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The Whisky Lover’s Philadelphia Travel Guide

The City of Brotherly Love has a lot to offer the traveling whisky drinker, with these bars, distilleries, restaurants, and attractions leading the way.

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Whether looking for a no-nonsense shot-and-beer bar or a fancy joint with a miles-deep whisky menu, a weekend in Philadelphia will provide. The city is eminently walkable, too. From any Center City hotel there are dozens of options for food, drinks, and attractions in one of America’s most historic cities. A walk down Broad Street—downtown Philadelphia’s main north-south drag—offers views of the city’s late-19th century City Hall, the Civil War-era Union League (now a private club), and the city’s leading arts venues, like the Kimmel Center and the Academy of Music. And just blocks east or west of Broad Street are some of the city’s best places to eat and drink.

Staying in Center City is the best option for a mostly walkable trip, with convenient public transit that gives you the widest variety of bars and restaurants to choose from. Whether flying, driving, or taking Amtrak, Center City is a breeze to reach. For accommodations, it’s easy to recommend Philadelphia’s Loews Hotel, at 12th and Market Streets. The hotel is located in Philadelphia’s first high-rise building. Another upscale option in the neighborhood is The Bellevue Hotel, which overlooks Broad Street, just south of City Hall. But if you’re looking to keep hotel costs down so you can grab a few extra drams, Center City has you covered there, too: the DoubleTree (also on Broad, south of City Hall) and Club Quarters (located one block south and two blocks west of City Hall) are both solid options in the neighborhood.

The Bellevue Hotel overlooks Broad Street giving you a perfect view of Philadelphia’s historic architecture. (Photo by Joshua Pellegrini)

Day One

After dropping off your bags, grab a hearty breakfast at Red Owl Tavern, located less than a mile from Loews Hotel. Then head across the street to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the Old City neighborhood.

After you’ve brushed up on your American history, swing by The Olde Bar, just a few blocks from Independence Hall, for a whisky or cocktail while sightseeing in Old City. Beyond offering a solid array of whiskies, with a particular focus on scotch, The Olde Bar’s cocktail menu nods to drinks history with its Fish House Punch, a colonial-era rum drink born in Philadelphia in the 1700s. Try The Olde Bar Sour, made with Old Overholt rye, amaretto, lemon, egg white, and bitters.

With lunch in mind, take in more sights with a 30-minute walk, or hop on the SEPTA train Market-Frankford line (the ‘El’) from Independence Hall or 2nd Street stops and take the train west (toward 69th Street) to 15th Street/City Hall, then head to Monk’s Café, a Belgian restaurant. Monk’s is a five-block walk south from the City Hall station and is located one block west on 16th Street. While Monk’s has a full bar, the real star of the show here is its Belgian beer list, including Monk’s Flemish sour ale, a beer brewed at Belgium-based Van Steenberge Brewery specially for Monk’s. Here, the cheese plate and smoked trout dip are excellent starters, and the burgers and mussels can’t be beat.

Once you’ve had your fill of lunch and history, head back to Center City and swing by Fine Wine & Good Spirits on Chestnut Street between 11th and 12th to browse one of the more well-stocked liquor stores in the area, which offers a variety of excellent whiskies. While Pennsylvania’s “state stores” (the colloquial name for Fine Wine & Good Spirits, the state owned-and-operated liquor stores), all but rule out hunting for dusty bottles, the state has stepped up its game in recent years, and their Premium Collection locations (like the store recommended here) often offer FWGS-exclusive barrel picks from distillers like Four Roses, Maker’s Mark, and Buffalo Trace.

Village Whiskey serves over 200 whiskies ranging in style and offers up happy hour bar snacks and drinks.

After shopping, head to Village Whiskey for happy hour. While the bar snacks and $7 happy hour cocktails are an easy draw at Iron Chef and James Beard award-winner Jose Garces’s restaurant, the real star here is the whisky list. Village Whiskey serves over 200, including Japanese, Irish, and world whiskies, but the focus is on bourbon and scotch.

From there, take a short walk to Ashton Cigar Bar, a second-floor lounge that boasts nearly 400 whiskies, 200 cigars, and roughly 500 other spirits. Ashton has sofa, bar, and table seating, with a handful of tables overlooking Chestnut Street and many facing the bar’s walk-in humidor.

