London Restaurant Reviews - Salt Bar

Burns Night @ Salt Bar

I was one of the lucky Qypers and food bloggers to have been invited to the Salt Bar on Edgware Road for a Pre-Burns Night with plenty of Talisker’s whisky, Scottish food and poetry readings.

Organized by TikiChris, the event included a tasting of three different Talisker whiskies run by Colin Dunn of Diageo, and a Burns poetry reading brilliantly executed by Clark McGinn,  The Burns Supper Specialist.

After a delicious glass of “Skye Manhattan” cocktail (10yr Talisker whisky, vermouth, bitters and orange), we started our tasting with Talisker’s 10 year old single malt whisky. I enjoyed the sweet, smoky peatiness of this single malt which was the perfect accompaniment to the fatty smoked salmon it was served with.

This led to our second whisky, the Talisker Distillers Edition which was matured for 10 years in oak barrels and with an additional 2 years in muscatel barrels. This was, in my opinion, more approachable, and a little more refined, with a slight fruity finish from the years in muscatel. The Talisker Distillers Edition was partnered with haggis, neeps and tatties and went surprisingly well with the saltiness of the meat.

To accompany the third and final whisky, The Talisker 57˚North (named after the distiller’s latitude), we were served a scrumptious bitter chocolate mousse. It paired surprisingly well with the rather strong 57% whisky, helping to assuage some of the alcoholic burn.

As the evening came to a close, some of us stayed behind catching up and chatting. We were served a couple of other cocktails – “Hebrideas’ Old Fashioned” (Talisker 10 year old, ginger, bitters, honey and orange) and “Cool Walker” (Talisker 10 year old, Drambuie, lime juice, and ginger ale). These were both excellent and perfectly mixed by the very friendly bar staff.

I thoroughly enjoyed the evening at the elegant Salt Bar. This was my first experience of a “whisky bar” and was surprised by the friendly and casual atmosphere and the sleek contemporary decor. A big thanks goes to TikiChris for organising such a great event and for allowing me to take part in it.

Verdict – Salt Bar is an elegant, centrally located whisky bar, boasting some of the best whiskies on the market, with highly knowledgeable bar staff. Great cocktails. Recommended.