon nap, we had to go back for dinner, which once again we were not disappointed. Can't wait to go back when everything is back to normal, and enjoy a night of some good drinking in...

I absolutely was looking for a cozy little place to just have a drink a little bit of food after a day of work. I was from out of town and this place was in walking distance from the Holiday Inn even from my fat ass. Don’t be distracted, by the name they do offer a rotating craft brewery tap selection that is excellent. I know they would be mortified but to me Canadian Club is whiskey. I’m a beer guy and Bud Light is not beer.

I’m a big fan of in-house from scratch food and this place hit the nail on the head. The bartender Sean was very passionate about explaining their food and rotating craft beer menu. He was very happy to give suggestions in both the beer, and food menu and knew what he was talking about!

I had the Scotch Egg and Potato and Leek soup, both were clearly made by somebody with a little bit of passion for what they were doing. Nicely done guys.

Sean was so inviting he made my day with anecdotal conversation. I’m not sure if he owns the place or not, but he certainly seemed to have the characters that would say he did. Great job, bud!

Sorry if I spelt your name wrong.

In conclusion, I would definitely go back to this place thank you for making my evening. Until next...