Beverly Hills: Ten Pound Bar at the Montage

Ten Pound Bar or £10 Bar at the Montage is hidden upstairs above the Scarpetta Restaurant. It exudes a speakeasy vibe as you approach the doors and enter the dimly lit bar. It’s cozy inside. But as it was a beautiful day in Beverly Hills, I opted to sit outside on the patio.

I had never been before so it was very cool to learn the history of the bar and its relationship to Macallen. The bar serves some very rare Macallen expressions but it also has a small array of other spirits including Deleon tequila, Zacapa rum, Jewel of Russia vodka and others.

We were given some snacks to nibble on as we waited for our drinks. The bacon was some of the best I’ve ever had. I also liked the walnuts and cheese. A girl could get used to this.

Our bartender Nick pours and mixes table side.

In terms of Macallen, 12 and 18 Year sherry oaked aged Scotch is fairly easy to find around town. It was recommended if you like American bourbon to try the fine oak aged rather than sherry oak aged. I decided to do just that selecting the 17-Year Fine Oak. But my task was not done yet. There was a matter of what ice to pick. The bar has soap stones, hand carved ice balls made with the same water near the Macallen distillery, ice balls with the bar’s logo or Kold Draft cubes. The stones would keep the drink cool but would not impart water like the others. I firmly believe in a little water with  my whiskey and opted for the ice ball made with the water from Scotland.

Skipping to the part of the menu that everyone wants to know about were the old and rare Macallen expressions including the $64,000 64-Year-Old, $3100 60-Year-Old (what a difference four years make), $2800 57-Year-Old and the Royal Marriage which was produced for last year’s wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. The price? Please inquire was all it said.

The pricing by the way is for a glass, not the bottle. I dare not think about that!

But let’s talk about the replicas which are even more intriguing and possibly affordable to a real Beverly Hills housewife. The bar has two replicas; the 1841 and the 1874. These were made by chemically examining the bottles they had in their archives to “figure out the Scotch’s DNA.” For only $130 and $275 (yes, the “1874” cost more than the “1841”), you can blast your way back to the past.

Think the prices are too high? Ten Pound is the only bar in the United States that have these whisky expressions.

Moving onto the cocktails, there are currently five on the menu — speaking of which, the menu is printed on the same sherry cask wood as what is Macallen is aged in. I decided to stick to Macallen and ordered the Jimmy Mac.

The Jimmy Mac

• 2 ounces the Macallan 18 Year
• 1/2 ounce Averna amaro
• 1/2 ounce Bénédictine
• 2 dashes orange bitters
• Orange peel

Stir and strain into a glass with an ice ball.

I’m almost certain the orange bitters is a blend of Regan’s and Scrappy’s Bitters but don’t quote me on that. Either way, it’s my favorite kind of cocktail- brown, bitters, stirred!

If you plan on checking out Ten Pound, be sure to make reservations and keep in mind it’s a $50 minimum per person.

£10 Bar (Ten Pound Bar)

at the Montage

225 N Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210 — (310) 860-5808

 

© The Minty 2012