The Elysian Whisky Bar

Overview

Enter Fitzroy's The Elysian and you could mistake it for a whisky bar tucked away in Japanese backstreets. Dim lights, comfortable leather seating, low tables and jazz playing endlessly all add to the bar's sophisticated edge. Most of the space is dedicated to the bar itself — a long, Californian redwood bar with bottles and bottles of whisky behind it.

At least, that was the idea for owners and bartenders, Yao Wong and Kelvin Low (ex-Whisky and Alement) — to bring a taste of that Japanese bar culture to Melbourne. For anyone who has graced the whisky havens and cocktail bars of Tokyo, you'll agree they've pulled it off.

The Elysian isn't just any old whisky slinger either — it's a shrine to the distilled amber liquid. With a 350-strong backbar, every bottle is either rare, interesting or an independently bottled whisky, hand-picked by Wong and Low. No big-name whisky brands here, mate.

You'll find bottles from Japan, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Australia and of course some top-notch scotch. There are bottles of The Whisky Agency, Sansibar, Acorn, Three Rivers, Signatory, and Eiling Lim, to name a few.

If you're not a whisky drinker or just feel like something a little different, the bar has also got a range of rums, brandies and other spirits as well as classic cocktails, wines and a concise rotating selection of beers. Plus, there's a small food offering and by small — seeing as there's no kitchen — we mean small.

Offering regular tasting events as well as some of the rarest drops in town, The Elysian Whisky Bar is a one-stop malty hotspot to please your palate and expand your knowledge on all things whisky.