London travel diary: The Whisky Exchange

We weren’t quite sure how jet-lagged we’d be when we landed in London on the morning of Saturday, June 11th, so we kept our plans simple. We’d limit ourselves to wandering about the area near the our hotel (Sea Containers, right on the Thames’ south bank, just west of Blackfriars).

Within this limited zone was the London Bridge shop of Whisky Exchange. Anitra found it while doing her usual diligent pre-travel research, and being whisk(e)y aficionados, we had to go take a look.

If you get the chance, go there — it’s impressive. Their selection is large and beautifully laid out, the staff are friendly and knowledgeable, and how can you not trust a place like this in a drinker’s city?

We chatted with the expert who was stationed at the desk in the back of the shop, asking for something that would be interesting, local, hard or impossible to get in the U.S. and was under £200. His recommendation: Filey Bay Yorkshire Special Malt Whisky’s Special Release Double Oak #1. There were a mere 2,000 bottles in this release, and yet it was well under the price limit we’d given.

Here’s a video review of what we bought…

…here’s a Japanese whisky enthusiast’s tour of the shop…

…and here’s a CBS Saturday Morning piece on the Whisky Exchange: