With the spate of hot new restaurants opening on 14th street it is hard to stand out, but in an atmosphere of upscale restaurants I'm relieved to find Black Whiskey -- A place that could very well become my neighborhood pub. For my first visit I arrived at 8pm to meet up with a friend, who happened to run a half hour late, allowing for some excellent bar banter and people watching. Jack, the head bartender (?) is such a showman, with a depth of knowledge about whiskey that most people I saw happily deferred to him for recommendations and kept me entertained. Black Whiskey offered a wide selection of whiskeys without being overwhelming (like Jack Rose) and maintaining a fun, laid back neighborhood bar atmosphere. I overheard Jack, describing a selection of Indian whiskeys he has ordered and he seemed quite open to suggestions. I haven't yet tried the food, but an $18 dinner seemed a bit steep, hopefully some cheaper options are in the works. I am excited to come back for a show and to experience all the venue has to offer. Black Whiskey is a great example of how a 'dive bar' can offer upscale options without alienating people just looking for a neighborhood pub. read more

I went to this bar with some friends and had a great time playing pool and getting a little noisy. We had great drinks and the barman was cool. The pool table area is nice and the restrooms were kept clean the whole night. Funny enough we got there as the place opened, and spent about 3 hours with some friends. They have great Beer and shot specials, but I'm a whiskey person so we had a few Jameson shots. Great place to hang if you are a whiskey fan like me. read more

I walked in here with a group of women for happy hour when we had a nearby dinner. The bottom bar area was not staffed on a Friday night so all the action (and noise) was upstairs. There were beers, wine, and a single cider option. I'm a lightweight and didn't want to get too tipsy before the dinner so I went with the cider. There was a bar menu, but we didn't order any food. It was not super crowded. No table service at this time. Limited seating really, so we grabbed a couple of four tops. Overall atmosphere was casual and dark. I think I would've like it more had it not been so loud. Kinda hard to carry a conversation. Definitely had a sore throat afterwards. read more

Happy hour free pool review. I should just finish my review there. I love to play pool over a few drinks but only at establishments where I don't need to rent that crap for 1 hr and pay $15, so stupid. Anywho.. Black Whiskey has free pool when you order a beer during HH. I went on Tuesday, it wasn't very crowded and surprisingly, the pool table is in awesome shape. Rails are $5, certain draft beers $4-- even DC brau.. i loved the place so much that i actually checked out the real prices.. which made me love it a little less. $8 for a beer at normal prices and $9 for a guiness! to rich for my blood, but I will definitely be coming back for free pool! read more

Great bar for drinking whiskey. Bartender was awesome. Great atmosphere and whiskey selection.

Sincerely feel I am lucky that this was one of my first stops after moving to the D.C. area. Coming from a bartending background, it is always wonderful to meet someone who truly has a passion for what they do. Had the good fortune of having Anthony as our (my wife and I) bartender, as he made some wonderful recommendations, answered numerous questions, and was still able to fully cater to his bar-full of patrons. Will certainly be back for another helping soon. Thanks again, Anthony! read more

The place is a little hard to find but once you find the door, it's right up stairs. Not a huge place and very limited seating. Lots of good beers and lots of whiskey... of course. Service was a little slow cause there was only one bar tender. They have a pool table which was being played by one guy and girl all night. One of the girls in my group asked if them if we could have next game and they looked at us like we asked for their first born kid. Needless to say, we didn't play. Besides that, the bar was cool and people were friendly. I'd go back if I was in the area but I wouldn't go to any trouble to get there. read more

Prices are pretty good for D.C. & the drinks were yummy! If you are looking for a place to dance a little & people watch this could be your new fav spot. They could have one more bartender considering how packed the place gets on the weekend but the two they have manage to fix your drink in a reasonable amount of time. read more

My husband and I were visiting DC from CA and did a little Yelping to find a whiskey bar to visit after a long day on a cross country plane. After determining the we didn't want the flash and dash of a hotel bar where we would have to dress up and over pay for our drinks, we walked about 3/4 mile from our hotel to Black Whiskey, a neighborhood bar that was just what we were looking for. We arrived shortly after it opened and grabbed a table that afforded us a great look at the expansive offerings. The ambiance was perfectly low key and inviting as was our bartender (who it turned out was one of the owners). My husband was definitely the trail blazer that night while I stuck to a tried and true favorite (McKenna). He ordered a whiskey that our neighbor has been raving about for months (Yellowstone LE) just so he could send a picture of it with a "wish you were here" tagline. After that taste, the fun really began. Rather than just going for his at home go to (Knob Creek 120), he told the bartender his taste preferences and let him lead the way. The bartender was very gracious in sharing his knowledge and his inventory!!! We had great conversations and had the opportunity to try several hard to find/unusual whiskies. The bar filled up as the night went on and we were impressed with the variety of patrons visiting Black Whiskey (co-workers catching a drink, friends meeting up, couples etc). The pool table was an obvious draw and if I had any game, I would have wanted to play! We left the bar pleasantly relaxed and ready to start our vacation. Proceeded to enjoy what DC does best and walked the monuments at night.... Will definitely revisit Black Whiskey when we are back in town. Next time I hope they have t-shirts in stock!!! read more

