In downtown Raleigh, N.C., there’s a popular restaurant that’s part whiskey bar and part world-class Southern kitchen. The venue – called Whiskey Kitchen, appropriately – has one of the best selections of whiskey in the south. They offer an extensive list of more than 600 whiskies from around the world, all featured in a 20-page book, and they add new whiskies every week. They also incorporate whiskey into their cuisine, and they pair every menu item with its own whiskey.
Jeff Mickel, co-owner of Whiskey Kitchen, which opened in 2016, said the idea behind the restaurant is to offer an environment where both the bar and culinary programs are thoughtfully composed and served with equal attention. And for the Whiskey Kitchen team, Raleigh is the perfect location because of the area’s growing appreciation of craft spirits, venues that use locally sourced ingredients, and authentic southern flavors.
“My personal passion for whiskey and its growing popularity in general helped to drive our focus behind the bar, and we just knew that the bold flavors of whiskey would harmonize perfectly with the many hearty and often indulgent elements of Southern cuisine,” said Mickel. “The complex and robust notes of whiskey, whether smoky or sweet, enhance the savory comfort food of our region, elevating dishes like BBQ, fried chicken, and shrimp-n-grits to new heights.”
"Down the Rabbit Hole of Whiskey Geekery"
Johnny Berry, an award-winning bartender and master of spirits at Whiskey Kitchen, said the restaurant’s staff respects whiskey and can “…go down the rabbit hole of whiskey geekery” with its customers. However, they’re not about the elitism that some like to attach to the spirit. In fact, the Whiskey Kitchen team believes that whiskey is delicious, not precious, and that it deserves to be accessible to all.
“We are all here because we appreciate the whiskey,” Berry said. “Whether you are fortunate enough to have money to freely indulge, or you have to plan your weekly finances to splurge on that wish-list whiskey, we are happy to have you both. We just want you to come and find the spirit that makes you happy.”
Because Whiskey Kitchen has so many whiskies on its menu, the team tries to spread the love and showcase certain bottles at different times.
“We have so many whiskies in-house that we want to show love to,” shared Reilly Harring, assistant general manager at Whiskey Kitchen. “We have a few ways to do this. Firstly, we always have some featured whiskies. These live in the center of our bar and are always listed in the front of our whiskey books. Sometimes this is a rare whiskey that we pull out just to feature, sometimes it’s a whiskey we love that we think needs some more recognition. We also have what we call Sleeper Bottles. These are whiskies that folks may not go for typically or may overlook that we think are worth your time. Our Sleeper Bottle specials are always $7 and rotate in and out. Next time you stop by, check out our whiskey book menu for these features and try a fun new dram!”
Whiskey Kitchen Educates Guests, Creates an Experience
At Whiskey Kitchen, the staff helps guests who want to learn about whiskey, or they guide customers to find a whiskey or other drink that suits their preferences.
“Some guests come in not knowing anything about whiskey and just want to have something that tastes good and is new,” said Harring. “Some guests come in and want to learn the whole distillation process and where the specific grain came from. We’re happy to offer both and everything in between. Our staff always tries their best to chat with their table to see what kind of experience they’re looking for. Even if we are only able to teach them one or two fun facts about whiskey or spirits in general when they’re here, it’s something that they can remember and then build off with new questions next time they come in.”
In addition to customers who are just getting acquainted with whiskey, Whiskey Kitchen attracts whiskey enthusiasts who are looking for something they haven’t had before. “We’re really good at that game,” said Berry. “Try us. No, really. You can come back many times and we can hand you a new whiskey every time. Every. Time.”
Berry added that if a customer doesn’t like whiskey, then that’s OK. “We can either make a believer out of you or make you your drink of choice,” he said.
Whiskey Church and Training Staff
To educate its staff about whiskey, Whiskey Kitchen conducts in-house training sessions or “Whiskey Church.”
“We are aware that not every staff member can taste every whiskey we have on the wall, so instead, we strive for what we can do – educate our staff about what whiskey is and where the different flavors come from,” said Harring.
The Whiskey Church sessions are run by one of Whiskey Kitchen’s bartenders, who’s also a Stave & Thief Society Certified Bourbon Steward. “We cover how whiskey is made, the different grains used, and how that translates to the flavor profile of the end result,” said Harring. “The goal of these trainings is to teach our staff to understand how whiskey is made and what that means for the liquid in the bottle. If you know the flavor profile of the Islay region of Scotch but haven’t tasted that particular whiskey, you still know something about what will be in the bottle. Yes, every whiskey is different, but it’s like knowing that the ocean will have salt water even if you haven’t been to every ocean. Once you know the basics, you can build your knowledge off of that. That’s our goal with staff training.
Harring said that each Whiskey Kitchen staff member will slowly taste more and more of the whiskey wall and grow their sensory knowledge. However, having a solid base from the training sessions, she explained, means that each staff member can answer guest questions about whiskey while still learning (and tasting) themselves.
“We occasionally also work with whiskey reps who will offer more in-depth trainings on their particular product,” said Harring. “This allows staff a chance to again get deeper knowledge on one area of whiskey that adds to their base knowledge already created in Whiskey Church.”
