A ‘Whisky Hotel’ Will Open in London This Fall
At most hotel bars in London, you’d expect to be able to get a decent glass of whisky: The U.K. capital is an upmarket place and not too far from the home of Scotch. But one whisky bar in the city is going the other way around: Their whisky service has proved to be so successful that they’re expanding their bar into an entire whisky hotel.
Since opening in 2016, Black Rock has earned praise for its whisky-focused spirits and cocktail selection. Now, the basement bar is moving up in the world — literally. Black Rock is undergoing a four-story expansion, taking over the rest of the building above it. First up is Black Rock Tavern, which opened last week as a casual alternative to the original bar’s 250-plus whisky list, serving a more conservative selection of 40 to 50 whiskies alongside five beers on tap. Later in the summer, the plan is to expand further with a blending room where pre-booked guests get to taste through a selection single-malt whiskies before blending them into their own 500-milliliter bottle to take home. Lastly, if you need a place to crash after all that boozy fun, the final stage of the expansion will include three rooms that will make up the “hotel” — called Black Rock Lodgings.
Billed as a “first” for London, this admittedly not-huge whisky hotel will feature two smaller rooms and one larger suite all offering “minimalist but luxurious” accommodations. Needless to say, all the rooms will also have “whisky touches throughout” — though precisely what that means at this point isn’t entirely clear. Still, founders Tom Aske and Tristan Stephenson were very clear on what the finished project will be like. “The entire site will be dedicated to all things whisky,” they said according to Harpers Wine & Spirit. As awesome as it sounds, just thinking about it is giving me a hangover.
Want to stay? Black Rock Lodging is said to be taking reservations starting this month for dates beginning in September. The small rooms will start at about $150 per night — not bad for the neighborhood, actually, especially when you consider you’re just a few floors away from an insane amount of booze.
