Scottish Malt Whisky Society in Edinburgh, City of

My daughter and I saw the sign outside which said it was open to the public so we went in. We are both interested in tasting new whiskies and were looking forward to it. The man in reception/barman was not particularly welcoming and gave the impression he’d rather not have non-members in. He wasn’t very helpful either in advising our choices, so we guessed our way through the lists. The whiskies we chose were excellent, but no thanks to the staff. We’d give it top marks for the wide selection and low marks for the welcome.

The whisky flights were good but the bar snacks pleasantly surprised us. However the service felt impersonal and rushed.

If you fancy a great atmosphere to have good and simple food, prior the taste of best whisky

Amazing food, especially for that price point. Obviously the selection of Whiskeys is amazing, though they are not selling bottles of famous distilleries but casks they bought from them and Finished independently. The Staff is very Kind and professional. Amazing experience!

Not for us. Very stale atmosphere and no explanation of the desired experience.

I was so shocked at the absolute crass attitude of the man behind the bar. I would have give no stars if I could. I knew this a bar that sells unique bottling, that's why I went out of my way to attend. So when asked what I wanted it is very difficult to give a definitive answer against such unique bottlings. So I gave a broad indication of my likes be saying speyside. Only to be completely insulted by the barman saying that tells me that is someone that doesn't know anything about whisky. What does he know about me and my knowledge of whisky to make such a sweeping judgement. I could go on but won't. This is a person that clearly needs to work on his interpersonal and communication skills. Certainly won't be recommending this bar to my whisky aficionados.

Good place to taste unique whisky, but updating my original 5-star rating to reflect the recent decline in quality of service.

Great whiskies and very knowledgeable staff

Great place with a pretty good choice of malt whisky to choose from.

Very good experience - thanks Kyle!

Brilliant venue, great staff and drams. Thanks Kyle n team :)

I love going here with my family . It's such a a relaxed atmosphere. The food is second to none , the amount of whiskey they have you never get to the bottom of their list . But it's fun trying

Fun stop on our food and drink tour

This SMWS location was an excellent start to our Edinburgh stay! We did the tasting menu, with one of us choosing the whisky pairing and another choosing the wine pairing. Everything was fantastic from start to finish. The food was delicious, drinks were well paired, and the atmosphere/service top notch. 100% recommend!

For an SMWS member, this is a complete no brainer. To fully experience the benefits of society membership, a trip to Edinburgh cannot be compete without a visit here. Join and try it!

Our best evening in Edinburgh. Read up what they are about before you go in. Our waiter Andrew was delightful. He connected with us right away and sorted out what we'd like to try. Best waiter we encountered. He is very knowledgeable.

I have had the good fortune to have had dinner here on several occasions and I never been disappointed. Friendly staff, great food and a lovely environment. Indeed one of my dinner party said that they had one of the best days of their lives. And this was in no small part thanks to all at the SMWS.

This is the best scotch whisky experience in Edinburgh. If you do just one thing while in Edinburgh for whisky, this is the spot. Our server Euan was excellent and gave us some amazing expressions all night. The pairings for the full dinner were set perfectly and the food quality was top notch. Never seen anything else like this around the world. Making it one of the most unique whisky experience anywhere.

A must-do stop for Scotch whiskey aficionados, either non-members in the downstairs lounge or members in the upstairs room. We were able to get a day membership in order to dine upstairs when the downstairs was full and truly appreciated the expertise of Angus as he guided us in selecting our flight. They have custom-blends with cheeky titles and a nice discount for members.

Amazing experience. Knowledgeable, friendly, and very helpful staff Archie and Jeremy. Looking forward to come again.

Great place to taste and buy some Scotch! Really nice people here too - thanks Angus, Ewen and Kyle.

Nice place for delicious burgers and great whiskey

Great service, great staff, great food, great drinks choice

Had a great experience here. Class whiskeys and euan was a great guide and goodnchst through it all. Signed up to a membership after my first time being brought here!

I arrived unannounced and not a member and was looked after superbly and made very welcome in the front room for my tasting which was tailored for me

Archie was sooo wonderful and so helpful and made my last night in Edinburgh so special with an amazing selection of whisky’s! Also great music, was like someone peeked at my Spotify. The entire crew was awesome and helpful when it came to getting a membership for a friend. Would recommend this to any whisky lover that is in Edinburgh looking for an experience that will wow them!

Great place to go. The selection of whisky is astonishing. It was quiet when we went which was great. Knowledgeable staff so no confusion on what type of malt to get. I'm a member which is good.

