'Rescued' CASC Bar reopens as Whisky Situation Aberdeen
Whisky Situation Aberdeen, the brainchild of 37-year-old Carlos Yabrudy, promises an exclusive whisky offering, as well as cigars, beer, wine and cocktails.
The new owners of the the Stirling Street bar, opening on Friday at 5pm, hope it will become a tourist destination in Aberdeen.
'We want to eventually become the best whisky bar in Scotland,' Carlos says.
'We want people to say: 'when you go to Scotland, that's where you need to go'.
'That's the goal.'
CASC Bar closed its doors back in December 2024 after 11 years on the Aberdeen food and drink scene.
Carlos – who founded retail company Whisky Situation back in 2023 – has retained several members of staff in his bid to 'rescue' the city centre venue.
He adds: 'I found out about this place, and when things were on the rocks I met the old manager and decided to rescue the place. And in doing so, saved three jobs and brought in three more staff members on top of that.
'For a lot of locals, this place was their second home.
'Hence there was a lot of sadness in the closing.'
Carlos believes that his new bar – and its sister whisky shop on King Street – could help improve Aberdeen city centre.
He says: 'Aberdeen is always playing third fiddle to Glasgow and Edinburgh, isn't it?
'Aberdeen has a lot here – Tall Ships and a lot of festivals.
'It's a city that works more like a town, where people talk more than other places. It's not so disconnected.
'Aberdeen is the closest to distilleries, on the cusp of Speyside – close to Macallan and Tomatin.
'People should be coming here from all over the world.
'Now there is an even better reason for them to come to the city centre. And hopefully start driving the city's regeneration.'
The new bar will host private events including weekly tastings from distilleries like Tomatin and Lochlea.
The range of whisky on offer is exclusive, says Carlos, with many bottles unavailable elsewhere in the UK.
'The main draw is having over 700 whiskies for people to try,' adds Carlos.
'We can give people the opportunity to try different things.
'A lot of this isn't available to taste before people buy it. So this will be a hub for people to try the newest GlenAllachie or Lochlea.'
Unique bottles available to sample include Brother's Bond straight bourbon whiskey from actors Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley, and Japanese whiskey from Yamazaki Distillery.
Also boasting the 'largest humidor in Scotland', the bar offers a range of cigars.
Drams will range from £4.50 to over £100 at Whisky Situation Aberdeen.
'We can open a bottle that costs £200 per dram, it depends what people ask for,' he adds.
'I'm a very flexible guy. It's not a problem.'
Bottles like the single cask Glenfarclas Family Cask range might be more pricy for a dram.
Carlos adds: 'You're looking at £8,000 per bottle.
'So if you divide them up, that's about £200-300 per single [dram].'
The team are looking forward to opening the new bar and King Street shop this evening.
Carlos says: 'I'm excited to have everyone down.
'It feels like your family coming to see you again when you haven't seen them for a long time.
'The atmosphere won't be clinical – or like a dank student bar – but rather a familiar place.'
There are plans for refurbishment further down the line to turn the bar into a 'speakeasy style' venue.
The new King Street whisky shop will be open Tuesday to Saturday.
The Stirling Street bar will be open daily 3pm to 12am Sunday-Thursday, and till 1am Friday and Saturday.
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