For dinner, try Bank & Bourbon in the Loews Hotel. The restaurant, helmed by chef Joe Thomas, serves American fare with a local flair: the cheeses and chickens are sourced from Pennsylvania farms. Bank & Bourbon has a robust cocktail program too, offering cocktails barrel-aged in house, as well as specialties like the Secret Knock, made with whiskey matured on-site, green tea, lemon, and clarified milk.

After dinner, take a five-minute walk to Time on Sansom Street, between 13th and Juniper. While it houses three bars, with one focused on live music and one for dancing, Time really takes flight in its dedicated whisky bar, which does not have a cover. Featuring over 200 whiskies, Time offers a deep dive into scotch, Irish, and American whiskies, with a sizable portion of the list priced at $20 or less a pour.

Time’s whisky flights are of particular interest; while they cover common ground—offering a selection from an individual producer or region—the whiskies chosen are unique and step off the beaten path. Time’s bourbon flight, for example, serves Jefferson’s Very Small Batch, Longbranch, and Old Elk, and its Irish flight includes Green Spot, Teeling Single Grain, and The Sexton single malt.

Time is home to three bars, one of which features live music, while another is home to over 200 whiskies.

Day Two

For breakfast, check out Green Eggs Cafe on 18th Street between Ludlow and Ranstead in Center City. The restaurant—which has a few outposts dotted around the city—offers diner staples like eggs and omelets as well as four different kinds of eggs Benedict. If you’re looking for the heartiest option to start your day, try the Kitchen Sink, a combination of eggs, sausage gravy, potatoes, cheese, peppers, onions, and a biscuit, all served in a skillet.

To kick off the second day of finding Philly’s finest whiskies, take to the El at 15th Street/City Hall or at 13th and Market Streets and head east to the Girard stop. Welcome to the Riverwards and, more specifically, Fishtown, Philly’s trendiest neighborhood.

From the Girard station, head east on Girard Avenue for two blocks to Frankford Avenue. Visit Corridor Contemporary, a modern art gallery with three floors of works from local, national, and international artists, or if street art is your interest, take a stroll and you’ll find sanctioned and unsanctioned murals on many of the neighborhood’s buildings. Shop for vintage home goods at Jinxed, visit the community-maintained Fishtown Rose Garden, and if music is of interest stop by Philadelphia Record Exchange for vinyl, cds, and cassettes spanning genres from hip-hop to country. While on Frankford, grab some lunch at Fette Sau, a barbecue and bourbon institution. Although Fette Sau stocks heavy hitters from bourbon’s biggest distillers, including private barrel picks, the restaurant’s commitment to local distillers is unmatched.

Enjoy a cocktail or one of New Liberties’ own whiskies in its outdoor courtyard while you wait for a tour.

If you’re looking to stop for a cheesesteak while you’re in Philly, Fishtown’s got you covered. At the corner of Frankford and Girard is Joe’s Steaks + Soda Shop, a Philadelphia mainstay serving cheesesteaks (beef and chicken) and even a few vegetarian and vegan options. Beyond the classic cheesesteak—which I’d recommend with American cheese (not whiz), onions, and hot peppers—Joe’s milkshakes are also great.

After lunch, head two blocks north on Frankford, then make a left on Master Street. Continue for about a third of a mile and take a right on Cadwallader Street where you’ll find New Liberty Distilling, one of a handful of distilleries in Philadelphia making their own whiskey. There, in the distillery’s courtyard bar, you can sample its Kinsey and New Liberty whiskeys neat or in cocktails, as well as take a tour of the distillery and pick up bottles in their store.

Take a 20-minute walk or grab a rideshare to Lloyd Whiskey Bar. On your way through the Fishtown neighborhood keep an eye out for the fish signs hanging from the row homes. Lloyd is Fishtown’s best whisky bar, offering a selection of over 150 (with a heavy emphasis on bourbon and rye), affordable prices, and a relaxed atmosphere. Beyond showcasing a deep library of whiskies to try on their own, Lloyd is committed to the shot-and-beer combo Boilermaker—known in Philly as a Citywide Special—featuring 17 different whisky-and-beer combinations.