Black Whiskey - Whiskey Bars Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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The staff was very friendly. When we first got there we were the only ones and then quite a few people can that seemed like regulars. I would give this place 5 stars for the service but there is just nothing really special about it. They do have alcohol cupcakes, and the bar tender told us that the alcohol is added after they are baked so the alcohol doesn't burn out! I didn't try one but they looked really good! read more

Came here for a drink earlier this week and really liked it. Their happy hour specials are great: $5 for all draft beers and rum punch, and $4 rail drinks. The punch they had that day included grapefruit juice, rosemary, and coriander, and was really delicious. They had a pretty good beer selection as well, and of course, a great whiskey selection. My only complaint is that they didn't have any sort of cocktail list, or whiskey list, much less descriptions of the whiskeys. I hope they take care of that soon, because when the bar is crowded it can be tough to make out what they have back there. As others have said, the bartenders were friendly, if not particularly knowledgeable. I'll definitely be back to find out, and to try their food, which looked and smelled really good. read more

Cool spot if you're into whiskey. If you're not, it's not really worth it. Service isn't the greatest and I was disappointed to learn that they no longer offered a signature drink that was advertised on Thrillist. When we asked for it they looked at us like we were crazy. The drinks we got were good enough that I would go back but not anytime soon. read more

Delicious cocktails. Great variety of whiskey. Solid place to hang and have drinks with friends.

Pros: Plenty of standing space, but limited seating. Cons: Typical grungy bar. Good luck locating parking. read more

Great whiskey selection; really tasty tacos; great atmosphere. A bit on the pricy side, but worth it imho.

A good looking bar. Not the most friendly crowd I have ever seen, but okay. The bartender was just plain belligerent. He was really rude to our group of friendly and relaxed people from around the world. Try somewhere else. read more

Ambiance is great, bar tenders are very nice, but the DJ tonight is an absolute asshole. We had one song request for him and was extremely rude and dismissed my friend with a no before we even asked. Not even a maybe or in a little while sure, even if had been a lie that would have been better then his "NO" the minute she approached the DJ booth! As someone who is from NYC the home of real DJs I say fire this douch! read more

This place was legit, drinks are good and not overly priced dig the atmosphere and seating is ample. The bouncers and staff are really nice and helpful read more

I was glad to discover a fun dive bar just a few blocks from my friend's place a few weeks ago. It reminds me a lot of the bars back home in Austin, which is what I've been looking for since I moved here. The DJ was playing awesome jams to dance to, the crowd was a bit older than what I've experienced around these parts (though that's not a bad thing), and the owner bought our group shots. My only complaint is that the drinks are pretty pricey for a place that looks like it wouldn't be. I will be back. read more

Saturday night and the place was dead. If I was looking for atmosphere I was in the wrong place but how could that be? 3 local bartenders/bouncers said if we wanted to see a legit DC bar that this was the one to go to and so off we went. Now honestly I don't know that based on my one visit I should really be reviewing this place at all let alone giving it 3 stars (out of mercy). I see the potential in the spot tho. The bartender was great...the dj played everything we asked him too but that is probably b/c there were only about 6 people at the bar (I still can't believe this was a Saturday night) on a Saturday night, and the drinks were made well and priced well also. It's a fun memory for me but again I'm not sure it was b/c of that one spot or all the spots we hit before this one. I want people to go...I want it to get busy...then I want to go back and try again! read more

Great vibe! Really cool interior, modest but with a lot of dive feel! Nice selection of alcohols and great bar tending! There's a pool and a nice long old timey bar. Great places for a date, great place for a lonely drink. And now they also serve lunch! Skillet sandwiches and such! read more

I went to Black Whiskey two nights ago and left with a fairly favorable impression. Beer selection is decent, with maybe eight to 12 on tap (plus I've heard the happy hour specials are amazing; too bad we missed them), and the whiskey selection is of course better, which helps when the name of the place is "Black Whiskey". The bartenders were helpful and not at all shy about offering whiskey suggestions, which I always appreciate. They didn't have the Oban that I wanted, but I was still satisfied with the bartender's bourbon selection for me (can't remember which, but very smooth with a slight vanilla sweetness, and a lighter "bite" in the finish). My friend and I had the duck wings, which were tasty, especially accompanied by the sweet and spicy dipping sauce. The lamb carving plate was underwhelming, as our cut was pretty dry, which even the garlicky reduction of pan drippings on the side couldn't hide. The mashed potatoes were good, but the mushrooms weren't my favorite - too much thyme, perhaps? I really liked the ambiance and the vibe, with the exposed brick and strung lightbulbs. At first I felt like it would be one of those places filled with slightly pretentious hipsters, but my first inclination was wrong; it's not too often that you hit it off with people sitting at the table next to you and end up chatting for part of the night. I'll be heading back, next time for happy hour, and I'll be interested to see how the first floor turns out. read more

Black Whiskey: Where DC's rats go for libation. Excellent bartenders making decent drinks but in regards to clientele: Hold your nose.

