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International whisky bar opens its new private tasting area in Inverness


By Ian Duncan

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Owner Matt MacPherson at the Malt Room. Picture: Callum Mackay.
Owner Matt MacPherson at the Malt Room. Picture: Callum Mackay.

WORK to create a new upstairs whisky tasting area at an Inverness bar was almost completed earlier this year – but the project was halted because the coronavirus lockdown was declared.

The Malt Room in Church Street, which is one of the city’s smallest bars, first opened three years ago – in July 2017 – and offers an impressive selection of around 300 whiskies.

Owner Matt MacPherson said: “We finally completed the Tasting Room about two weeks ago.

“It was 90 per cent finished going into lockdown, so it was a bit of a worry at that stage.”

Currently the area is available for private bookings with customers able to reserve four-hour sessions.

He said they had been thinking of creating the Tasting Room for some time and he described the bars as having a “speakeasy” feel about them because they were tucked away up a lane.

He said: “It’s a nice atmosphere and we get people from all over the world.”

Mr MacPherson said the lockdown had been a bit of a shock, as it coincided with the start of the busy period.

He said: “We’d spent a lot of money on the upstairs and it was looking as though it was going to be an amazing year. But there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel.”

Matt MacPherson. Picture: Callum Mackay.
Matt MacPherson. Picture: Callum Mackay.

They reopened on Friday, July 31, with very little publicity and he admitted their bar skills had grown rusty during lockdown.

He said: “We had to learn it all again!”

He said things had changed and added: “The biggest change for us is that, behind the bar, we really enjoy the interaction of whisky and that can’t happen right now for good reasons.

“But it’s nice – it feels like we are running a restaurant at the moment.”

Mr MacPherson said their regulars had been really supportive and he was noticing more visitors to the city.

He said: “There are lots of people about, in particular there are lots of people here to do the North Coast 500.

“They are travelling and loving Scotland – it is opening people’s eyes about the Highlands.”

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