After a Citywide or two, walk west on Girard back to the El, and stop by another Fine Wine & Good Spirits Premium Collection store located at North Second Street and Girard Avenue. This location usually offers a good selection of FWGS store picks as well as one of the strongest selections of whiskies in the area.

Grab dinner at Bank & Bourbon in the Loews Hotel and treat yourself to a barrel-aged cocktail or American whiskey.

It’s time to head to South Philly for dinner. From the 15th Street/City Hall station, take the El’s Broad Street Line south to Tasker-Morris, which will leave you a few blocks from Stateside, a gem serving creatively prepared and locally sourced small plates, alongside local beers and American whiskeys with pours like Blanton’s and High West Bourye.

A few hundred feet south of Stateside is Manatawny Still Works Craft Spirits Shop and Tasting Room, the Philadelphia outpost of the regional Pottstown distillery. Stop in for a whiskey flight, which showcases Manatawny’s Four Grain American whiskey (made primarily from malted barley, with wheat, oats, and rye) at two ages (older and younger than 3 years) alongside their Honey whiskey. If you’re looking for something even more unique, try the Seventh Anniversary peated single malt.

While Philadelphia’s bar scene offers plenty of upscale meals and high-end whiskies, a trip to the City of Brotherly Love wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Bob and Barbara’s Lounge, a no-frills, cash-only bar best known for its $4 Citywides with Jim Beam and PBR. Relax, take in some soul jazz, and finish your night in an uncomplicated, classic Philly bar.

Distilleries

Manatawny Still Works Craft Spirits Shop and Tasting Room 1603 E Passyunk Ave.
New Liberty Distillery 1431 Cadwallader St.

Bars/Restaurants

Ashton Cigar Bar 1522 Walnut St.
Bank & Bourbon 1200 Market St.
Bob & Barbara’s Lounge 1509 South St.
Fette Sau 1208 Frankford Ave.
Green Eggs Cafe 33 S 18th St
Joe’s Steaks + Soda Shop 1 W Girard Ave.
Lloyd Whiskey Bar 529 E Girard Ave.
Monk’s Café 264 S 16th St.
The Olde Bar 125 Walnut St.
Red Owl Tavern 433 Chestnut St.
Stateside 1536 E Passyunk Ave.
Time 1315 Sansom St.
Village Whiskey 118 S 20th St.

Hotels

The Bellevue 200 S Broad St.
Club Quarters Center City 1628 Chestnut St.
DoubleTree Center City 237 S Broad St.
Loews Philadelphia 1200 Market St.

Stores

Fine Wine & Good Spirits 1112 Chestnut St.; 180 W Girard Ave

Attractions

Corridor Contemporary 1315 Frankford Ave
Jinxed 1331 Frankford Ave.
Philadelphia Record Exchange 1524 Frankford Ave.

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Graeme McDowell’s Whiskey Adventure

The former U.S. Open champion debuts Grey Coast, a new blended Irish whiskey.

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Irish professional golfer Graeme McDowell has teamed up with Boann Distillery in Drogheda, County Louth, to create Grey Coast, a new Irish whiskey blend. Grey Coast is named for McDowell’s hometown of Portrush on Northern Ireland’s north coast, where whiskey and golf are two of the most popular pastimes. (Portrush is located just six miles from Bushmills Distillery.) “I think whiskey’s always been in the blood,” says McDowell. “I’ve spent a lot of time in the Northeast of Scotland, at distilleries and cooperages. I’ve always wanted to do something really cool, effective, and authentic.”

This bottled blend marries four whiskeys. In all, 60% of the blend is made from single grain corn whiskeys matured in first-fill bourbon barrels, with an additional 25% made from single grain whiskey aged in new American oak. The remaining 15% is split between two Irish single malts: 10% is aged in new American oak and 5% is matured in oloroso sherry casks.

For McDowell, the combining of Irish whiskey with the influence of American oak is a tidy way to tell his story of finding success in the U.S. as an Irishman—with a resume that includes a U.S. Open championship in 2010. “This thing’s real: I’m an owner; I’m a partner. I’m someone who really wants to drive this,” he says.

