Johnnie Walker House: Straight Up Luxury

As soon as you walk into this new “embassy” for luxury Scotch, you’ll smell it: the complicated aroma of wealth and whisky. It’s a soothing perfume of malted barley, fur and gone-off cologne. This Johnnie Walker House is only the second in China, following Shanghai’s, and the opulence afforded to whisky’s marketing in China confirms its status as a prestige item.

It looks like a private club, but it’s open to the public. Several floors and rooms are reserved for VIPs and VVIPs, but plebeians have use of The Distillery Bar to sample Johnnie Walker whiskies at nosebleed prices (RMB 80 for a cocktail). Elsewhere, the blending room allows visitors to learn about the subtle aromas and flavors that make up good Scotch.

The different levels of membership range from RMB 50,000 per year to a two-year package (RMB 800,000) that allows you to visit Scotland with a personal guide to create your own specially blended whiskey according to your favorite aroma.

With rich leather chairs and copper-paneled walls, the establishment suits China’s nouveau riche in its detailed recreation of an old British gentleman’s club or luxury ship’s cabin. British colonial influence is alive and well.

Also try: Maison Camus

Johnnie Walker House尊邸会所 Tue-Sun 10.30am-late. 23 Qianmen Dongjie, Dongcheng District (6526 0609) 东城区前门大街23号F座

By subway: 300m east of Qianmen station (Line 2)

Photo courtesy of Johnnie Walker House