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The pub’s story
1820 is the cocktail bar and dining room on top of Johnnie Walker Princes Street, Diageo’s eight-floor visitor experience at 145 Princes Street. It is a contemporary drinks destination rather than a traditional whisky pub: bartender-created cocktails, a substantial whisky focus, food and non-alcoholic choices share the stage. Its vantage is exceptional, looking across Edinburgh Castle, the Old Town and the wider skyline. The bar opened with the visitor attraction in September 2021, when Diageo paired it with the Explorers’ Bothy whisky bar and a rooftop terrace. That makes the Johnnie Walker story relevant background, but not a claim that the rooftop itself is historic. Today 1820 works best for a considered drink, meal or coffee with a view, particularly for visitors who want a polished alternative to an exposed, casual rooftop.
What to notice
- 01
This is a contemporary rooftop cocktail bar within the Johnnie Walker visitor experience, not a traditional pub.
- 02
Children accompanied by an adult are welcome in 1820 until 6pm; the current page says its menus are seasonal.
- 03
Reserve for the best chance of a table. Walk-ins are accepted when available, while outdoor-terrace access depends on weather.
The time rail
The building, the pub and its interior may date from different periods. The timeline keeps documented dates separate from tradition.
Diageo dates John Walker’s Kilmarnock grocery business. The beginning of the Johnnie Walker story. To 1820.
Diageo said construction resumed after the COVID-19 pause, with the Princes Street experience then expected to open in summer 2021.
Diageo invited visitors to be among the first to visit Johnnie Walker Princes Street on its opening date.
The newly opened visitor experience included both 1820 cocktail bar and Explorers’ Bothy bar, plus the roof terrace.
Diageo reported more than 235,000 visitors to the newly opened Princes Street experience.
The operator’s current 1820 page describes food, drinks, seasonal menus and views of Edinburgh Castle and the Old Town.
Sources & confidence
The Johnnie Walker page is the primary source for the current 1820 offer: rooftop food and drinks, cocktails, alcohol-free options and castle/Old Town views. Postcodes.io supplies the map coordinate.
Research reviewed
- 1820 Rooftop BarJohnnie Walkerofficial
SupportsCurrent 1820 identity, cocktails, food, non-alcoholic options, seasonal-menu warning, opening food service and castle/Old Town views.
- Princes Street FAQsJohnnie Walkerofficial
SupportsCurrent published 1820 daily hours, last-order time, children’s policy, booking/walk-in guidance and weather-dependent terrace access.
Supports2021 opening context, eight-floor experience, former department-store building, roof terrace, and 1820 and Explorers’ Bothy opening together.
- Book now to discover the Spirit of ScotlandDiageoofficial
SupportsPublished 6 September 2021 opening date for Johnnie Walker Princes Street.
Supports2020 construction restart after the pandemic pause, £185m investment context and planned rooftop bars.
- Johnnie Walker: a global giant with a local voiceDiageoofficial
SupportsDiageo’s report of more than 235,000 visitors to the newly opened Princes Street experience.
- Our history since the 1700sDiageoofficial
SupportsJohn Walker’s 1820 Kilmarnock grocery-business origin and 2021 Princes Street opening in the brand’s own chronology.