For this inaugural whiskey, the aim was to balance depth of flavor and approachability, and to that end, it was important to have the whiskey appeal to a wide audience, including those who may not even realize they’re whiskey fans. He says that his wife’s seal of approval was an important moment for him to see that Grey Coast can reach outside the realm of the dedicated whiskey drinker.

While the first iteration of Grey Coast is an approachable blend, McDowell already has his eye on the future. It’s still too early to talk specifics on future releases, but he’s interested in whiskeys with greater age and in working with Irish pot still whiskeys in the long run. “We really want to capture the story, capture the market, capture the branding with this one, and see where we can go from here,” he says.

Starting later this month, Grey Coast will be available in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, and Texas, ahead of a national release this summer. The 40% ABV bottling will retail between $33 and $37/700 ml bottle, depending on the market

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These Whisky Liqueurs Are Highly Sippable and Great for Mixing

These liqueurs lean on honey, spice, and cream flavors to present a gentler whisky option for cocktails or straight sipping.

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Fans of whisky may turn up their noses at whisky liqueurs, where cream, sugar, and other flavors step into the spotlight. While the initial aversion is understandable for palates accustomed to drier drinks with higher proofs, whisky liqueurs aren’t all candy sweet—though even the sweetest can brighten a cocktail or dessert. And besides, a Baileys and coffee might be the first step on a journey that leads to Irish Coffee, and eventually to a neat pour of Redbreast.

Sweet or dry, there are plenty of liqueurs that don’t scrimp on whisky. Though there’s disputed territory between flavored whiskies and whisky liqueurs, the drinks collected here are sippers in their own right and provide complementary flavors to their base whiskies.

The classic whisky liqueurs—think Baileys, Drambuie, and Dunkeld Atholl Brose—serve as both drink and ingredient, fitting as a liquid dessert or as part of cocktails like the Mudslide, Rusty Nail, and the classic Scottish cocktail, also called the Atholl Brose, made from whisky, honey, oat milk (or oatmeal water), and other flavors. The classics have endured for a reason, and some, like Baileys, attempt to liven up the genre with flavors like salted caramel and espresso creme. Drambuie and Dunkeld Atholl Brose, on the other hand, are content to stick to their honey-and-scotch history.

Many of the new drinks follow the same template as their older siblings, bringing whisky and coffee or whisky and cream together in ways that deliver straightforward and creative drinks. For example, Old Elk’s Nooku Bourbon Cream and Middle West’s Bourbon Cream deliver digestifs with a subtle, whiskey-derived sweetness with plenty of richness.

“Mixologists and consumers are already using cream-based spirits, from boozy coffee to milkshakes to classic cocktails. What’s different for Nooku is that it has no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, or supplemental spirits.” says Melinda Maddox, Old Elk Distillery production manager and beverage director. “My best advice for a skeptical drinker is to try it first—have a little fun in the kitchen making boozy French toast, whipped cream, or elevate your latte—the choice is yours.”

Coffee-and-whiskey liqueurs, like Kentucky Coffee, are natural substitutes in drinks such as the Black or White Russian, and can offer a sweeter spin on whiskey classics like the Old Fashioned. Or they can simply liven up a mug of coffee without adding too many extra flavors.

Though many of the newer whisky liqueurs are simple and focused on letting the whisky sing, some distillers continue to push the boundaries of just what mixes well with their whiskies. On the sweetest side, Ole Smoky’s blends of unaged corn whiskey and cream offer easy dessert drinks in a huge variety of flavors that bring together treats like strawberries and chocolate.

While whisky liqueurs are often snubbed by purists, they offer whisky fans a chance to try something a little less serious, and can help show a newbie that maybe they might actually like whisky. Below are five whiskey-based liqueurs that hit a variety of styles and flavors.

Five Whisky Liqueurs to Try

Hochstadter’s Slow & Low Rock and Rye—42%, $23
Slow & Low brings together rye whiskey, rock candy, honey, Florida-grown navel oranges, and Angostura bitters. This is a fairly low-sugar liqueur, with the equivalent of only about one sugar cube in a 2-ounce pour.

