5 Bars, One Spirit: A Guide to Sydney’s Whiskey Scene
Sydney, Australia
Pubs are integral to the Sydney social drinking scene, but its whiskey bars hold a special allure for locals and visitors. Luckily for whiskey lovers, Sydney is a treasure trove of whiskey havens, each with its own mood, historic character, a staggering list of drink choices, and expert mixologists with a deep knowledge of distillation, aging, and regional styles. Whether chasing a smoky Islay dram in a moody speakeasy or sipping a rare Japanese single malt in a lively pub, we scoured the city center for you to find the best. Here are our five favorite whiskey bars in Sydney, Australia.
The Baxter Inn
152/156 Clarence St, Sydney
Baxter Inn Head Bartender Jacob mixing drinks
Hidden down a dimly lit alley in Sydney’s Central Business District (CBD), the Baxter Inn is a temple to the amber spirit. Secluded from the public with an unmarked entrance, visitors may have to do a bit of sleuthing to find their way to this underground bar. Enter through a high archway just off 152/156 Clarence Street, taking the lane that leads into a dead-end alleyway. Turn right to the unmarked stairway, then head down some steep, stone steps to a heavy metal service door that opens directly into the Baxter Inn.
Housed in a former print works, the Baxter Inn’s speakeasy-style atmosphere transports its customers to the Prohibition era. In the background, a playlist changes the musical mood from classic 1920s jazz to seductive Mississippi Blues.
Behind the long wooden bar, walls lined with shelves from the counter to the ceiling hold old favorites alongside the rarest of whiskies. Bartenders know the location of every bottle, sorted by category and then alphabetically.
The Baxter stocks 1,100 bottles, including single-cask releases stored in cages across the room from the bar. It specializes in Scotch whiskies but also carries American, Japanese, Irish, and other international labels.
Business workers in suits and tourists in sweatshirts mix and mingle easily in this lively hangout. While seats at the bar are popular, nearby tables in the dimly lit room off the bar provide additional seating.
After a long day at work, a local banker wanders in tonight, seeking relaxation in a smoky Islay whiskey. Kai, the bartender, recognizes his frequent customer and knows which drink to recommend. He yells, “Going up,” as he scurries up the ladder to retrieve a bottle of Caol Ila 12-year-old Islay Single Malt Scotch Whiskey.
Jacob, the head bartender, tells us that J.A. Dougherty’s Sons 13-year-old Rye, distilled in 1916, is the rarest whiskey on the menu, at $300 per pour. Too pricey for our budget, we tried the Glendronach Highland Single Malt Scotch Whiskey aged 12 years in a sherry cask. It smells rich and tastes even richer.
Baxter’s extensive cocktail list features drinks with five different flavor profiles: fruit, spice, peat, floral, or wood and wine, so who could resist? Pam enjoyed an Almond Boulevardier made with almond, vermouth, rye whiskey, and aperitif bitter blend. Gary sipped on an old-fashioned made with Woodford bourbon, bitters, and sugar served on the rocks.
Uncle Ming's
Uncle Ming’s secluded seating
Basement/55 York St, Sydney
Uncle Ming's is an underground bar with funky Chinese décor, just off York Street near Wynyard Station. Drop down one floor alongside a swanky men’s clothing store, then enter through the metal door that leads into an intimate space. Uncle Ming’s atmosphere glows with red lighting from Chinese lanterns, accentuated by a floor covered in gorgeous oriental-style red rugs.
The bar runs alongside the secluded seating areas, some of which are curtained off for additional romantic charm or, in some cases, privacy.
A group of friends occupies a corner table, celebrating their reunion after five years apart. They toast their friendship with pours of 14-year-old Oban, a favorite from their early days.
Operating in a former underground print works, Uncle Mings provides customers a casual "walk-ins welcome" with table service. Frequented by regulars on weekdays vs. a younger weekend crowd, Ming’s offers a DJ on Saturday nights. The kitchen prepares a tasty array of dumplings and fried Asian snacks to accompany your favorite mix of cocktails.
Uncle Ming’s features a comprehensive whiskey menu with a focus on Japanese, Taiwanese, and other Asian whiskies. Uncle Ming's offers something for even the most discriminating palate, from the lineup of Nikka single malts and blends to the simple malt sherry cask-aged Kavalan from Taiwan to the peaty Laphroaig 10-year-old.
