Craigellachie. The heart of Speyside. This tiny town straddles the River Spey in the center of the whisky Bermuda triangle. Macallan and Dewar’s are a stones-throw away. Aberlour is a short jaunt to the west. Go north and you’ll find Glen Grant and Glenrothes. Choose the southern path and there, in Dufftown, stand Balvenie, Glenfiddich, and Mortlach. I could go on.

It makes sense, then, that one of the best whisky selections in the world hides here in the center, in Craigellachie (pron. creg-EL-ah-key): The Quaich Bar. It’s the kind of place that inspires one to create a series of blog posts dedicated to Scotland’s greatest whisky bars. Thus is born Malt Mansions. I’m excited to share these places with you not only because of their inspirational dedication to Scotland’s national drink, but because this kind of bar is the perfect place to develop an appreciation for single malts. It certainly doesn’t hurt that in such places you’re also surrounded by extremely happy and helpful people. The camaraderie overflows.

Inside The Quaich Bar at the Craigellachie Hotel

The Quaich Bar is a stunner. Housed in the practical Craigellachie Hotel with the River Spey just below its grounds, the Quaich Bar is a cross between Thurston Howell’s study and Robert Burns’s vision of heaven. Bottles line shelves along the upper half of the room while rich, shining woodwork and leather furniture grace the bottom half. Forest green walls add a brooding, cozy feel that I imagine must be perfect for sipping whisky on those cold rainy days.

The Quaich Bar's Walls of Whisky

There’s little typical about the Quaich Bar. In fact, it’s more like your legendarily rich uncle’s sitting room than a bar. There’s no music, no leisure games, nobody sane drinking anything but fine single malt, and no room! The Quaich Bar can probably hold 20 people comfortably, but anymore than that and you’ll be taking your dram somewhere else in the hotel. I expect this to be a problem when I return to Speyside in a few weeks during the Spirit of Speyside festival.

Unusual Suspects

Let’s get down to the goods, shall we? The Quaich bar offers more than 700 different single malt Scotch whiskies. Hmm, I’ve tried maybe 100 in my lifetime. Obviously I’ve got work to do. You can browse the bottles on the wall or look at a whisky menu which could be used as a booster seat in a time of need. Prices are a bit higher than usual, but then you’re paying for the ambience and selection. A dram of Black Bowmore goes for a cool £275 – let me know how it is! Regulars can leave their bottles at the bar where they are kept behind lock and key for when they return. That’s just insanely awesome.

What Hides Behind Lock and Key?

The Quaich Bar is a fantastic place to spend an afternoon or night trying those whiskies you’ve always wanted to but didn’t want to shell out the cash for a bottle. It’s a comfortable, cozy, and very Scottish place. On my last visit here I tasted a selection of the Flora & Fauna bottles because I knew I would buy a couple later in the trip. The F&F series contains single malts from distilleries that generally use all of their spirit in blends. We can’t buy these bottles in the States and they’re fairly rare in the UK. I wound up taking home bottles of Mortlach and Dailuaine, but the Linkwood was also quite good.

If a stop in Speyside is part of your itinerary (and it should be), make sure you stop at the Quaich Bar in the Craigellachie Hotel. Say hello to Lucas for me if you see him behind the bar. Sláinte!

Article Comments

  1. D.J. - The World of Deej April 11, 2012 at 3:52 pm

    Wow…awesome place. Look forward to seeing the rest of the tour:)

  2. Ken April 11, 2012 at 8:58 pm

    I remember it well. It was almost impossible to make a decision about which malt to try. What a great place!

  3. Cara April 12, 2012 at 11:53 am

    This sounds great! Thanks for info.
    Will be in the area end of May and will def work it in.

  4. K.Stephan April 18, 2012 at 1:55 am

    Great place , Great malts … nice memories

  5. Anna McPherson May 23, 2014 at 7:07 am

    Hi! My colleagues and I are going here this evening for dinner, followed by a meeting with the owner to present our video production services. Really looking forward to presenting our services and working in Speyside again. Hopefully doing more work at Glenglassaugh too! Great to come across your blog again, your passion is insurmountable, you’re a real ambassador for Speyside!
    Best wishes from a rainy Speyside today,

    Anna.

    1. Keith Savage May 23, 2014 at 10:43 am

      It’s a grand place, enjoy!

  6. Fredrik af Scania October 15, 2014 at 10:54 pm

    Oh, blessed memorys! 2 years since i walked trough the doors to that bar. Longing to go back.

    Don’t forget to dropp by at Joes Bar just outside the village. Joe works behind the bar, every day, all by himselfe since his wife died. He was 83 when i was there.

    1. Keith Savage October 15, 2014 at 11:03 pm

      Hi Fredrik,

      Is Joes Bar the same as the Fiddichside Inn? I believe I met Joe working there back in 2009!

      1. Fredrik af Scania October 16, 2014 at 1:01 am

        Yes, that’s definitely the place. Funny old man, just smiled when about 24 swedish whisky-fanatics came tumbling in that small pub. We hade a guide with us on the trip, head chairman of the swedish whisky association, ho regularly visited Joe when he was in Speyside-region. So I guess he was quite used to it. He borrowed a camera from one of my travelmates and shot a picture from he’s point of view but I think I lost it.

        https://imageshack.com/i/eys9gysmj

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