This place was really cool. The drinks were awesome and decently priced. We went on a Sunday night and the atmosphere of the place was really cool. The owner Darren was there and he was super nice. I'd definitely come back here. read more

Stopped here for a brew and was disappointed in how flat it was. Ordered a second one and that was flat too. I'm not a whiskey fan but they had an extensive list. Otherwise, it's a divey place with character that I would have enjoyed if my brew wasn't crappy. read more

I went to the Black Whisky several times while on temporary work assignment in the Logan's Circle area and I Loved it! The first time that I went, I was walking out to find some lunch. I saw an A frame sign advertising "pop-up sandwiches at Black Whiskey" and an arrow pointing to the left. I decided to live dangerously and headed up the dark, creaky stairs (thanks for adding the hand rail) I have never been sorry that I did. Since it was lunch time, the place was empty but for me. I checked out the menu and when I couldn't settle on which sandwich to try, the man behind the bar told me that he recommended the "Dark and Stormy". I took his suggestion and headed back to work with my sandwich and a bag of Salt&Vinegar chips. When I unwrapped it, I was agog at the giant proportions of the sandwich and after one bite, I was in it hip deep. I normally wouldn't finish a sandwich this big but I couldn't leave a bite! I am from St Louis and have eaten my share of KC BBQ, Memphis BBQ and of course, St Louis BBQ. But I have to say, what they did to that pulled pork was a miracle. It wasn't BBQ per say but it was the best Pulled pork that I have ever had! One of the best overall sandwiches too with caramelized onions and arugula and aioli. So of course, I shared my new find with everyone at work and we have enjoyed many evenings since at this wonderful whiskey bar. I agree with the other Yelpers that the music is too loud in the evenings and they definitely need a "Watch your step" sign on the exit door but the drinks were good and there were always $5 specials on the drink board when we went. We have tried a wide variety of the fine whiskeys which are stored on shelves all the way to the ceiling and the last time we went with a group of about 15 people, the house bought us a round of whiskey shots. We will always remember the fun we had at Black Whiskey and our fellow Peetniks who had to return to Cali but those of us left in DC will return to Black Whiskey soon :) read more

Relaxed, chill bar - exactly what the neighborhood needs. Enjoyed the whiskey cocktails.

This is an alternative but interesting bar. If you are into Whisky, in Logan Circle, and want to try something different, give this place a shot. Their mixed drink specials up on the chalk board are really delicious but still pack a punch. Would highly recommend starting your night out here after dinner on Friday/Saturday. read more

This place is the best! The vibe is very laid back, with dark lighting, exposed brick, lots of space, cheap drinks, and hip hop music blasting (at least the night I was there). I heard this was a good place to go dancing on the weekend as well. read more

So...I went to this place on Saturday and had a great time. It actually has two options...downstairs is the gay bar which I absolutely love...love my gays and then upstairs a regular bar. The bar upstairs was nice as well but the men are a little annoying upstairs. I would definitely recommend checking out this place if your with your friends. You definitely won't meet anyone special but you shouldn't be looking for that in this place anyways. read more

Randomly stumbled upon this bar with some friends and I'm almost 1000% positive that any place that gets the entire bar singing 'Sweet Caroline' by Neil Diamond is definitely a keeper. read more

Lovely bar, great atmosphere and a very cool laid back bartender. Would definitely recommend to any one looking for a causal bar to hit up

Great bar on 14th Street. Cheap drinks, good music, relatively quick service and a great rehabbed space. Some would call it a hipster bar, but I think the hipsters are cleaner in DC so that's a plus. read more

Great whiskey selection, fair price on beer, and free pool! Did I say free pool? I didn't even know that was possible. The pool table is free. read more

Solid DC bar, the staff has been a bit up and down but the current guys are great! Has a very good atmosphere and a funky decour.

Phenomenal whiskey selection. If you are undecided, just assume Anthony writes the gospel of Rye Whiskey and go with his recommendation(s). Second time I have been here and have always been well taken care of. read more

A good list of whiskeys, and a pretty cool looking place but overpriced. Not very busy and the crowd (the few people there) was pretty mixed. Bar tenders were nice but don't see myself coming back anytime soon. read more

This place is right around the corner from my work and i wanted to love it. When asking questions about the drinks selection the the female bartender was rude and dismissive. I later was served by the male bartender who was lovely. There is a MINIMAL menu so eat before you go. Free pool is a pro but overall a very mediocre bar. Definitely nothing special. read more

Love this place. Was in town for a conference and as I often do when in a new city I look for a whisky bar. They had a great selection, very knowledgeable and personable bartender, and a relaxed setting. Unlike many of the trendy and cliche places that have popped up in many cities, this place was simply cool. Rustic, relaxing, and great drinks. Food was limited to pizza and chips but that wasn't what I was there for. Will be back next time I'm in town. read more

Great spot. they have djs there on the weekend playing good music! old school hip hop and an ecclectic mix of music. Not super crowded, which is my preference. Friendly bartenders, good vibe. read more