A very secret little gem for anyone who wants a top shelf whisky experience, let the Ambassador guide you to a great whisky flight.

Amazing place. We ended up there thanks to a friend who is a member of the Society and gave us a special pass. I'm not sure how it works for non guests. Lovely house in Edinburgh (there is another one in Glasgow) . We had two three-single malt flights absolutely amazing. As they only serve unique whiskies that you cannot find outside the Society - meaning not the commercial ones - it´s a one of a kind experience. Then we had dinner, my husband and I chose the lamb that was delicious, and then another three single malt flight. A lovely night I have to say. Service is perfect.

The best place to go to taste whiskey in Edinburgh, being a total amateur they gave me very good suggestions and explained perfectly the differences between each bottle. Spectacular service and food, highly recommended.

Bespoke flights of superb whiskey, and great atmosphere. Excellent food as well.

Probably the best whisky anywhere. Great food and location. Knowagable staff, handover details between servers were not easy to find. Had to guess what we had been recommended by previous server!

If you're crazy about whiskey, you should stop by at least once. You can experience SMWS's specially selected bottles in a variety of ways at low prices. However, perhaps because I am not a member, I was unable to meet the touching bottles.

In summary, you should visit the SMWS venue if you’re interested in sampling limited edition whiskies that you will not find overseas (apart from their website). This is exactly what my hubby was looking for (unique and special), so I would give it 10 stars if I could. We did two tastings while in Edinburgh. We first visited the non-members area. Both the non-members’ and members’ areas are not so big, so reservations would be recommended to avoid disappointment. My husband enjoyed his personalized-to-his-tasting flight prepared by Euan (spelling???), so we opted to buy a membership so the hubby could buy some bottles. The hubby tasted 8 whiskies and we left with bottles of 3 variations he tried (ranging from £95-£195). We will buy 2 more varieties he tasted from their EU online store and have it shipped to our home. We were pleasantly surprised to see that there are also many tasting events by SMWS nearby our home (within 30-45 minutes driving), so while this membership was intended just to buy the bottles he wanted, he will likely use it throughout the year to experience the tasting events near us. I think what makes this place extra special is the staff is super knowledgeable and really focused on finding the right whiskies to suit one’s palate. You couldn’t ask for friendlier, more competent staff. Two thumbs up! On a side note, the food was also wonderful. We had the fish & chips for lunch and the Sunday 3-course menu for dinner. Everything was fantastic. The Sunday 3-course meal is a steal at £28 (3 options each of appetizer, main, and dessert…only £25 for 2-courses).

Wonderful place. We loved the flight

We were only there as part of a tour but they made a special accommodation on the fly for her dietary restrictions. Well played.

A lovely quiet lunch today, a convivial evening another day.

We went there to try scottish whisky for the 1st time, and we mentioned so to the waiter. From the point that we mentioned it, we felt somehow under treated. When the order was brought to the table, nothing was explained to us, whereas to other customers, origins of the whisky and some flavour features were explained, we were missing that from the experience. On top of that, when the receipt was delivered to the table, automatically the waiter came with the card reader (no time to check the receipt), of course we trust and pay. And after that, when I check the receipt, surprise, a 10% tip automatically added to the service without telling us a single word about it… in other establishments they let you know or suggest to add a tip… not automatically add it and not mention it. I won’t repeat the experience Nice environment anyway.

I booked a table in the members rooms for dinner and had mixed feelings. This was my first visit to the Queen St establishment. The decor and appointments are very good and the whisky selection is (not surprisingly) excellent, but the service was a little spotty and the food, whilst delicious, is expensive and the servings are small (I ordered from the full menu but there are also bar snacks and light meals which might be better value). If you are a whisky enthusiast, and particularly if you are a SMWS member, then do visit for a dram but go elsewhere for a satisfying meal.

Easily the most overrated venue in Scotland. I was told nothing about the whiskey I was drinking and it was well above what I said I would be willing to spend. It was also not a cosy atmosphere at all and the front of house was incredibly rude. When so many great venues exist in the city, there is no reason to come here.

SMWS, proud to be a member. A club exclusively for members. Exceptional whiskey selection, excellent food, great ambience, great service. But the bar on the ground floor is also recommended for guests without a membership card.

Stumbled on this place. Interesting cocktails and delicious food

Special dinner with delicious whiskeys per course

Creative writing about wonderful whiskey! Very nice food.

Amazing range of whiskeys. Calm atmosphere. Good food. Ross the bartender really made our experience. An approachable encyclopaedia of whiskey knowledge. Would come back just for Ross. Give him a raise!

