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The pub’s story
The Port of Leith Distillery Bar sits on the top floor of the nine-storey Port of Leith Distillery at Whisky Quay. It is one of Edinburgh’s clearest high-level drinking experiences: a lift rises through a vertical production building to a bar with panoramic views over Leith, the city and water beyond. The bar opened with public access to the distillery in October 2023; production did not begin until January 2024, so the building’s whisky-making story is recent, not inherited Victorian heritage. You do not need a tour to visit: the operator keeps some walk-in tables, although booking is recommended. Expect carefully made cocktails, a food menu and a curated whisky selection in a striking new architectural landmark. This is a destination bar and distillery, rather than a conventional neighbourhood pub. And its view across the Forth is the point.
What to notice
- 01
The bar is on the top floor of a modern working distillery; it is not a conventional dockside pub.
- 02
You can visit for food or drink without taking a tour, but booking is recommended and walk-in tables are limited.
- 03
The kitchen is closed on Monday and Tuesday even though the bar is open; check the current menu and hours before travelling.
The time rail
The building, the pub and its interior may date from different periods. The timeline keeps documented dates separate from tradition.
Project reporting says founders Ian Stirling and Paddy Fletcher conceived their distillery ambition more than a decade before its 2023 completion.
The operator says the waterfront construction site was reached in 2020 after several years of design work.
The operator records completion of the challenging substructure and foundations beside the harbour wall.
The nine-storey distillery opened to the public, including its top-floor bar.
The operator says production finally commenced after the public opening.
Threesixty Architecture records Scottish Design Awards Gold and GIA award wins for the distillery building.
The current bar page confirms public walk-in tables, food, cocktails, whisky and a published weekly schedule.
Sources & confidence
The distillery’s own bar page supports the top-floor setting, public non-tour visit, drinks and food offer, address, published hours, booking advice and city/water panorama. Nominatim supplies the exact venue coordinate.
Research reviewed
- ConstructionPort of Leith Distilleryofficial
SupportsOperator account of the design period, 2020 site start, early-2021 foundations, October 2023 public opening, January 2024 production start and vertical building.
- The Distillery BarPort of Leith Distilleryofficial
SupportsTop-floor bar, public walk-in access without a tour, booking guidance, food, cocktails, whisky, views, address and current weekly bar/kitchen hours.
- Port of Leith DistilleryThreesixty Architecturespecialist
SupportsNine-storey/40m landmark design, the bar’s Forth Bridge views and 2025 award record.
- Port of Leith DistilleryForever Edinburgheditorial
SupportsOctober 2023 public opening after almost four years of construction, Leith location and vertical-production explanation.
- Port of Leith vertical distillery project officially completedScottish Construction Nowspecialist
SupportsSeptember/October 2023 completion context, founders’ decade-long ambition and top-floor-bar opening plan.
- The UK’s first vertical whisky distillery has opened in ScotlandTime Outeditorial
SupportsOctober 2023 public-opening coverage, nine-storey structure and top-floor-bar context.
- Port of Leith Distillery, ScotlandSaint-Gobain Glassspecialist
SupportsNine-floor waterside building, former-biscuit-factory context and panoramic top-floor bar across Leith, Edinburgh and Fife.
