One of our favourite Shoreditch bars, gold award-winning Black Rock, has a new housemate: a less formal bar called Black Rock Tavern. Having only occupied the basement of number nine Christopher Street up until now, the expansion all the way to the top of the five-storey building is impressive, but not wholly unexpected. Since opening, the original subterranean whisky bar has been praised far and wide for its range of over 250 single malts and blends, along with its show-stopping centrepiece, so it was only a matter of time before the owners spread out.
Occupying the ground floor of the building, Black Rock Tavern is styled like an izakaya, with bamboo ceiling panels and unique graffiti wall art by self-confessed whisky devotee, Ryan Gajda. And while it’s got nothing on the statement 185-year-old fallen oak table downstairs, the reclaimed oak bar at this new, more casual sibling is still pretty awesome.
Naturally, the menu favours whiskies – though only 50 or so and some in cocktail form – which are joined by five beers on tap, and founders Tom Aske and Tristan Stephenson haven’t stopped there. Very soon, whisky enthusiasts who ascend the stairs once more will find themselves in a Blending Room, where they can blend and take away a half-litre bottle of their own creation.
Don’t fancy stumbling home after sampling the many heady delights this whisky emporium has to offer? Luckily, you’ll soon be able to book a room at Black Rock Lodgings. Occupying the top two floors, the new ‘whisky hotel’ will include two compact rooms and a suite – ideal for any whisky aficionados looking to get dram-happy of an evening.
Shoreditch, where the Black Rock Tavern is located, is packed full of other bars and restaurants so this could be the perfect spot to start your night in, before heading out to see what else the area has to offer.