The Baxter Inn
Seven hundred whiskies underground in a Sydney CBD laneway. No sign on the door. The city's worst-kept secret and its greatest whisky bar.
Seven hundred whiskies underground in a Sydney CBD laneway. No sign on the door. The city's worst-kept secret and its greatest whisky bar.
The Baxter Inn is accessed through an unmarked door on Clarence Street in the CBD, down a fire escape staircase into a brick basement. The bar holds approximately 80 people, with shelves of whisky rising floor to ceiling on every wall. Owner Mikey Enright opened it in 2011 and it has since become one of the most recognised bars in Australia, a regular in the Asia's 50 Best Bars rankings, and the benchmark against which Sydney's other whisky bars are measured.
The 700+ bottle selection covers Scotch single malts and blends, Irish whiskey, American bourbon and rye, Japanese expressions, and a growing Australian section that tracks the domestic distilling industry as it develops. The range is broad enough to work as an education and deep enough to satisfy collectors and specialists who have been exploring the category for years.
The Australian whisky section is the most distinctive part of the list. Distilleries including Starward, Lark, Sullivan's Cove, Archie Rose, and William McHenry all have expressions on the back bar that are difficult to find outside specialist venues. Order a dram neat, or ask the bartender to build a comparison flight across different regional styles. They know the list well and give honest, confident recommendations without the pretension that sometimes accompanies specialist whisky service.
Highballs here are made properly: mineral water, precise dilution, fresh ice. A Starward Nova highball is an excellent entry point for anyone new to Australian single malt. Budget AUD 18 to 45 per dram depending on age and rarity. The bar also runs a short menu of seasonal cocktails built around whisky.
The Baxter Inn is loud, dark, and lively. It is not the right place for quiet conversation, but it is the right place for standing at the bar with a good whisky, talking to whoever is next to you, and discovering something you had not tried before. Weekends involve a queue on the fire escape stairs from around 19:30. Arrive before 18:00 to walk straight in and secure a space. The bar fills quickly on Friday and Saturday and does not take reservations.
Sister venues Shady Pines Saloon, an Americana-themed dive bar, and Frankie's Pizza by the Slice, a rock and roll bar, are both within walking distance in the CBD and form a natural three-stop itinerary for a full evening. The Sydney bar guide and the editors' Sydney picks map the full picture.
The Baxter Inn is in the Clarence Street Laneway in the western CBD, 5 minutes on foot from Town Hall Station on George Street. The door is unmarked but the laneway entrance is visible from Clarence Street. No reservations and no bookings. Walk-in only, first-come-first-served. If the basement is at capacity, the wait is typically 15 to 30 minutes on busy nights. For the full picture of the Sydney cocktail scene, also visit Eau de Vie in Darlinghurst and read the Sydney cocktail bars guide.
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