Thanks for visiting the online home of The London Whisky Club, one of London’s most vibrant and friendly groups, dedicated to enjoying good whisky in good company. We try to offer exceptional value for money and encourage you to look through previous events to get a feel for what the club is about.
If you’re interested in joining then please fill out the contact form here.
Ethos
The ethos of the club is simple – meet up, share whisky experiences and have a good time. All our meetings are organised in a responsible way and drinking to excess is not part of what we do. We’re careful and show respect towards the venues we work with and try to avoid excessive noise, disruption or drunkenness. We will always be 100% open and transparent about the way the club is run and the costs involved. Any queries regarding any of these topics can be brought up in person at a meeting, via the contact form or via email.
How it works
The club is a home for whisky enthusiasts who are looking for an opportunity to spend time and interact with like minded people. Our membership comprises a wide variety of people from many diverse backgrounds. Anyone is welcome to join and the strength of the club lies in the people that make up the membership. Sharing is at the heart of what we do and whether you’re just starting your whisky journey or you’re an experienced malt-head, you’ll be made to feel welcome in this whisky family. We usually meet up once a month in central London, although on occasion we may do multiple events in a single month. There will be a theme that is published, along with the date, time and venue, well in advance on the events page. Once the date and theme is confirmed, anyone can then decide whether they want to attend, with a discounted rate for members (see below). Places will be allocated on a first come first serve basis and are secured by transferring the relevant fee through PayPal. On the whole there are two types of meet-ups we run regularly, bring your own bottle (BYOB) events and guest events.
BYOB events revolve around a predetermined theme. Bottles are generously volunteered by members attending and we normally limit the total number of bottles to 6 or 7 maximum. If you bring a bottle you’ll pay less and it’s standard practice, before we all tuck in, to give a little bit of information about why you brought the bottle (this can just be a sentence!). These are very relaxed sessions without too much structure and the social aspect is just as high up the agenda as the whisky.
Guest events are also run throughout the year and guests can range from distilleries and independent bottlers to almost anyone with something interesting to offer. In the past we’ve welcomed the likes of Loch Lomond, The Cotswold Distillery and Mackmyra into the club. These are a lot of fun, all whisky is provided and it’s great to get insight from people within the industry.
Other events may also be thrown into the mix each year and in the past we’ve done blind tastings, trips to specialist whisky bars and trips to Scotland alongside the regular schedule. When possible we will also run nights with a theme similar to the BYOB events, but with bottles provided by the club instead of individual members.
Once the “formalities” of the evening are complete, it’s usual for people to share anything they think other people might enjoy. There’s a lot of sample swapping, bottle sharing and general whisky fun, all voluntary of course.
Cost and Benefits
Membership: £48 per year
Members:
BYOB Event – £35 (£15 if bringing a bottle)
Guest Events – £35
Non-Members:
BYOB Event – £45 (£30 if bringing a bottle)
Guest Events – £45
The event prices quoted above are “standard” prices and what you can expect to pay most of the time. However, we reserve the right to both increase and decrease the cost for certain events. If the cost does differ it will be made clear on all literature in advance.
Membership last for one year, runs June 1st – May 31st (pro rata as required) and includes the following benefits:
- Discount as above on monthly meet-ups.
- Option to purchase club bottles as and when they are released.
- Access to club Discord members group. This may sound like a small thing but it gives you access to a large network of “whisky folk”, all eager to help each other out. That may be sourcing bottles, tips on new releases, knowledge about good distilleries to visit, etc, etc.
Where we meet
The venue is subject to change. It will be posted on the events page as and when it’s confirmed as well as posted in the club WhatsApp group. We also put out flyers on social media and here on the website before each event. We currently have two venues we use regularly (although others will be used as and when required), The Tappit Hen near Bank Tube Station and Milroy’s of Spitalfields. Most of our meet-ups will be at these two venues.
History
The London Whisky Club was founded on 23rd May 2018 by four people brought together by the power of whisky. More than any other drink it seems whisky has the incredible ability to connect people. It sparks conversation, friendships and endless generosity. With a thriving YouTube community well established in 2018, it was becoming usual to see the same people chatting away and commenting during live whisky streams and videos. It became clear that there were enough people with the same common interest (namely drinking whisky), in and around London, to expand on this and do the same thing but in the real world. So it was, the club was born, initially meeting in Putney with an eclectic mix of malts to sample. The emphasis was on meeting people and sharing experiences. That emphasis will continue to lead everything the club does going forward.