For lovers of whisky this is the place. Didn't have food so I haven't rated it but from nearby tables looks impressive. Highly recommend this place for a wee dram ... or two.

A lovely experience trying high quality whisky which are single barrel. We went to the society members floor which was really nice and we enjoyed the service and atmosphere. We had a sorbet as well which was nice. Having a jug of water could be a nice touch as well.

My favourite place to go and hide from the world. Attentive staff, very knowledgeable. Not cheap to be a member, but completely worth it.

My experience of vegetarian food is high-end restaurants is generally very poor. It always seems tokenistic, they are just offering something to appease. This was a rare exception. The chef has put a lot of effort into having a phenomenal menu to vegetarians. I’m so appreciative. Everything was amazing. Thank you

If you can only do one whisky tasting in Edinburgh, let this be it! They know their whisky and will tell you all about it. We had one person in our group who doesn't really like whisky and our server/connoisseur put together a custom selection for them and they finished them all. Aside from the whisky, the place has a great atmosphere. Lively and jovial while still being relaxed. It was a highlight of our trip and a place to truly sip and savor.

We went last week and absolutely loved it. We arranged a place to work for a few hours and the staff couldn't have been friendly and more hospitable. We also had food there (fish and chips and a burger) which both were delicious. We were in the library which had a great feel to it and was super Comfortable to work in. Would recommend highly

Brilliant place for a whiskey lover and the steak was great as well. Very good tasting with an enthusiastic and knowledgeable lady.

Wife and I went here during a recent trip to Edinburgh. Great table service, honestly pretty great food. We had a lovely time chatting with the staff about different whisky's and had some lovely flights. My only complaint is that it's very hard to go home with a bottle. To purchase a bottle you need to be a member of the club, which is about 100USD I think? Anyway- we spent a long time looking at the bottles and trying to decide which one to take home, chose one, took it to the nice woman behind the counter who told us that we actually needed to be members. We didn't feel like cutting out an additional 100 bucks, so we left it. I'd recommend maybe just doing a surcharge or something for non members. I wouldn't have spent 100 bucks on the membership, but I'd definitely had paid like a 20% surcharge or something like that. It was a little embarassing, but we still enjoyed our dinner.

Very informed staff. Cask strength blends of single malt whiskies. Not a huge seating area for non-members so a reservation would be good. Quiet atmosphere, which reflects the fact that it is a Society. The only downfall for me, as a tourist, is that they would not be whiskies I could find in a store to purchase and take home.

During my visit to the Scotch Malt Whisky Society on Queen Street, the initial encounter with the bar waiter marred what was otherwise a notable whisky experience. His response to a simple inquiry about bottling was condescending, implying I couldn’t grasp the concept of a bar. This patronizing tone persisted when I sought clarification on their confusing menu's 'per person' pricing, only to receive a dismissive "Per person means per person." The service began disappointingly as well. After being handed menus, he served subsequent patrons before us, returning with a blank demeanor and no apology. His suggestion to a colleague to "answer questions with questions" was also overheard, adding to the unwelcoming atmosphere. However, as the evening unfolded, there was a palpable shift in his demeanor. His extensive knowledge of whisky became apparent, and his recommendations were spot on. Notably, he offered us a generous discount when the whisky we wanted was unavailable. Gradually, his attitude softened; he started smiling, offering warm "you're very welcomes," and became more engaging and pleasant. The whisky selection itself was impressive, and the compensation for unavailable bottles was fair. The food was excellent, and by the end, the atmosphere had improved significantly due to the waiter's attitude change. This experience underscores the importance of consistent, welcoming service in complementing the society's remarkable offerings. It’s a reminder that while quality products are crucial, the human element remains indispensable.

I’m a member here so we had dinner in the members lounge. Been before and it’s always been a pleasant experience. The food was excellent and we couldn’t fault the service. Not cheap but quality never is. A really enjoyable experience.

5 star for the vaults, 2 stars for the Queen Street venue. As a member from Australia, I visited the vaults on a Friday night and had a wonderful experience. Friendly and attentive staff, other patrons happy for a chat and a great selection to try. I tried to visit the Queen St venue on Satirday, and was told to come back later in the evening as they were quite busy, but assured I wouldn't need to book a table if coming after 9pm. Turned up with my wife at 9:30pm, and was turned away as they were "still quite busy". The person at the entrance was not very welcoming and we felt he couldn't wait for us to walk out the door. If visiting Edinburgh as a member, skip Queen St and head straight to the Vaults in Leith.

Superb staff, amazing food. They know their whisky!

Delicious food and libations, served with class.

Fantàstica experiència. El menjar boníssim, molt bon ambient i el servei perfecte. I no cal parlar de la quantitat de botelles de Whisky que pots tastar. Tots únics.

Amazing collection of whisky and guy helps you explain all whisky n flavour..very exclusive club n only Edinburgh allows little section for non members

* A note on grades, I rate outwards from three stars. * A very pleasant venue for whiskey tasting. We hit it up on our last day in Scotland and I'm pleased we made a point of it. Suspect it's much better for members. Worth considering for a visit if you're into innovative, modern whiskey.

Excellent. Really great food, service and atmosphere in a setting suited to conversation.

I have been a member here for a few years, and I love it. I am a whisky enthusiast, and this is the very best place to get it. There are regular tastings, and I love them. The food is also great; I have had so many great meals. The best thing is the staff; they are so knowledgeable and have to know every whisky profile inside out. great place!

Amazing location at the Queen Street venue, staff are helpful, friendly and knowledgeable

Just simply fantastic. The best service I have ever received in Edinburgh, such knowledgeable staff and super friendly too. The food is truly top notch, I would challenge anyone to find a better dinner in Edinburgh for less than £20 a main course. Not a bad word can be said.

Lovely meal paired with great whisky. Service was just right and not rushed. Serving staff were very knowledgeable.

We went yesterday to try some whisky the service was beyond great. Marion is a great host she made sure we had a great time, she went even the extra mile and made me special cocktail.

Great place to visit. Would recommend.

La comida muy sabrosa. El servicio bastante antento. Lástima no haber tenido más tiempo para catar más whiskies.

Outstanding. Staff are excellent banter.

Fantastic first visit, and certainly not my last. Was looked after by Jeremy in the bar area and couldn't have asked for more... attentive service, a welth of knowledge and ample charm and humour. The selection of whiskys he picked out for us was perfect, catering to both my partners palette for light and easy, and my wants for smoke and peat. My partner had the Ribeye Steak and I opted for the Beef Chuck. Both were perfectly cooked, well presented and both mouth watering good! I can't wait for my next visit!

Nice atmosphere and awesome for true whisky enthusiasts.

Zutritt nur für Mitglieder oder deren Begleitung. Die Preise für Essen sind human, aber für ein Dram Whisky werden sportliche Preise aufgerufen - als würden die 80€ Mitgliedschaft nicht genug sein. Alles noch verschmerzbar, aber der Service ist leider absolut unterirdisch. Man wird zum Platz begleitet und im Anschluss sieht man kein Personal mehr. Bevor jemand kommt und fragt ob man noch etwas trinken möchte wird vorher noch eine Frau zum Papst gewählt. Sorry, aber am Service muss dringend gearbeitet werden, ich erwarte bei einem Dram für 18 £ einfach, dass er mir zum Platz gebracht wird und nicht, dass drei Mitarbeiter hinter der Bar bemüht sind jeden Augenkontakt zu vermeiden.

Interesting concept! We were served 3 drams according to our palette. Absolutely lovely. Excellent quality whisky. The food was amazing 😍😍. Matt the barman was very knowledgeable and a hard worker. Not our type of think long term but I can see the appeal of a club like this. Defo at least try a tasting session as an experience or give it as a gift to see if you like it.

We booked weeks in advance because we knew we wanted to eat here, and got a lovely booth in the public bar. The menu was limited but everything could be adapted to be gluten free if it wasn't already gluten free. Our server was enthusiastic, confident and well-informed. The food was delicious, the gluten free porter was scrumptious and we finished things off sharing a pavlova. Then we had a whisky flight which was expansive and fascinating and the descriptions of the flavour profiles was hilarious and entertaining. Louis (Lewis?) was charm personified. He couldn't give us enough information and was so clearly enthusiastic and an expert in his field - what an incredible, professional alcoholic who has clearly found his metier.

We had a very bad experience visiting the society. Staff was rude, he said « since you are members you don’t need explanation about the menu?». He put the glasses on the table and left right away. Then we had a 10% service charge on the bill.. really not impressed. Otherwise the place is nice and whisky interesting.

Amazing skilled staff ,just a great experience ,one I won't forget

Great place to visit. Very good kitchen. Even better bar.

If you want real experience, you have to visit this place!

After several positive experiences i chose the Queen Street venue for my birthday meal. It was really disappointing. I cannot recall having had such poor service and an overall unsatisfactory experience in years. Our local cafe service is light years ahead of what was presented to us. To add insult to injury, two attempts by me to contact the venue’s management have met with silence. I was and remain keen to offer constructive feedback so that service levels and experiences for others can be improved. Come on guys, you’re not a cheap option so please get your act together.

