Show me the way to the next whiskey legal community … oh , do n’t ask why . Oh , you know why : whiskey , of form . And did you hump that Metro Detroit domiciliate a whole bunch of incredible , licitly initiate whiskey bars ? Well , it does . Here are 16 ( that ’s a passel ! ) of the best places around township to get the smoky brown purport , whether you ’re having it on the rocks , inside a transcendental cocktail made by bartending magicians , or dandy , swarm from a deep - cold shoulder , time of origin nursing bottle . Now you lie with :
Butter Run Saloon
St. Clair ShoresThrillist once distinguish this one of the21 estimable whiskey bars in America , and with good reason : this wholly surprising ( St. Clair Shores people , c’m on ) whiskey bar , veil in a corner of Detroit ’s sprawling suburb that is not bed for one single remarkable legal profession or restaurant probably ever , boasts a whiskey list of more than 650 bottles . By lone merit of the fact that Butter Run literally carrieshundredsmore bottle than most other places , you ’re moderately much vouch to have never seen many of these labels anywhere else before , ever . It also carry its own portmanteau of Angel ’s Envy , and has now been open long enough for a proper vertical tasting of this custom blending ( years 2013 - 2015 ) . whisky lovers , you are home .
Nancy Whiskey
CorktownNancy Whiskey is a nosedive - atomic number 39 Irish ginmill that ’s been around since 1902 . There ’s resilient music from Detroit bands on weekend , but , most significantly , there are Whiskey Wednesdays , when shots of Jameson are only $ 3 , PBRs are only $ 1 , and the jukebox is devoid . You do n’t always need to have ALL the whiskey to be a good whisky streak ; just the whiskey that matters .
Detroit City Distillery
easterly MarketIt might be a no - brainer – nay , it IS a no - brainer – that one of the best places in town to get yourself some whiskey is a place that actually makes it . Detroit City Distillery is one such position . It prides itself on apply topically grown ingredients in its spirit , but nowhere is that more evident than in the Homegrown Rye , made with rye whisky grown in Eaton County , MI , on the household farm of one of the owners . How ’s that for farm - to - bottle ? Also , the tasting way ’s cocktails are on - point – like the Emperor ’s Copper , which mixes the said Secale cereale with sweet Pistacia vera orgeat coriander syrup and bitters . And , to our knowledge , it ’s the only area bar that offers an " omakase " cocktail pick .
Ye Olde Tap Room
East DetroitYe Olde Tap Room over at the edge of Grosse Pointe is olde indeed : build for the specific purpose of operating as a unreasoning pig in anticipation of Prohibition , the ginmill opened in 1916 and legally maneuver for a class before illicitly maneuver for the duration of Prohibition . After the abrogation , it was issue license # 147 for beer and vino sales , and has held that licence ever since . It ’s been doing the 300 - bottled - beer - from - around - the - world list thing sincedecadesbefore it was coolheaded , and it also has an excellent selection of unmarried malt and commingle Scotch from recording label like Ardbeg , Dalmore , Cragganmore , Caol Ila , and Johnnie Walker . This is ultimately a barb - and - a - beer place , but damn if they are n’t some fine shots and beers .
One-Eyed Betty’s
FerndaleA few years back , beer bar with dozens of hydrant dedicate alone to craft beers , plus another 100 + feeding bottle , were wholly newfangled in Detroit . Now , multi - tap with protracted bottleful lean are the norm , because , oh , what a resplendent time to be alive it is . One - Eyed Betty ’s was one of the earliest multi - tap beer bars in Metro Detroit , but if there ’s one thing that gives its beer selection a rill for its money , it ’s the whiskey selection . The list runs late , and while you could get crowd - pleasing item like Fireball , you could also get fortune and lots of bourbon , rye whisky , blended & single malted milk Scotch ( especiallysingle malted Scotch ) , Irish & Canadian whiskey from dress shop labels , and some of the top brand in the world . Who even needs beer ?
Cabbage Patch Saloon
East DetroitThere are a portion of great barroom over in this recess of the Detroit / Grosse Pointe(s ) border zona – Ye Olde Tap Room ( see above ) ; My Dad ’s Place , which seem exactly as push ; Rustic Cabins Bar , where Kerouac made his real mark ; Atwater in the Park , a German - stylus beer hall and garden ; and Red Crown , where you’re able to get a proper cocktail . Just do n’t leave about Cabbage Patch Saloon , which has been around as a mutation bar for 10 , but a fiddling over a class ago vamp as more of a whiskey & cocktail bar with fancy taproom snack . If you care craft cocktail , this should be your go - to spot on this side of town ( even more than Red Crown ) . If you wish whiskey , ditto ; and you could range them by the trajectory , base on realm and style : American , Irish , Scotch , Bourbon dynasty , and the " World Tour Flight " that includes the fete Japanese Yamazaki whiskey .
Sugar House
CorktownIt ’s the Corktown cocktail bar that ’s mainly responsible for the internal attention to Detroit ’s cocktail scene , so naturally , Sugar House has a ranking selection of browned spirits used as the basis for many of the seasonal and classic cocktail . It recently represent a March Madness Bourbon Bracket , which pitted Old Weller Antique 107 against Maker ’s Mark Cask Strength ; Buffalo Trace against Elijah Craig ; and Angel ’s Envy against 1792 Port Finish . You sleep with it ’s a good whiskey bar when crapulence is treat like the competitory sport that it is .
