Tel Aviv’s Whiskey Bar & Museum Is a Surprising Underground Spirits Wonderland

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With a deep enough selection of spirits, it seems that, at some point, a bar should more appropriately be called a museum. Such is this case with Tel Aviv’s stunning new underground Whiskey Bar & Museum. Between a dizzying selection, a gourmet dining menu, and an incredible location, the bar museum could single-handedly put Israel on the map as a bucket-list-worthy destination for the world’s spirits lovers.

The proprietors are touting Whiskey Bar & Museum as the first bar museum of its kind in Israel. It’s clear they’re not expecting to be outdone anytime soon as the stock here runs deep with more than 1,000 whiskeys in total. Their inventory appears to represent nearly every notable whiskey distiller in the world. This includes offerings from the world’s most legendary Irish and Scottish distillers to smaller, craft distillers in India and Hong Kong. All are poured in industry standard 25ml (about .8 oz) Glencairn tasting glasses to represent their flavor and aroma accurately. What’s more: every whiskey the bar museum stocks is available for purchase by the bottle. No exit through the gift shop required.

Guests can also work with the staff to customize a dinner menu that pairs any of its whiskeys with food from its gourmet dining menu. Like their whiskey selection, the dining menu includes a wide variety of cuisine from smoked meats to vegan dishes to gourmet desserts.

Beyond the dram, the location alone is destination-worthy. The underground bar museum occupies Sarona’s Templar tunnel — a famed place that once housed the monastic order of the Knights Templar for hundreds of years. Throughout much of the 19th century, the tunnel was home to a winery. As recently as this century, it even served as the headquarters of the Mossad, Israel’s notorious covert intelligence agency.

This new bar museum further cements Israel’s fascination with and dedication to the exploding global whiskey scene. The country might not seem like a go-to destination for whiskey-lovers, and it’s well aware of this fact. So, it’s quietly been working to find a place on the map in recent years. Most notable in this effort was the debut of Milk & Honey Whisky Distillery — Israel’s first whisky distillery.

Whiskey Bar & Museum Tel Aviv is now open for guests to grab a quick dram at the bar, no reservations required. For dinner guests, however, it’s best to call ahead.