The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS) has closed its Edinburgh venue during July in order to carry out a £300,000 renovation project.
The society’s 28 Queen Street premises – which permanently opened to the general public for the first time in 2015 – will reopen on 1 August with its new, ground-floor Kaleidoscope Whisky Bar.
Meanwhile, The Dining Room restaurant will be relocated to the first floor.
The bar will offer guests the opportunity to sample the new SMWS single cask single malt whisky releases launched each month, as well as a limited selection of particularly rare proprietary whiskies chosen for the SMWS by a guest curator.
The refurbishment of the four-storey Georgian townhouse will also feature a new whisky shop area and two private lounges for SMWS members.
‘We opened 28 Queen Street to non-members last year to allow more people to discover the joys of our single cask whisky and all the flavours in the whisky spectrum,’ said Jan-Willem Damen, operations director UK, SMWS.
‘We got a great reaction and with the Edinburgh Festival coming up in August, now is the perfect time to carry out a top-to-toe makeover, which will bring even more people of all ages into the society and into the whisky category generally.
‘By creating our brand-new bar downstairs at street level, we will catch the eye of locals who live in Edinburgh and also international visitors exploring the city alike to come and experience the unique flavours of single cask whiskies.’
