How to Create Your Own Wedding Whisky Bar

Image credit: Katie Parra Photography/Clutch Events on SouthBound Bride

A wedding whisky (or whisky and cigar) bar is a really lovely addition to the reception. It’s a way to space out the bar queue, have a bit of a breakout area with comfy chairs, and guests love it. Plus, a wedding whisky bar is something that usually makes the groom’s eyes light up in the planning. So I was delighted when SBB reader Claudine got in touch after her own recent wedding to share how she and her groom, Richard, created a whisky/whiskey bar for their wedding – and how you can too! Here are her top tips. Take it away, Claudine!

*Links in bold denote affiliate links. The cost to you remains the same, but SBB may receive a commission for any sales made.

Image credit: Christina Brosnan/Styled By Amber via One Fab Day

Why Have a Wedding Whisky Bar?

Both my husband and I come from a long line of whisky drinkers so we knew we had to include whisky into our wedding night. We decided from the beginning to offer the standard wine on the table but we also added a bottle of Johnny Walker Black Label with the red wine and white wine. To keep the costs down we decided on a cash bar, but besides the wine and whisky on the table, we were looking for a way to offer our guests complimentary alcoholic beverages without the complications of a tab or the expense of an open bar. My mother stumbled upon a picture from a wedding where they offered their guests a whisky bar. We loved it! The wedding whisky bar was an easy DIY and best of all, a major hit with guests, who still talk about it when we see them. We highly recommend the DIY whisky bar to other couples. If you’re not a whisky lover why not opt for a beer bar (great for those summer weddings), a hot chocolate bar (ideal for winter weddings) or even a glamorous cocktail bar.

Image credit: Chelsey Somohano Photography/Elle Gray Events via Marry Me Tampa Bay

The wedding whisky bar was a great project for my groom. He so wanted to be involved in the planning but was easily bored with all the ‘feminine’ details. This was something more ‘manly’ for him to help with. In the end, I think he may have been more excited about the whisky bar than the “I do”!

Image credit: Kat Hill Photography via Love My Dress

Wedding Whisky Bar Basics

Understand that there are whiskies from all over the world. My husband made it his little project to research the world of whisky. He spent hours looking at the different international whiskies on offer. We were impressed to find countries besides Scotland, Ireland and America produce award winning whiskies. The ideal is to offer a variety of whiskies from different countries and different regions. As we had friends and family who drink a lot of whisky, we knew we would have to offer more than the usual bottles.

Decide on a budget and stick to it. It’s tempting when you’re buying bottles of your favourite tipple to spend freely. But it’s important to remember that the expense forms part of the wedding budget and that you’re buying alcohol for everyone to drink. I had to keep reminding my husband that he wouldn’t be drinking all the bottles he purchased!

Know your single malts from your blends. We won’t get into a debate as to the preferences of a single malt over a blend but know that if you are offering whisky, you should offer a selection of each. If you want to get technical, be aware that there are single malts, blended malts, blended whiskies and single barrel.

Age is more than a number. The older whiskies are not necessarily the better whiskies but the aging process does influence the development of the flavour. The ideal whisky bar will have a few different aged whiskies.

Image credit: ANNAMARIE AKINS/KARI RIDERvia Magnolia Rouge

Wedding Whisky Bar Signage

When we began discussing the sign for the whisky bar we had the family vote on WHISKY v WHISKEY. There is an entire debate behind the two spellings and in the end there was no resolution. In the end, we found large white letters and purchased W-H-I-S-K-E and Y. We started the night out with all the letters on display. Half way through the night, the E was knocked down to spell whisky.

Wedding Cigars & Whiskey Bar Sign by Sea Cove Studio

Printable Wedding Whiskey Bar Chalk Sign by Heartstrings Studio CO (left) | Pick Your Poison Whiskey Bar Sign by Frank and Bunnylove (right)

Whiskey Bar Sign by Wild Pines Design

Whiskey Bar Sign by Malila Designs

Instant WHISKEY STATION Party Printable by JoJo & MiMi (left) | Sunshine and Whiskey Sign by Cozy Attikai (right)

Whiskey and Cigar Bar Sign by Prints of Life Events

How Many Bottles Do You Need?

How many bottles of whisky on the wall? There is the catch of how many bottles to buy for your whisky bar. We decided on twelve bottles for our 80 guests. Bear in mind that there was wine and whisky on the tables too. To our surprise, we did get home with a few leftover bottles, although by leftover I mean 100ml per bottle max. To make the bar visually effective, don’t do less than 8 bottles for 80 guests. In the end it is up to you as the bridal couple and depends on budget and the guests who will be enjoying the whisky.

Image credit: Angela Mae Photography via Green Wedding Shoes

Wedding Bar Essentials

A good whisky bar needs a few essential items.

A well-stocked ice bucket with ice tongs. Although not everyone drinks their whisky ‘on the rocks’ it’s preferred to have ice available.
Whisky tumblers. There is nothing more annoying for a whisky drinker than having to sip it out of a high ball glass or worse, a beer glass!
A jug with mineral water. It is acceptable to add a bit of mineral water to whisky.

Image credit: Roberts & Co. Events/Kurstin Roe Photography via United With Love

Styling Your Wedding Whisky Bar

Here are some ideas to accessorise the whisky bar.

Create the ‘gentlemen’s club’ feel with an old wing back chair or a leather sofa.
We set out old cigar boxes that we had purchased at markets to add some colour.
If your guests are smokers, you could set out a few cigars and ashtrays.
A large wooden table, old chest of drawers, or various wine barrels could be used to set out the bottles of whisky.
If you have access to books about whisky, why not set them out for guests to browse through. Alternatively, purchase a few magazines and lay them out.
The ideal is to group the whiskies by region for easy reference for your guests.
Decanters are a nice touch but if you are going to fill them with whisky, have a card indicating the type of whisky inside.
A few coasters would be a nice touch. We wanted some fun personalised coasters but ran out of time.
A fun option is to print cards with the name of the whisky, a write up about the whisky as well as tasting notes (see below).

Wood Beverage Signs by Paper and Pine Co

Enjoy your whisky bar on the night! I don’t remember every one of the whiskies that I tasted but my new brother-in-law made sure that I tried them all. I am also really excited about the beer bar we are planning for my brother’s summer garden wedding!