First American Bar in Vienna: style and good taste

When on holiday, my eye is always on the local whisky offerings. Recently, I found myself in the Austrian capital Vienna, the city of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Gustave Klimt, to name a few. It was my first time there, which is actually a shame, since the city truly breathes history as a centre of Central Europe, which is represented in the grandeur of the churches, monuments and impressively tall buildings. There is a lot to explore!

During my visit together with Mrs. Whisky Odyssey to Vienna, it happened to be scorching hot. We were there for the Coldplay concerts, but also soaked up music that was created longer ago. Listening to honest performances of famous pieces by Mozart, Schubert, Vivaldi and many others in the Catholic Saint Peter’s Church was a true delight. Afterwards, we walked the still languorous streets of Vienna, getting lost behind the famous Stephansdom, and then we stumbled upon the First American Bar on the corner of Schulerstrasse 16 and 1. Kumpfgasse.

My eye was automatically drawn to the display of many cartons and tubes of single malt whisky, mostly from Scotland. At the door, a black chalkboard mentioned some of the familiar names from Speyside and Islay. We decided to get a drink. The lovely staff provided us immediately with water on the house, and menu’s to browse through. Because of the heat my darling Mrs. Whisky Odyssey opted for a virgin cocktail.

I had some more difficulty choosing a whisky. Most of all because I wanted something fitting for the still 25+ degrees outside, but I was also a bit stunned by the prices of some offerings. It took me a while to see that many single malts were bottlings from longer ago. This indeed softened the blow a little. If you ever want to taste the Ardbeg Perpetuum that was released for the 200th anniversary of the distillery in 2015; you can still find it here. Anyway, I was not willing to spend that much money that night, so I chose for the safety of an older Knockando. Again, a whisky that was bottled almost 10 years ago. I enjoyed that the young woman serving us did not at all roll her eyes when I asked if I could see the bottle. Nerds are gonna be nerds, and she seemed to enjoy (and more importantly: understand) the need to take a picture.

The whisky was served in proper glassware, poured in generous amount, in a bar that breathes pleasure with good music, film noir atmosphere and expert staff for all kinds of refreshments. Highly recommended if you ever find yourself in Vienna.

Knockando Master Reserve vintage 1994, 21 years old, bottled at 43 % abv

Makeup: A composition made out of first and second fill Ex-Bourbon casks and First Fill Sherry. Distilled 30 years ago in 1994, and bottled in 2016.

General impressions: My first impression is that there is little sherry influence but please consider I was not tasting in the most controlled circumstances. That said, the spiciness of the maturation coming through via traditional wood notes do make for an entertaining drinking experience. Knockando is the Scotch I drink when watching football, and it also works perfectly in a stylish bar like this First American in Vienna. It is elegant to nose, with lots of overripe fruit, but also notes of chocolate and cold coffee. In the end, you can always find the malt component. I enjoyed a few drops of my complementary water to make this Knockando even fresher.

Conclusion: A bit simple, even at 21 years old it lacks some depth and complexity, but at the right place and the right time, this is a perfect single malt. A safe choice when in public.

Score: 83 points