Meet Guests Where They Are on Their Whiskey Journey
For bars or restaurants that want to educate guests about whiskey, Berry advises operators meet guests where they are on their whiskey journey. “Don’t be elitist about it,” he said. “At some point, you – the bartender or restauranteur – knew nothing about whiskey. Do not belittle or judge your guests because they don’t know whiskey. It takes a lot of maturity and confidence for an adult to admit that they don’t know something. They are in front of you because they are curious. Don’t scare them away. Don’t make fun of their lack of knowledge. Take their hand and guide them. Welcome them into our world and share with them what is so great about some silly fermented grain.”
To help guests learn even more about whiskey, Whiskey Kitchen offers various educational events throughout the year.
“The smallest events we run are a series we call ‘Know Your Whiskey,” said Harring. “This happens a few times a month on Tuesdays or Wednesdays, where we invite a whiskey rep to come in and offer free samples of their product. This is a way for guests to try a whiskey they may not seek out on their own and a way to learn more about the spirit if they want as well.”
Whiskey Kitchen also hosts a cocktail class series, where guests learn how to make a classic cocktail. The series has events that are free to attend and events that are ticketed and more in-depth. “This experience allows a more hands-on approach to learning, and we cover both whiskey knowledge and cocktail knowledge together,” explained Harring. “We sometimes combine whiskey and food, like in our annual fall event, the Sauce Boss competition. This event partners with Ardbeg Scotch, and employees of Whiskey Kitchen compete to make the best barbecue sauce that has to include the scotch as one of the ingredients. Guests then come and try the sauces on our house pulled pork and get to select the winner. This is all to say, we are always trying to showcase our love of whiskey and share that knowledge with our guests in a creative way.”
A Food Menu and Recipes with Whiskey in Mind
At Whiskey Kitchen, the food menu is just as important as the whiskey, as all of the dishes were created with whiskey in mind.
“We tend to incorporate a lot of whiskey into our recipes, but we also pair every menu item with its own whiskey,” said Executive Chef Ian McKenny. “That part of the job can be one of the most fun and also sometimes the most difficult aspects of the job for Johnny and me. Whenever we put a new dish on the menu, the very last step of the process is sitting down at the bar with the dish and tasting whiskeys with the food until we can come up with a ‘perfect’ pairing, a pairing the elevates or evolves both the dish and the whiskey in a symbiotic way.”
McKenny said the overall food menu at Whiskey Kitchen is eclectic. “We take inspiration from cultures and cuisines around the world based on whiskey markets, either where whiskey is produced or where the largest markets for whiskey exist,” he said. “We tend to put a southern spin on a lot of the dishes and incorporate smoked elements into the food, which helps keep the full menu on a common thread while still allowing us a lot of creative freedom in the dishes we serve.”
Some of the best-selling dishes at Whiskey Kitchen include: Fried Brussels with pickled red onion, radish, and pop glaze; Shoo-Fly Pie with pecans, molasses, soft cream, and bourbon caramel; and Shrimp and Grits with North Carolina shrimp, stone ground yellow grits, applewood smoked bacon, and bourbon tomato gravy.
“All of our dishes are paired with hand-picked whiskeys, for instance, our Shrimp and Grits are paired with Pikesville Rye, where the tomato broth – which also contains bourbon – is complemented by the slight spice of the rye grain bill, and the sweetness of the whiskey is complemented by the creaminess of the stone ground grits and the savory aspects of the dish as a whole,” shared McKenny. “This gives our serving staff and guests both a bespoke pairing curated by myself and our master of spirits, and an idea of what style of whiskey might also go well with each dish.”
Advice for Bars and Restaurants That Want to Showcase Whiskey
For other bar and restaurant owners/operators that want to showcase whiskey at their venue, Berry said do the research. “Merely having a lot of product isn’t enough,” he revealed. “You must have a diversity of products and know about them. And you must educate your staff about them. There’re plenty of car salesmen that can sell 10 cars a day that know nothing about how a car works. Understanding what makes whiskies different can make or break you. You will get those guests that honestly know more about whiskey than you do – and I still do to this day – and that's fine. Be honest… They’ll appreciate your honesty, and you will probably learn something from them if you engage them in conversation.”
Berry also advises bar and restaurant operators to be wary of industry representatives who sell whiskey. “Remember, as wonderful and as friendly and informative as they are, their ultimate agenda is to sell their products,” he said. “Trust your gut, but double check it before you spend large sums of money. Just because it's rare – or expensive – doesn’t mean it's good. Dead stock is money you no longer have in the bank.”
Overall, according to Berry, whiskey is huge right now and manufacturers can’t keep up, “…to the degree that people are finding ways to subvert the aging process and infuse flavors into distillate – distilled spirits – to make it seem like a higher quality product,” he said. “To use a term like ‘exponential growth’ is inadequate. The profusion of new whiskey products is well-nigh impossible to keep up with.”
Aaron Kiel is an editor, writer and public relations professional in Raleigh, N.C. He’s worked in the beverage, tea and coffee industries for two decades, as well as hospitality and technology. He’s a journalist at heart, but he also wears a PR and communications hat through his consultancy, ak PR Group. He’s a contributing writer/reporter for Questex’s Bar & Restaurant News, and he recently worked as the editor of World Tea News with Questex’s Bar & Restaurant Group. In 2023, he was a finalist and honorable mention in the “Folio: Eddie & Ozzie Awards” for Range of Work by a Single Author – B2B.” In 2024, he was named a Northeast Regional Gold Award Winner in the Editorial Excellence category for Diversity Equity & Inclusion, for his article on Pride Month and the hospitality industry at Bar & Restaurant News. Connect with him on Instagram: @adventurer_explorer.
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