Multnomah Whisk{e}y Library

Let’s talk Portland’s Best.

If you live in the Rose City, you know that it’s a decent sized city but a very small town.  There are endless food options, but really only so many top-notch extravaganzas. 

In my wildest dreams, the City of Bridges would up its game with a few more ritzy, boujee, 5 star moments—but that’s just not its game.  However, there are a few must-gos in P-town for the ones who want to dine on the luxury side; and Multnomah Whiskey Library is one of them.

First things first let’s talk logistics.  If you want to visit, you’ll need a reservation.  To get a reservation, it’s $25 per person OR included in your membership benefits.  The waitlist to become a member is 3 years long, so.. hut hut! (It’s free to get on the list, though, so make sure to pop over to their website if you want to join the action!)

Let’s start with vibes.

You can have everything from a *nighttime, steak plate, busy, party occasion* to a *work meeting cocktail hour* and really everything in between.  To me, it’s not an “every Friday” dinner spot and it isn’t a place to get tanked.  Keep it classy, folks, TWL is more of a special occasion vibe.  It’s not to say you couldn’t go frequently, but unless you are a member, getting a reservation is tricky and when COVID lightens up it will be even harder to squeeze in and it is on the higher end of the pricing scale.

|| Dine

Gosh, I’ve had some good oysters lately, but these were stellar.  I loved that the server let us know which oysters were from which regions (and very cool that they weren’t from the same place). 

The charcuterie was wild.  So much to choose from.  An array of cheese, pickled veggies, meat, nuts, the whole gamut.  I highly recommend, although, it is quite a bit of food so if you are getting a larger meal- maybe save this for when you are just doing a whisky tasting.

We also hit it right on with the cauliflower (cacio e pepe) *lemon and herb tempura fried, pecorino and cracked black pepper cream toasted pinenuts, citrus herb oil* It went great with the wine I brought which was a Tamber Bey 2012 Rabicano (Which is a Bordeaux Red blend of: 58% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot, 8% Petit Verdot, 7% Cabernet Franc.)

 || Drink

It’s important to give the whisky-specialists a price range, or you could potentially get taken for all your worth – “asking for recommendations.”  It’s like going into Tiffany’s and asking them which diamond is their favorite… it’s going to be a pricey one.  They can accommodate pretty much any price range though, so we just said “$40-50” for the tasting (included three whiskys). 

I loved that the specialist knew something about the owners, served us ones that were made by women, and even accommodated my request for a Japanese whisky, despite originally saying they were tough to come by (due to 2020 Japan Olympics plans holding whisky back from export) and letting us know many are reserved for members (very speakeasy-ish, I like ).  So, clearly I am a wine blogger- but I had to give the whisky its space on this micro blog – for obvious reasons. 

They still have an expansive wine collection and if you love whisky, but your partner loves wine, they will definitely be able to find something they love to accompany their eats.

|| Learned something new

The big Q I’ve had for a while is whether whisky is spelled with an E or not.  A good rule of thumb is that of the major whisky-making countries, the ones that start with a vowel typically put an E in there and the ones that don’t, do not.  Example; America (whiskey), Japan (whisky).

Overall, I’ve always been impressed with the quality, service, ambiance, music, and grandeur of this little piece of Portland paradise. With the classic speakeasy “library” vibe and a touch of whimsical Harry Potter magic, The Whisk{e}y Library is the perfect place for your next special drink!

Cheers!

x Chelsea