Our bartender, Jack, tells us the most popular whiskey cocktail is the Shanghai Roller, explaining, “It’s an Instagram favorite, a smoky and sophisticated drink made with Johnnie Walker Black, Laphroaig 10-year-old Whiskey, brown sugar, and Angostura Bitters, served flaming.” Jack is always working on a new cocktail invention. His soon-to-be-released drink is a bourbon wasabi cocktail with an Asian twist, made with Angels Envy 2024 Cask Strength Bourbon. Like a “fat wash,” infusing alcohol with something oily to flavor it, Jack combines wasabi with the bourbon and freezes it overnight to infuse the wasabi flavors. He says the rarest whiskey at Uncle Ming's is the Ichiro Malt Blended, but the Hakushu 18-year-old is the most expensive at $100 a pour.
We sampled some of Jack’s favorite whiskies, including three different Kavalan whiskies: one aged in a sherry cask from Taiwan, the second in a port cask, and the third in a Madeira cask.
Doss House
77-79 George St, The Rocks, Sydney
Doss House sampling of 3 whiskies
Built in the 1840s in one of the city’s oldest convict-built neighborhoods, The Rocks, this drinking den retains much of its original charm and, from what we can tell, some of its original paraphernalia.
Typical of Sydney whiskey bars, you descend a flight of worn stone stairs after transversing a narrow hallway off 77/79 George Street. Doss House has five cozy drinking spaces inside and outdoor cocktail areas adjacent to and above the stairway.
This space has been home to an eclectic collection of tenants, including a bootmaker, a boarding house, a doctor's surgery, and an opium dealer whose pipe is showcased in the rear den. Over 150 whiskeys behind the bar and along the walls are lit up in subtle low lighting, keeping the interior steeped in subdued character and boozy ambiance.
The large, sandstone brick walls, chiseled by convicts, restored fireplaces, antique mirrors, and Chesterfield sofas create an intimate, vintage atmosphere that transports you to another era. The owner, Ciara Doran, is Irish, so naturally Irish whiskey is the house's specialty. However, Doss also features a fine international selection of Japanese, American, Australian, and Scottish whiskeys and, upon request, premium, rare, and old whiskeys from around the world.
Doss recommends whiskey flights of 3 to 5 pours as a great way to explore a variety of diverse and contrasting flavors. On the busiest nights, you can find Doss House resident whiskey expert, Guy, roaming the bar to share recommendations with guests looking to sample a whiskey flight.
An Irish band plays at the Doss House every Sunday night. As we listen to the music, a couple of women joyfully dance an Irish jig on the landing just outside the bar without spilling a drop of whiskey from their glasses.
The Doss House also offers a guided master class/tasting of five whiskeys with a different focus each month, taught by host and floor manager, Lulu Sylvana. During our visit, Lulu made some recommendations for a whiskey flight, while the head bartender, Eaxton, did the honors of walking us through it.
Eaxton says, “The rarest whiskey in Doss House is The Method of Madness Single Grain, an Irish Whiskey. It is also the most expensive whiskey, at $1,000 a pour.” But his favorite is the Glendronach 18-year-old.
We sampled a Cape Byron Australian Single Malt Whisky, aged in a Viognier cask, a Glendronach 18-year-old Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, aged in a sherry cask, and the Yellow Spot.
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, aged 12 years in bourbon, sherry, and Malaga casks. Flights come with a water dropper and separate glasses of ice in case you want to “soften” the whiskey or chill it down.
Grain Bar
Grain Bar, bar and interior
Ground Floor, 199 George St, The Rocks, Sydney
In contrast to the darkened denizens of Sydney’s underground whiskey bars, the glossy Grain Bar doesn’t hide down a dark alley behind a hidden door. It stands out proudly overlooking George Street and beckoning whiskey lovers into a contemporary, upscale, and well-lit large barroom. Nevertheless, whiskies here are the center of attention with close to 270 bottles stacked to the ceiling on seven levels of brightly lit, suspended, see-through shelving surrounded on both sides by a long wooden bar.