Kentucky Coffee—33%, $20
Like its name suggests, this flavored whiskey brings together Kentucky-distilled whiskey with coffee extract.

Middle West Spirits Bourbon Cream—15%, $25
Made from Middle West’s Michelone Reserve bourbon—a whiskey made from a mash of yellow corn, red winter wheat, pumpernickel rye, and two-row barley—and cream from Ohio dairies.

Nooku Bourbon Cream—17%, $31
Nooku is made from Old Elk Distillery’s 2 year old high-malt whiskey and dairy cream. The two are blended without any additional sugar, coloring, or flavors, and the result is completely shelf-stable.

Ole Smoky Bourbon Ball—17.5%, $25
This sweet treat blends Ole Smoky’s Tennessee bourbon with milk chocolate to create a drinkable version of the venerable chocolate and whiskey confection.

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GlenDronach Cask Bottling Batch 19, Old Line 5 year old Bottled in Bond, & More [New Releases]

Plus, The Irishman Vintage Cask (2022 Edition), Brush Creek bourbon and rye, and canned Corsair Triple Smoke & Corsair Dark Rye.

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The Spring 2022 issue of Whisky Advocate hit newsstands this week, and inside you’ll find a deep exploration of all things rye whiskey. We offer up new cocktail recipes, purchasing recommendations for any budget, and a look back at what made Pennsylvania such a titan of rye production. Plus, there are more than 95 whisky reviews in the Buying Guide, all of which you can browse right now.

As for new whiskies out this week, GlenDronach has announced Batch 19 of its single cask series, Old Line Spirits adds a bottled in bond American single malt to its range, and The Irishman shares details for this year’s Vintage Cask bottling. Read on for full details.

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Irish Whiskey’s Past Meets Present with Limavady

Distilling veteran Darryl McNally aims to revive the family legacy.

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Limavady is one of Ireland’s more recent whiskey releases to reach American shores, but the name is not entirely new to the Irish whiskey world. Its history reaches back to the 18th century and the Northern Ireland town of Limavady, whose long-vanished distillery produced whiskey more than two centuries ago.

Limavady’s owner, Darryl McNally, is an Irish whiskey veteran who worked at Bushmills for nearly 17 years before moving to Dublin Liberties Distillery in 2017. This new venture is something of a family affair for McNally: he can trace his ancestry back to the original distillery’s owners, and Limavady is his hometown. Knowing the history, “Limavady kept calling,” says McNally. “So I said, let’s grab this with both hands. My brother—who was also a distiller at Bushmills—left as well to come into the family Limavady.”

Matured in bourbon barrels and finished in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, Limavady’s liquid is sourced from an undisclosed Irish distillery. While there are other PX-matured or PX-finished Irish whiskeys in the Irish whiskey arena—such as Redbreast’s PX Edition, the Whistler PX I Love You, and Egan’s Fortitude—Limavady is fairly unique to Irish whiskey because it’s a single barrel expression. While single barrel releases are plentiful in American whiskey, that’s not the case in Ireland. Limavady aims to show what single barrels of Irish single malt can be. “We were sort of ticking boxes that hadn’t really been done before,” said McNally. “That, to me, was just something special—and something that I’d had in my head for a long number of years.”

Limavady’s PX casks come from the same source used by Redbreast, and the initial maturation is all in first-fill bourbon casks. “You’re getting four, four and a half years of that nice vanilla spiciness on the tongue,” McNally says of the bourbon aging. “Then we put it into PX, which balances it out with dark fruits and summer fruits.” The PX finish is in two stages—the first lasting around three months, and the second slightly longer. Thus far, the results of McNally’s labor have been well received. Limavady Single Barrel, (Barrel 0040), which retails at $50, scored 91 points in Whisky Advocate’s Winter 2021 issue.

Limavady will remain a sourced brand for the near future, but McNally has grand plans for the longer term. Ultimately, he wants Limavady to have its own distillery. He calculates that when Limavady reaches sufficient scale—the initial release was around 7,200 cases, and he pegs 50,000 cases as the threshold—he and partner WhistlePig will look to break ground. The expectation is to reach that goal in about five years.

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