Las Vegas / Whisky Attic Experience?

[ramblinman]

Hi all,

Heading out to Vegas later this summer for the usual professional conference boondoggle. Haven't been out in a couple of years, but this will be my 6th or 7th time there so I don't expect much that I can't find at home, but if anyone wants to call out a particularly good bourbon bar I'd love to hear it. Usually end up at the big corp parties and end up emptying a bottle of KC from the bar with a few buddies, but wouldn't mind a great cocktail place to take the ladies to.

Found this whisky attic experience, http://whiskyattic.com/, when doing a little searching. Not sure what to make of it since it doesn't say anything about which bourbons your sampling. Anyone done it and did you think it was worth it?

[petrel800]

I was out there again in Feb for a batchelor party. I never have been to the whisky attic just because it's a ways off the strip, that being said, I think others here have been.

You won't have much of a problem finding good bourbon out there, most every restaurant bar has something special on the shelf, the real issue comes with the pricing. Figure this, the trendier the place, the more rediculous the cost of the "trendy" pour. Cosmopolitan comes to mind as I recall having dinner in one of the restaurants in there only to laugh at the whiskey prices that made no sense.

A few places I've had a drink and been pleased with selections and pricing . . . Table 10 in the Palazzo (typically they have some Willets, BTAC, 4R Limited Releases, and Pappy stuff), Delmonico Steakhouse in the Venetian (when I was there in Feb they had a ton of Willet selections of all ages), Spago in the Forum Shops (they had most of the Parkers Heritage Collection on the shelf and a couple older Rittenhouse Ryes) all have very nice selections and reasonable per pour prices. As for cocktails, I'm a fan of Bouchon in the Venetian, beautiful bar, great cold shellfish selection and very good cocktails with quality ingrediants.

Edited July 29, 2013 by petrel800

[daemoth]

Near Fremont Street is the Downtown Cocktail Room. Great cocktail bar. Their happy hour is great, $7 for their cocktails. The couple times I visited I felt the cocktails were top notch and compared favorably to anywhere else I've been.

[ramblinman]

Spago in the Forum Shops (they had most of the Parkers Heritage Collection on the shelf and a couple older Rittenhouse Ryes

[jburlowski]

I've found the Whisky Attic to be a great stop.... but I've been able to visit outside of their "formal" events. They definitely have a nice selection.

Best bar in Vegas for whiskey and whisky selection is the bar at Craftsteak (at the MGM) Unparalelled selection and very talented (in a traditional sense) and knowledgeable bartenders. Ask for Alexis.

[petrel800]

That is awesome advice, never would have thought of Spago as having a good selection, haven't been there since like 2007 maybe, but the conference is at Ceasars and for a chance at older Rittenhouse stuff I'll definitely stop in and expense an afternoon "snack" like a champ

FYI, Bobby Flay's place by the Sport Book at Ceasars has a decent Bourbon selection if I recall. That being said it doesn't go with the food. SW inspired stuff, very tasty place for lunch IMHO.

Also, I never tried it, but other members have told me that if you sit at the high limit video poker bar in the Bellagio you can order some high end stuff that is comped if you're "playing." That being said I never had any real intentions of playing high limit video poker, so I didn't participate, I'll leave the ethics of that up to you, but in walking past the bar they did have some Van Winkle stuff and 16 yr AH Hirsch. If you want to buy a pour of AH Hirsch, Michael Mina's in the Bellagio was selling it for $60 a pour (yet another thing I did not partake in, ha).

After writing all this I think I need to avoid Vegas for awhile, I've been too many times in the last 5 years and typing about it makes me want to go back. Enjoy your trip.

[ThirstyinOhio]

I am heading out to Vegas in the later part of September and this information will come in handy.

[jfw]

Emiril's Delmonico Steakhouse in the Venetian has the most impressive whiskey list that I have seen. The bourbon starts on about page 24 and goes on for quite a few pages. The last time I was there they had the BTAC, Pappy, A. H. Hirsch 16, loads of Willetts and all of the PHC releases minus the first one.

However, I second the recommendation for Craft Steak. The bar is great and if you are hungry the food is phenominal. It's also a bit cheaper than Delmonicos.

[tigerlam92]

FYI, Bobby Flay's place by the Sport Book at Ceasars has a decent Bourbon selection if I recall. That being said it doesn't go with the food. SW inspired stuff, very tasty place for lunch IMHO.

Also, I never tried it, but other members have told me that if you sit at the high limit video poker bar in the Bellagio you can order some high end stuff that is comped if you're "playing." That being said I never had any real intentions of playing high limit video poker, so I didn't participate, I'll leave the ethics of that up to you, but in walking past the bar they did have some Van Winkle stuff and 16 yr AH Hirsch. If you want to buy a pour of AH Hirsch, Michael Mina's in the Bellagio was selling it for $60 a pour (yet another thing I did not partake in, ha).

After writing all this I think I need to avoid Vegas for awhile, I've been too many times in the last 5 years and typing about it makes me want to go back. Enjoy your trip.

Last time, instead of playing, I just hand the bartender $20 for a big pour. If you play, they should give it for free.

Cheers,

Hugh

[bjbronwyn]

not sure about bars in vegas, but the best bottle shop is easy. turn left (east I think, heading from Circus circus to Mandalay bay) on Flamingo for about4-5 miles. Great selection of all whiskey and a lot cheaper that you pay on the strip!

[ramblinman]

Thanks all for the great advice, it made my Vegas experience a bit better. I didn't get to enjoy as much as I wanted, but enjoyed some of the 25 yr Rittenhouse that Spago had to offer, a bit from the BTAC here and there (my first time having GTS, and even for my high proof loving self it was an awesome kick in the kisser). Past that the conference parties offered the usuals upper mid tier offereings of KC, WR, and MM.

