Best-of list · Spirits Guide
The best japanese whisky bars outside Japan — from London's obsessive pour lists to the New York rooms that treat Yamazaki with the respect it deserves.
The short answer
10 ranked rooms follow. How we picked is at the end of this guide.
Japanese whisky is one of the most counterfeited categories in the world and one of the most frequently misrepresented on bar menus. The bars on this list of the best japanese whisky bars outside Japan earn their places not because they stock Nikka and call it done, but because someone has thought seriously about what they are offering, where it comes from, and how to serve it correctly. These are the rooms worth finding.
London's whisky scene has always been strong on Scotch — for the full Scotch-focused picture, see our best whisky bars London guide. But the better cocktail bars have spent the past several years building serious Japanese programs alongside their Scotch collections. These are the standouts.