Mood-lit tables tucked into secluded corners offer intimate seating for those seeking privacy, while the window seats provide a spot for people watching. A fireplace in the middle of the room offers some welcome warmth on a cold, windy day. The long wooden bar and warm wooden beams on the ceiling create an inviting, elegant, and intimate atmosphere. Staff are quick to seat guests and serve your choice of drink. After we sat down, a welcome bowl of mixed nuts, wasabi-flavored snack mix, and monogrammed cocktail napkins quickly appeared.
While Grain Bar’s offerings are international, it specializes in Australian whiskey. Tasting flights consist of three 15-ml proportions.
A mix of post-work, happy-hour devotees from the nearby CBD businesses and visitors staying in the adjacent Four Seasons hotel filled the bar.
Our bartender, Alberto says, “The most expensive whiskey in Grain Bar is The Macallan Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky 30-year-old, which sells for $880 a pour, while the rarest whiskey is The Macallan Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, a commemorative Time: Space Mastery release that celebrates Macallan’s 200 years of heritage, for $380 a shot.”
Alberto recommended some of his favorite Australian whiskies. We tasted the Dark Lark, a Tasmanian Single Malt Whisky, with layers of ripe papaya, maple-glazed almonds, and espresso gelato. The second pour was a Joadja Single Malt Whisky from the Southern Highlands of New South Wales, aged in Ex Pedro Ximenez sherry cask, a complex whiskey with a balanced sweetness. And third, we tasted the “healthy choice,” the Whipper Snapper Quinoa Whiskey, crafted from West Australian quinoa and aged in Ex-Upshot Whiskey barrels. It offered a bold, nutty, earthy flavor with notes of vanilla and spice. Clearly a favorite!
J & M
1 Angel Pl, Sydney
J & M Bar
People familiar with Sydney food and drink culture will easily recognize the Merivale brand. Founded in 1957 by John and Merivale Hemmes, the company began as an iconic fashion house in Sydney. It quickly ventured into hospitality and now operates over 100 bars, restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues across Sydney. The J and M whiskey and cocktail bar is a tribute to Hemmes’ beginnings and is housed in Hemmes' former clothing store.
Like the upscale Grain Bar, this whiskey bar is adjacent to a hotel. Located on the upper floor of the Angel Hotel on Pitt Street, you can reach it by climbing the stairs from inside the hotel’s lobby bar or through another 19th-century gothic-looking Victorian doorway off Hope Place Alleyway. Either way, expect to climb two flights of stairs to reach J & M's Bar. Like most Sydney whiskey bars, it is discreetly tucked away and, of course, dimly lit.
A former haberdashery in the sixties, J & M reflects its fashionable past with rich, wooden haberdashery cabinets, and a glossy bar backed by a large mirror flanked on both sides with shelves stacked with whiskey bottles that you won’t find anywhere else. In addition to the bar, J & M offers two lounge rooms accented by comfy overstuffed velvet chairs and couches spread throughout both rooms.
Happy hour is popular, with select, wine, beer, and house spirits at $9.00. Food is available, including sandwiches and cheeseboards. Soon after we arrive, three young women, regular customers, wander in to take advantage of the specials.
Replete with old-world charm, this whiskey bar offers specially crafted and classic cocktails by one of Sydney's most knowledgeable bartenders, Gerald De Los Santos. He says about 70% of the bar's liquor sales are for cocktails, 20% for whiskey flights, and the rest are beer and wine.
Gerald says, “One of my favorite whiskies is a rare, Bladnoch Talia 25-year-old Lowland Scotch. Other expensive and rare whiskies include the Pride 1974, which is the oldest Glenmorangie whisky and will set you back $350 a pour, and a Gordon & MacPhail Single Malt Scotch Whisky from a closed Port Ellen Distillery, a special treat for any whiskey lover.”
We sampled two of Gerald’s whiskey cocktail classics, a Manhattan and a Penicillin. The Penicillin, which an Australian bartender in New York City invented, included Laphroaig 10-year-old, honey, ginger, and lemon. To Gary's delight, Gerald made the Manhattan with Jim Beam Rye, Carpano Antica Vermouth, and a dash of bitters.
Experience the Magic
You don’t need to know everything to enjoy whiskey—in fact, you don't need to know anything—but it helps to find a good, local whiskey bar.
Let our description of five whiskey bars in Sydney be a map and a lantern, a companion to guide you to the best. Each has its own story, history, and offerings by the hundreds, creating a unique celebration of craft, place, and time. There is magic in these places, and you're invited to experience it.