When ordering the Rittenhouse 25 the bartender at Spago tried to tell me 100 pr was too high for drinking neat, seemed quite worked up about it, I guess he would have had a stroke if he was around with the GTS. Can't say the Ritt blew me away for the price difference over the standard BiB but still feel lucky to have tried it.

[ChainWhip]

Just curious... Were you there for BlackHat/DefCon?

[ramblinman]

Just curious... Were you there for BlackHat/DefCon?

[ChainWhip]

I could only make some training classes last weekend so I missed all the briefings - we will need to synch up next year!

[rcb4d]

not sure about bars in vegas, but the best bottle shop is easy. turn left (east I think, heading from Circus circus to Mandalay bay) on Flamingo for about4-5 miles. Great selection of all whiskey and a lot cheaper that you pay on the strip!

Lee's Discount? You basically go either direction on Flamingo and hit a Lee's. The one you're referencing (I think) is the one on Flamingo at Pecos, which is indeed the better shop.

[Josh]

I'm heading to Las Vegas for the first time next week. I'm hoping to hit Craftsteak and maybe 1 or 2 other places. Anything anybody wants to add to this list?

[dsorrent]

I'm heading to Las Vegas for the first time next week. I'm hoping to hit Craftsteak and maybe 1 or 2 other places. Anything anybody wants to add to this list?

I am headed out in December, so I will be interested to hear how you made out. The only other place that I have read about (which wasn't mentioned in this thread) is apparently a place called "The Bourbon Bar" opened in the Venetian. I haven't been there though.

[petrel800]

I am headed out in December, so I will be interested to hear how you made out. The only other place that I have read about (which wasn't mentioned in this thread) is apparently a place called "The Bourbon Bar" opened in the Venetian. I haven't been there though.

That place sucks, don't waste your time. That is unless you're into shooting your bourbon out of shot glasses.

Honestly, that place is kind of a joke and nothing really better than a casino side lounge. You're better off at the nicer restaurant bars finding good pours.

[catofadiferntskn]

Headed to Vegas for CES and was searching for good Bourbon bars to hit. I wrote down the ones suggested here. I was wondering if anyone had tried the Whiskey Attic experience, and if it was worth the time/effort?

Thanks

[Kakapookakiki]

Rejuvenating this thread -I'm heading there this weekend and would love if anyone has any recent updates. I'm doing the Whisky Attic on Saturday so I'll report back in on how that goes.

[petrel800]

Rejuvenating this thread -I'm heading there this weekend and would love if anyone has any recent updates. I'm doing the Whisky Attic on Saturday so I'll report back in on how that goes.

FYI, you may want to call before you head out there, saw these articles a few weeks ago . . .

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/nightlife/2014/oct/06/freakin-frog-to-go-on-hiatus-month-beer-bar-unlv/

http://www.lasvegasweekly.com/nightlife/2014/oct/30/freakin-frog-closes-november-1-one-day-say-goodbye/

http://freakinfrog.com/

[MtnDew]

I wanted to weigh in here on the whiskey attic and to tell you not to bother, at least don't bother with the tour. I wrote a longish Yelp review (which somehow disappeared when I was looking at the reviews but appears after I log in... link below) about the tour and the experience. Basically it was a VERY overpriced tasking experience with a very pretentious, and often mistaken, man (Adam) running the tour. The selection of whiskey was top notch, though it focused heavily on malts which suited me just fine. I won't repost the review, but if you read it and still have questions, or don't want to bother reading it and just ask the questions directly, let me know.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-whisky-attic-las-vegas?hrid=SGjChGCD4uuRfPC5l4da1A

[Kakapookakiki]

Whoa - this is important info. Better see what's going on with my reservation! Thanks guys...I'll let you know what I find out. Ugh...

[tanstaafl2]

I wanted to weigh in here on the whiskey attic and to tell you not to bother, at least don't bother with the tour. I wrote a longish Yelp review (which somehow disappeared when I was looking at the reviews but appears after I log in... link below) about the tour and the experience. Basically it was a VERY overpriced tasking experience with a very pretentious, and often mistaken, man (Adam) running the tour. The selection of whiskey was top notch, though it focused heavily on malts which suited me just fine. I won't repost the review, but if you read it and still have questions, or don't want to bother reading it and just ask the questions directly, let me know.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-whisky-attic-las-vegas?hrid=SGjChGCD4uuRfPC5l4da1A

I see your review was deemed "not recommended"! Rather amusing that they conveniently eliminate reviews that score the establishment poorly. I didn't realize that Yelp had a method to eliminate reviews they don't care for. I suppose the fact that it was your only review worked against you. The two worst reviews were simply disregarded and most people wouldn't see them if they didn't look. It appears to me that in the future I will need to remember that Yelp is "not recommended".

[dcbt]

I see your review was deemed "not recommended"! Rather amusing that they conveniently eliminate reviews that score the establishment poorly. I didn't realize that Yelp had a method to eliminate reviews they don't care for. I suppose the fact that it was your only review worked against you. The two worst reviews were simply disregarded and most people wouldn't see them if they didn't look. It appears to me that in the future I will need to remember that Yelp is "not recommended".

Yea, yelp doesn't usually publish negative reviews (or they take them down I should say.) I wrote a review about an awful restaurant experience once and the same thing happened to me, I couldn't find my review. I contacted yelp and they freely admitted they don't allow negative reviews. Not sure what the point of it all is then...