First look photos of ‘bucket list’ Edinburgh whisky bar in 12th century building after £500,000 makeover

A whisky bar in Edinburgh on the ‘bucket-list’ of Scotch fans around the world has reopened with a 15ft-high bar boasting one of the world’s biggest collections of rare single malt Scotch whiskies – a staggering 2000 limited-edition bottles.

By Gary Flockhart

Published 1st Nov 2023, 16:20 GMT

Updated 1st Nov 2023, 16:20 GMT

Housed in part of a former wine merchant’s warehouse building dating back to the 12th century, The Vaults in Leith is once again serving drams of rare Scotch whisky following a £500,000 refurbishment.

Take a look through our photo gallery to see how The Vaults looks following its stunning makeover.

Considered a must-visit experience for whisky aficionados around the world, The Vaults has been the spiritual home of the world’s biggest whisky club, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), since 1983.

1. Spiritual home

Considered a must-visit experience for whisky aficionados around the world, The Vaults has been the spiritual home of the world’s biggest whisky club, The Scotch Malt Whisky Society (SMWS), since 1983. Photo: Mike Wilkinson

One of the features of the bar is its cosy snug, which is perfect for dates and chatting with friends.

2. The Snug

One of the features of the bar is its cosy snug, which is perfect for dates and chatting with friends. Photo: Mike Wilkinson

The bar, designed by award-winning commercial interior design studio Surface-ID and built by BJM Design Ltd houses more than 2000 bottles of limited-edition single malt Scotch whiskies. Described by the SMWS as ‘whisky in its purest form’, the bottles contain ‘cask strength’ single malt whiskies which are bottled without being diluted with water, artificially coloured or chill-filtered to prevent the liquid from going cloudy when water or ice is added like the majority of whiskies.

3. 2000 bottles

The bar, designed by award-winning commercial interior design studio Surface-ID and built by BJM Design Ltd houses more than 2000 bottles of limited-edition single malt Scotch whiskies. Described by the SMWS as ‘whisky in its purest form’, the bottles contain ‘cask strength’ single malt whiskies which are bottled without being diluted with water, artificially coloured or chill-filtered to prevent the liquid from going cloudy when water or ice is added like the majority of whiskies. Photo: Mike Wilkinson

A large-scale artwork by Leith-based painter and muralist Shona Hardie also adorns the walls. Commissioned especially for the refurbishment, the piece, Endless Discoveries, Infinite Adventures, features images inspired by almost 50 of the Society’s evocative bottle names which focus on flavour, such as chocolate mice nibbling rhubarb and burnt toast in a bookshop.

4. Shona Hardie artwork

A large-scale artwork by Leith-based painter and muralist Shona Hardie also adorns the walls. Commissioned especially for the refurbishment, the piece, Endless Discoveries, Infinite Adventures, features images inspired by almost 50 of the Society’s evocative bottle names which focus on flavour, such as chocolate mice nibbling rhubarb and burnt toast in a bookshop. Photo: Mike Wilkinson

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