Cask & Ale — Restaurant in Madison

Stopped here on a Tuesday night. The place had just a couple of patrons at the bar and we grabbed a table. All drinks have to be ordered at the bar which is fine by me. The whiskey selection is, as far as I can tell, one of the largest in Madison. I haven't been to any of the incredibly expensive places to verify this, but they had literally hundreds of different whiskeys, including Taiwanese and Indian whiskeys, which I have never heard of as a style.

I really enjoyed two things about Cask & Ale: The digital beer menu had information including price, pour size, glass, and how much was left in the keg. It was very visually appealing. The $4 bourbon selection actually contained some really solid Bourbons!

This is definitely a place I will go again. The bartender seemed a little distracted with his cleaning duties, which was disappointing as I would have loved to talk whiskey since I am a relatively new whiskey drinker. The only other downside for some people would be that the beer selection is almost too crafty and there didn't appear to be a great selection of draft beers for cheap, but they did have a solid canned and bottled beer list that included some cheaper options. As an aside, they had 6/8 of the Game of Thrones limited scotch whiskeys available (not including the Johnny Walker version), and the two I tried were very good! Definitely check this place out, as they're doing a lot of things right that a whiskey bar...

While I cannot speak for every item on their menu regarding its quality or taste, I can speak for the service staff present during our visit this weekend. It was our intention to enjoy the establishment for an extended time with a group of five. Despite the holiday weekend, the business was neither busy nor crowded. Given our extensive history with craft breweries and liquor makers, we’ve grown to expect pleasant service in those settings. A member of our party received a beer that had clearly sat too long or gone bad. Our group waited until the other at the bar had ordered and then approached to simply ask to swap for another beer (bearing in mind the four other members were satisfied with their drinks and had no intention of asking for anything). Immediately upon informing the staff member (bearded, dark Disney shirt) of the issue with the beer, he received a profanity laden question asking why it was his (the server’s problem). I’m sure you can imagine the language used. After substantial griping, the beer was exchanged, but not before this member of our party was shamed, embarrassed, and disrespected. Our intentions of staying for more drinks with the seating available in the bar did not occur due to this service. I have neither experienced this vulgarity nor poor service at an establishment in my life and sincerely hope others do not...

Great whiskey/bourbon/scotch selection including japanese varieties, but not just going for "what's trendy." Good recommendations from the bartender. Plenty of good and worthwhile pours at a reasonable price, but also some pricier selections based on cost of bottle and availability. They had some nice rare options.

The flight option was also niceb: three 1oz. pours of a preselection of whiskeys, bourbons or scotches between $17-19. Between my sister and I, we had a flight and then four more 1 oz tasters, and walked away without too hefty of a bill.

If you're serious about whiskey, a great place to come and sit at the bar. Maybe avoid coming as the same time as the after-work crowd - things started being less loud, hurried and trendy after about 7:30pm on a Friday night.

Eat before you go, though, especialy if you're going to sample and drive. No bar snacks that we spotted, and basically no food on offer. Or walk to another restaurant for dinner in this high-traffic zone.

We'll definitely be back when we're...