The Scotch Malt Whisky Society — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Join the smws for a fantastic Whisky experience!

I have an SMWS membership through work and have been a number of times for meetings and dinners and have always had fabulous food and service. To buy the whisky you need to be a member and this also entitles you to drink in the bar but if you want to go for dinner then that is fine. Membership is about £100 and allows you to bring a guest along and is definitely worth it, if you like your whisky. There are two parts to the SMWS venue in central Edinburgh, a restaurant downstairs and the upstairs whisky drinking area. There is also the vaults in Leith which has a bar and shop outlet. This is relating to the Queen Street Venue as I have yet to visit the vaults.

Upstairs there is a bar with a LARGE selection of whiskies as well as a great selection of beers, wines etc. Assuming you can find a seat, grab the seat and pull out the whisky and food menu, lets start with food. The selection is very nice and comes out of the same kitchen as the restaurant down stairs. The mains are around £9 - £13 so very reasonably priced. The dining room down stairs has a set menu which is about £30 for 3 courses and the a la carte. EVERYTHING I have ordered has been fantastic I can assure you.

Now to the reason you go, the whisky. It's a very confusing menu if you don't know the system. The menu it split into the different regions, highland / speyside / lowland / island etc. Then the confusing part, they don't tell you the name of the distillery, only a number. The first part is the distillery and the second is the barrel number from that distillery that the SMWS has selected. There is no list anywhere obvious of which distillery is which number but many of the members have a "secret list" they can pull up to tell you.

The whiskies themselves are very good. The SMWS selects a number of barrels from different distilleries, bottles them and sells them but once they sell out, you will never get it again, it's the benefit and curse of the single barrel bottling. They have recently started tell you how much each dram costs which is nice, they range from £4.95 up to £33.50. You can also purchase a bottle of any of the whiskies you taste and enjoy at home.

The atmosphere is relaxed and cosy, the staff are friendly and super knowledgeable, the food is really very nice, but most importantly the whisky, while not cheap, is always great and allows you to experience whiskies you can't get...

In summary, you should visit the SMWS venue if you’re interested in sampling limited edition whiskies that you will not find overseas (apart from their website). This is exactly what my hubby was looking for (unique and special), so I would give it 10 stars if I could.

We did two tastings while in Edinburgh. We first visited the non-members area. Both the non-members’ and members’ areas are not so big, so reservations would be recommended to avoid disappointment. My husband enjoyed his personalized-to-his-tasting flight prepared by Euan (spelling???), so we opted to buy a membership so the hubby could buy some bottles. The hubby tasted 8 whiskies and we left with bottles of 3 variations he tried (ranging from £95-£195). We will buy 2 more varieties he tasted from their EU online store and have it shipped to our home. We were pleasantly surprised to see that there are also many tasting events by SMWS nearby our home (within 30-45 minutes driving), so while this membership was intended just to buy the bottles he wanted, he will likely use it throughout the year to experience the tasting events near us.

I think what makes this place extra special is the staff is super knowledgeable and really focused on finding the right whiskies to suit one’s palate. You couldn’t ask for friendlier, more competent staff. Two thumbs up!

On a side note, the food was also wonderful. We had the fish & chips for lunch and the Sunday 3-course menu for dinner. Everything was fantastic. The Sunday 3-course meal is a steal at £28 (3 options each of appetizer, main, and dessert…only £25...

During my visit to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society on Queen Street, the initial encounter with the bar waiter marred what was otherwise a notable whisky experience. His response to a simple inquiry about bottling was condescending, implying I couldn’t grasp the concept of a bar. This patronizing tone persisted when I sought clarification on their confusing menu's 'per person' pricing, only to receive a dismissive "Per person means per person."

The service began disappointingly as well. After being handed menus, he served subsequent patrons before us, returning with a blank demeanor and no apology. His suggestion to a colleague to "answer questions with questions" was also overheard, adding to the unwelcoming atmosphere.

However, as the evening unfolded, there was a palpable shift in his demeanor. His extensive knowledge of whisky became apparent, and his recommendations were spot on. Notably, he offered us a generous discount when the whisky we wanted was unavailable. Gradually, his attitude softened; he started smiling, offering warm "you're very welcomes," and became more engaging and pleasant.

The whisky selection itself was impressive, and the compensation for unavailable bottles was fair. The food was excellent, and by the end, the atmosphere had improved significantly due to the waiter's attitude change. This experience underscores the importance of consistent, welcoming service in complementing the society's remarkable offerings. It’s a reminder that while quality products are crucial, the human element remains...