Valentine Distilling
FerndaleValentine might be more known for its vodka ( recently rankedNo . 1 in the cosmos ) , but did you have it off it also piss a great whisky , too ? The Woodward Ltd. Bourbon Whiskey is age for four class in maple - infused American oak barrel . Stop by its sexy tasting room – iconic pinup dame mural included – in Ferndale for a cocktail made with Woodward Ltd. , and snaffle a bottleful to go while you ’re there .
The Oakland
FerndaleThe Oakland has been getting some love late for its collecting of vintage bottles of booze – so for you age queens , there is simply nowhere else in Metro Detroit ( and by greater telephone extension , the state of Michigan ) with a survival like this . Do you care your Old Weller Antique and your Old Fitzgerald extra older ? ‘Cuz it ’s got ‘em . It also has its own hand - selected , exclusively bottled , unmarried barrel Four Roses OBSO Bourbon dynasty . Oh , you require extremely allocate spirits like Pappy ? Yep , that ’s here , too . This is a whisky stripe for the hard-core whisky nerd .
The Whisky Parlor
DowntownUpstairs from theGrand Trunk Pub , the Whisky Parlor is a sophisticated lacrimation yap with excellent cocktail and a whisky listing that earns the berth its name . There are more than 80 nursing bottle of bourbon , Scotch , rye , and Irish & Canadian whiskey that are quick for try out through pre - selected or build - your - own flights . The Whisky Parlor also has alive medicine ( the advanced kind ! ) on weekend , parlor game on Sundays , cocktail classes on Thursdays , and special Edgar Albert Guest local startenders on Wednesdays .
Motor City Gas
Royal OakMotor City Gas makes whiskey , and nothing but whiskey ( at least for now ) . Its bantam tasting room in a boring strip promenade on the outskirts of business district Royal Oak pump out flush - ass whiskey , which you’re able to range in cocktails or by the gustatory perception or pour . The best ? The Oak Town Brown , a soft and politic wheat whiskey made from a blend of four different Midwestern wheat that recently take a silver medallion fromAmerican Craft Spirits .
Two James Spirits
Corktown"Are you just going to lean every distillery in Metro Detroit ? " Not all of them ! But , yeah , most of them . And now here is Two James Spirits , which crap a Catcher ’s Rye Whiskey , Grass Widow Bourbon , and an " East meet West " Johnny Smoking Gun Whiskey , and process them all in creative cocktail inside its deluxe wood Corktown taste elbow room .
Standby
DowntownWhen it opened just this last December , this bar / eatery landed severely . These guys are perform cocktail alchemy . It might not be a " whiskey legal profession " in the way that some of the other articulation are " whiskey bar , " but it is drumhead , shoulder , stifle , and toes above most others in its cocktail biz . There ’s 50 of ‘em on the card , which include a hell of a lot of whiskey .
Danny’s Irish Pub
FerndaleThis is the quintessential old man bar , where you go to slam Irish whiskey shots with beer rear and grunt about thing . " Irish whiskey " include the obvious – Jameson – but also the less - than - obvious , like Red Breast , Michael Collins , Bushmills , and Tullamore Dew . For an old man bar , the Irish whiskey selection does not disappoint .
Cornerstone Barrel House
DowntownIt ’s not because the cellar of Cornerstone Barrel House is a dancing locus named Whiskey Disco that we admit it here ; nor is it because it has a few empty barrels of Woodford Reserve and Jack Daniel ’s hang around the legal profession . Nope , this station is included for its cryptic survival of brands like Bulleit , Four Roses , Journeyman Distillery , and KOVAL ; other favorites like Basil Hayden ’s , Eagle Rare , Old Forester , and Old Grand - Dad ; and some exceptionals like Elmer T. Lee and Van Winkle Special Reserve . This joint is deserving its weight in whiskey .
Thomas Magee’s Sporting House and Whiskey Bar
Eastern MarketLooking for a sports bar that is n’t douchey ? perchance one that carries over 100 different trade name of whiskey , include great deal of local labels like Two James , Valentine , and Traverse City Distillery ? One that ’s as much a local locality saloon as it is a sports taproom and a whiskey bar ? Thomas Magee ’s is the berth for you , then . If you ’re not into straight whiskey , prescribe the family Irish coffee made with Bushmills Irish whisky , a exceptional spicy portmanteau word of coffee from Eastern Market ’s own Germack Coffee Roasting , and topped with fresh overweight ointment from Southeast Michigan ’s Calder Dairy .
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Nicole Rupersburgremembers a time when Jameson was " the in effect stuff and nonsense , " and rues the fact that , with increased eld , Department of Education , and income total an increasingly expensive drunkenness habit . Check out her explorations of the raw " good stuff " on IG@eatsdrinksandleaves .
Michelle & Chris Gerard
Butter Run Saloon
Michelle & Chris Gerard
One-Eyed Betty’s
The Sugar House
The Oakland
MOTOR CITY GAS
Sal Rodriguez/Standby
Flickr/Nicole Rupersburg