Been a member for 3 years and this was my very first visit and I was not disappointed! The service in the member room was incredibly attentive and warm even in a very busy space (two events happening). Wonderful recommendations to pair a dram with the food I ordered (all were divine!). Beautiful space, little off the path to get there but worth the visit!

ウイスキー目当てで行きましたが、ハギスがとっても美味しかった。ウイスキーのお値段はどれも高めですがそれぞれ美味しかったです。

We were not a member, but wanted to try the scotch. After a wonderful dinner and tastings we are now a member. Because we were not a member, we sat in their bar area. Small but cozy. Reservations are definitely recommended because they are small. Logan was our bartender/server. Very knowledgeable, answered my million questions. The food was phenomenal! We had the mackerel and a pasta with pancetta that I forgot to take pictures of.., and a grilled quail with a chimmichurri sauce that was awesome amazing. It was all very very delicious. And some cherry yummy goodness for dessert. We had a dram of the moment, And then did a dram of 'line dancing in the deadwood saloon" it was very tasty. Also did a 3 dram "cask flight" that was good too. We became a member to buy 2 bottles. If you like scotch, or would like to maybe taste and learn about Scotch, this is the place to be. Reasonable prices. We will be back!

Nice intro to single cask whisky, went for the tasting, decent intro and tasting with a small plate of Haggis. Proper

We've been members for years! We married there! Always great to come back!

Fantastisk sted. Har aldrig set så meget whisky og med et meget kyndigt personale.

Fantastic service and (obviously) a fantastic selection of whisky. We were able to keep the table until closing fortunately. The staff were very knowledgeable of their current range of whiskies, they were attentive to all of the tables, regularly checking in when we needed a top up, and the quality and speed of the food was excellent. Shall be returning!

Excellent and stellar whiskies as always. Very worth a visit if you’re a whisky fan.

Ein Whiskyerlebnis der besonderen Art. Wir hatten einen Membertisch reserviert und eine sehr leckere Kleinigkeit gegessen. Es war sehr lecker. Dann hatten wir ein Vault-Whisky Flight mit 3 Drams. Über die Qualität der Whiskies braucht man nichts sagen, denn die Society ist was Qualität der Whiskies angeht einfach Spitzenklasse. Wir wurden seitens des Service sehr gut beraten und betreut. Einfach top.

Me and my dad visited the Scotch Malt Whisky Society on for both food and drinks. We were in the downstairs bar which has a relaxed environment and has a lovely interior which makes you feel like you’re taking a step back in time. We were served by Sam and Matt who we let recommend our food and drink to us. We both ordered the fish and chips and had a dram of a speyside scotch. Both the food and drink were excellent and the perfect recommendations. No matter your reason for your visit to Edinburgh this spot is an absolute must see, we couldn’t ask for more with the great food, drink and craic we got from our servers who were very responsive and gave us some great recommendations for the rest of our stay.

Great Whisky experience in a, I guess, traditional atmosphere. It was a real fun to taste several Whiskys and getting a lot of explanations.

We visited the Queen St venue for a quick dram and would up staying for 3 hours! Excellent service, amazing selection of malts, and really good lunch menu. We returned a few days later for drinks an lunch. For lunch and early afternoon the place is pretty quiet and this a great option to avoid the often over-crowded restaurants and pubs.

Always nice to visit. Potential wedding venue but poor replies and responding 😢

Interesting experience in terms of the whisky, which I needed to water down considerably before I could enjoy the flavours. However, my haggis, tatties and neeps was definitely the most delicious I've ever had. Very nice ambience and a lovely evening out. Booking highly recommended.

Als Member war das absolut top, riesige Auswahl und der Service war erste Sahne, sehr gute Whiskyvorschläge und Preise passen. (zum Essen kann ich nichts sagen, wir waren nur im Members Room)

If you like scotch, this is the best with good food and a very special atmosphere. Every one visiting Edinburgh should try it!

We had a wonderful evening. First dinner with delivious courses. Followed by seceral whisky flights. Good Service, good food and outstanding whisky Varieté. Big thanks for the evening. Looking forward for the next visit.

We enjoyed an hour sampling some whiskey Lovely bar , pleasant atmosphere We love whiskey but prefer to visit the distillery’s , not try to guess Also very expensive if I’m honest It was £15 more than the previous night for 4 dram’s I’m grateful that there was no hard sell

Our host was extremely personable and knowledgeable and enjoyed sharing her vast knowledge about Whiskies with us who are novices. We had an absolutely terrific and relaxing time. Non-touristy. Highly recommend!