The Johnnie Walker House in Beijing

On 30 April my friend Barry invited me “for a drink”, somewhere near Qianmen.
Well, that was both a surprise and a discovery.
We went to an old and historical compound near Qianmen, 23 Qianmen Dong Da Jie. I admit I never went there. The large buildings I understand are from the old foreign concessions and host companies such as Patek Philippe. The former Maison Boulud French Restaurant closed in December 2013, the building (pictured) is there still. Chef Daniel Boulud was considered “the one” in Beijing. I guess now the medal has been passed to Temple Restaurant Beijing.

We had a nice dinner in Lost Heaven, Yunnan food, before our visit to the Johnnie Walker House next door. Nothing of what I expected…
The building is pretty large, three floors at least and counts several meeting rooms, bars, exhibitions and more. The color of the walls is mostly copper – referring to the distillery. I dare not guess how much the House has cost… They have other Houses in Shanghai and Chengdu.
Of course, special and unique collections of the famous whisky, historical details, a view on the different distilled varieties and a large bar that also serves to host events. In it, the “hidden bar”, activated by a laser beam and made with a Porsche design.
I also found the series of the Chinese zodiac, with “my” bottle of the Rat (with the famous hat…).

We were lucky: it was a special evening with shows. Among others: a brass quintet, guqin recital, a very young Canadian Chinese girl with an incredible voice, a famous French musician (Julian), magicians and a Rubik Cube Olympic-type guru …
Last but not least: our team managed to more or less empty at least one Blue Label bottle. Simply divine… Without ice obviously!
Thanks Barry. Pity I only had my rather lousy mobile camera to shoot some pics… The House is a great place to shoot some good pictures.