Bar Besuto
3 Underwood Street, Sydney
besutosydney.com
Inspired by a typical Japanese whisky den, Bar Besuto is a basement bar located in the newly revitalized Sydney Place at Circular Quay. Offering more than 150 whiskies, many of which are limited edition that owner Joel Best has collected himself on his many travels to Japanese whisky distilleries over the years, whisky lovers will not be short of choice. Since opening its doors in August, Bar Besuto has become the home of Sydney’s largest collection of Japanese whiskies with more than 50 single-cask exclusives.
Offering more than 150 whiskies, many of which are limited edition that owner Joel Best has collected himself on his many travels to authentic Japanese whisky distilleries over the years, whisky lovers will not be short of choice.
Venue manager Jake Errey oversees the bar alongside Best, with the intimate setup allowing guests a chance to have a face-to-face whisky education, including tasting flights as a perfect introduction. The bar even has a bottle of Hakushu 25, a blended 25-year-old bottle that sells for up to $25,000 a bottle. Nine of the bottles in the back bar have never been seen before in Australia, including Kanosuke, the Crane series, Cask 20466 Rechar x Bourbon exclusive bottle for D.K. amongst others. Serves are available in the traditional 30mL pour as well as smaller 15mL pour.
A refined menu of one-bite Japanese snacks is designed to complement the whiskies, with a standout being a miniature version of steak frites, as well as Glacier 51 Toothfish with pickled vegetables, panko olives and nori-salted fries. The interior of the venue was designed by local designers at Tom Mark Henry studios, who took inspiration from the use of light in Japanese Noh Theatre to create a moody space with cool tones to contrast with the warm amber palette of the whisky collection that forms the centerpiece of the area.
Bar Besuto is open from Tuesday to Saturday 4pm til late and invites visitors to sip on their whisky while listening to soft jazz music. They are also one of the few bars in the country that are serving Fuji Single Blended Japanese Whisky, which you can read about right here.
