The Lost Close
Underground rooms beneath Parliament Square, off the Royal Mile, buried after the Great Fire of 1824 and found again in 2019, now used for whisky tastings.
There's something special about tasting whisky somewhere nobody knew existed, and the Lost Close, beneath Parliament Square just off the Royal Mile, is exactly that.
These underground rooms were buried after the Great Fire of 1824 and only found again in 2019, during building work above. Long before the fire, the site was home to Scotland's first purpose-built bank, opened in 1750. Today it's an atmospheric space for guided tastings that weave the Old Town's history in with good drams. The whisky tastings last an hour and a half, with four or five whiskies depending on the level you choose, and there are shorter gin and beer tastings too. Everything is by ticket, with no walk-ins, so book ahead online. Tastings start at John's Coffee House on Parliament Square, next to St Giles' Cathedral. They're for over-18s only, and with stairs and cobbles the vaults aren't suitable for wheelchairs.
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Tastings run every day at set times, by ticket only, so book online first.
They start at John's Coffee House on Parliament Square.
- Where
- 1 Barrie's Close, beneath Parliament Square, Edinburgh, EH1 1RF.
- Meet
- John's Coffee House & Tavern, 1A Parliament Square, next to St Giles' Cathedral.
- Whisky
- Four drams in an hour and a half from £40; five rare drams for £95; a single dram and the history in an hour for £20.
- Also
- An hour of gin, £27, or of beer, £23.
- Ages
- Over 18 only, with ID.
- Access
- Not suitable for wheelchairs: stairs all the way down, then uneven cobbles and small steps.
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Add your reviewBeneath Parliament Square, off the Royal Mile beside St Giles' Cathedral, EH1 1RF.
St Giles’ CathedralThe High Kirk of Edinburgh on the Royal Mile, founded in 1124, John Knox's church and the mother church of Presbyterianism.Under a mile as the crow flies
Signet LibraryA law library of 1822 on Parliament Square with one of the finest Neo-Classical interiors in Scotland, where afternoon tea is served in the Lower Library.Under a mile as the crow flies
The Real Mary King's CloseA preserved 17th-century street beneath the City Chambers on the Royal Mile, seen on a one-hour tour led by a costumed guide.Under a mile as the crow flies
Mercat CrossThe city's market cross beside St Giles', its 1617 shaft topped by a unicorn, where royal proclamations are still read aloud.Under a mile as the crow flies
The Heart of MidlothianA heart of granite setts in the Royal Mile outside St Giles', marking the door of the Old Tolbooth, pulled down in 1817.Under a mile as the crow flies
Cockburn StreetA curving Victorian street of turreted tenements, built in the 1850s to carry the Royal Mile down to Waverley station.Under a mile as the crow flies
Advocate's CloseA steep, narrow close from the Royal Mile down to Cockburn Street, framing the Scott Monument at its foot.Under a mile as the crow flies
Places to stay near the Lost Close, and when each is next free.
Old Town Chambers- To stay
- In Edinburgh
- Under a mile from the Lost Close
Moment George IV Bridge- Sleeps 2
- In Edinburgh
- Under a mile from the Lost Close
West End Muse- Sleeps 4
- In Edinburgh
- Under a mile from the Lost Close
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The Scott Hotel- A hotel
- In Edinburgh
- A mile from the Lost Close
Scotland, in print.
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