“Do you still have any Dallas Dhu left,” I asked the bartender of Whiskycafe L&B in Amsterdam last week. Not even a minute later, he lined up in front of me five indie releases by Signatory, The Ultimate and others – all of which contained precious spirit from the legendary Speyside distillery that ceased production in 1983. Depending on the bottle, a full dram was between 20 and 35 Euro. But the friendly man behind the counter was happy to inform me that half-drams were an option, too. So I ordered 2cl of Dallas Dhu 1981 from the Raw Cask series for less than 13 bucks! And that was not the only hard-to-believe bargain I made at Whiskycafe L&B, which I ended up visiting on three evenings in a row. Skimming the menu and checking the shelves was a bit like going on a treasure hunt. And treasures I found aplenty! Besides the Dallas Dhu, I also had a St. Magdalene 28yo from Douglas Laing, a Caperdonich 18yo from Liquid Library and a Glen Mhor 42yo from Gordon & MacPhail. The undisputed price killer was a 19-year-old Lochside that only set me back 4 Euro per 2cl. I guess, at this point I don’t need to explain any further why I fell in love with this place the moment I entered it…!
by Tobi
Atmosphere: Located in the pulsating center of Amsterdam, Whiskycafe L&B is a small and cozy place with a stylish chabby-chic interior. For whisky nerds like me, there is a ton to explore and discover. The walls are covered with old whisky tubes, the shelves are full of rare bottles and the spots in between are decorated with cask lids, sheet metal signs and other eye-catching memorabilia.
Selection: Currently, they have over 2,000 open bottles on offer! The assortment includes distillery originals as well as indie bottlings from various decades. When I visited Whiskycafe L&B, I focused on closed distilleries. But if you crave for something else in the realms of Scotch, Irish whiskey or bourbon, you will also find plenty to choose from on the tightly packed racks.
Price: The prices range from “can’t complain” to “bargain of the century”. To find whiskies that fall into the latter category, however, you have to do a little digging. But at least to me, that just added to the experience. Imagine the smile on my face when I found out that I could enjoy that Lochside 1991 for no more than two coins!
Service: The guys working the bar were all friendly, talkative and cool. And they knew their whisky! More than once, they surprised me with recommendations I would not have expected; most noticeably the afore-mentioned Glen Mhor 1965.
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- The bottles (Dallas Dhu)
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- In the glass (Caperdonich 18yo)
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- (Part of) The selection
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- The interior
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- The decoration
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- The bar
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- The label, pt.1 (Caperdonich 18yo)
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- The dram (Imperial 19yo)
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- The building
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- The label, pt.2 (Longmorn 1983)
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- The menu
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- The label, pt. 3 (Lochside 19yo)
Name: Whiskycafé L&B
Type: Whisky bar
Address: Whiskycafé L&B, Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 82-84, 1017 RD Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Opening hours: Mon to Thu from 8pm till 3am ; Fri to Sun from 5pm till 3am
Whiskycafe L&B @ Web: https://www.lbwhiskyproeverijen.nl/
BarleyMania | Whisky & Whiskey 
What a great find! And I love the selection you made. Some wonderful drams! I very nearly bought a whole bottle of a G&M Dallas Dhu a few years ago but unfortunately the online shop I was getting it from confessed that the information was out-of-date. What they had was a newer example at a much higher price. So I still have miniature that one day I hope to upgrade. If I ever get to Amsterdam I’ll definitely take a trip to the Whiskycafe!
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Yeah, I was really surprised by the amazing treasures they had on offer. I focused mostly on closed distilleries, because I hadn’t tried most of them before and they were all quite affordable (especially when ordering 2cl instead of 4cl). Previously, I had not even bothered to go after Dallas Dhu or St. Magdalene, because they are so damn expensive. But when I suddenly had the chance to have a glass for less than 15 Euro in a bar, I just couldn’t say “no”. I asked the barkeeper why they offer these gems for so little money and he told me that they rarely ever adjust the prices – regardless of how the market develops. This being said, not all of their drams were super cheap. For reference, a 4cl glass of Secret Speyside 11yo from The Maltman would have costed 40 Euro. So when you get there (fingers crossed), you’re recommended to study the menu and the shelves a bit. :)
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I’ve got a bottle from the last cask filled at Dallas Dhu. I’m looking for a St Magdalene 5cl bottle sonI can taste it at an affordable price, albeit still expensive for the amount purchased.
Have you tried any Convalmore? Underrated and has been silent since 1985.
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That’s true. A 5cl sample of St. Magdalene would most likely cost the same amount as a pretty decent 0.7l bottle. Still, I might be tempted to go for such an offer now that I got bitten by the “closed distillery” bug. :D
As for Convalmore, I did not try any of their malts yet. Whiskycafe L&B still had them on the menu, but when I asked for them they informed me that the bottles had been emptied in the meantime.
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That’s a shame Tobi. It’s underrated and vastly superior to most NAS Macallan of a similar price. My tip (as I’m sure you’ll have seen on Scotty’s Drams) is to auction hunt for miniatures. There are quite a few 5CL convalmores going about, but most tend to be the Connoisseurs Choice. I have a couple from 1969.
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