Bar review - The Society, Tokyo

This is the start of a new series of bar reviews from around the world. These are bars that Whisky Saga has visited. We tell you how to find the bar, what to expect, and our thoughts on the bar itself and the whisky selection.

Facts

Name: The Society (or Bar High Society) Address: Park Hotel Tokyo Shiodome Media Tower 1-7-1 Higashi Shimbashi, Minato-ku 105-7227, Tokyo, Japan Website: http://en.parkhoteltokyo.com/the-society

Getting there

This bar is located on the 25th floor of the Shiodome Media Tower, in Tokyo. This floor also holds the reception for the Park Hotel Tokyo, and three restaurants. The Shiodome subway station is underneath the building, and you can also reach it by a 5-10 minute walk from the Shimbashi subway station. You can make the walk both underground and above ground - underground is convenient when it is raining or very, very hot!

The experience

This bar is the first official SMWS (Scotch Malt Whisky Society) bar in Japan. They have more than 100 different SMWS whiskies available, and the price is fairly OK. Since this is a SMWS bar they do not sell any other whiskies. It is possible to order cocktails though.

Please make sure to present your SMWS membership card. If you don't you will be presented with a rather limited menu, listing cocktails and a handful of whiskies. Once you have presented your membership card the big list comes out. Then the fun begins!

The view is really nice, as you are on the 25th floor, overlooking part of the bay area, near the Tsukiji Fish Market (about 15 minutes walk from the hotel).

The staff is friendly, and their English is good. There are about a dozen seats in the bar, and it looks quite minimalist and modern. Well-lit, with all the bottles displayed behind huge glass doors along one wall.

It is no problem paying with credit card. We were not allowed to order half measures, so we just ended up buying two and two drams, and shared them.

Sláinte! - Thomas