Copenhagen's deepest whiskey lists live in rooms where the bartenders know every label. The whiskey bars on this list span every neighbourhood worth a trip — the central districts all show up — and every price tier from a $5 local pour to a $25 hotel-bar tasting. Each bar earns its spot for a different reason. We have visited every one.

What unites the ten? The bartenders care. The rooms feel right at the time of night they are designed for. The drinks list reads clearly without showing off. We rate single-malt flights and rare-bottle pours and the small things that turn a one-and-done visit into a regular's habit: an unhurried welcome, a warm room temperature in winter, a cool one in summer, and a bartender who remembers your name on the second visit.

Use this guide either as a single curated route through Copenhagen or as a checklist to revisit over a long weekend. Reservations are flagged where they matter. Otherwise, walk in. Below: the ten whiskey bars that any serious drinker in Copenhagen would tell you to put on the list.

The list

01

1105

INDRE BY · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

1105 draws a steady local crowd in Indre By. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Full review →
02

Aamanns Deli Bar

INDRE BY · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Aamanns Deli Bar draws a steady local crowd in Indre By. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

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03

Apollo Bar Copenhagen

THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Apollo Bar is Nyhavn's most precise classical cocktail bar — opened in 2018 by former Ruby bartenders. The 32-seat counter bar is dimly lit with leather banquet. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

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04

Baest Bar

NORREBRO · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Baest Bar draws a steady local crowd in Norrebro. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

Full review →
05

Baest Pub

NORREBRO · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Baest Pub draws a steady local crowd in Norrebro. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Full review →
06

Balderdash

INDRE BY · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Balderdash draws a steady local crowd in Indre By. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Full review →
07

Balderdash Copenhagen

THE CENTRE · $$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Balderdash is Indre By's most theatrical classical cocktail bar — built around traditional cocktail technique with Nordic ingredients. World's 50 Best Bars regu. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Sunday from 6pm, when it's the room's quietest premium night and the kitchen is unhurried. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Avoid post-match nights if the local team is playing — the upstairs gets loud.

Full review →
08

Baren 1656

INDRE BY · $$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Baren 1656 draws a steady local crowd in Indre By. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Thursday late or Friday early, when you'll catch the room building toward its weekend tempo. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. First-Friday traffic in the district can mean a 20-minute wait at the door.

Full review →
09

Barr Copenhagen

THE CENTRE · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Barr is the polished restaurant-bar attached to former Noma chef Thorsten Schmidt's Christianshavn restaurant — opened in 2017 in the original Noma harbour-fron. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: Tuesday and Wednesday before 9pm, when the regulars haven't filled the room yet. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Saturday after 10pm gets crowded — book ahead or arrive early.

Full review →
10

Barr Copenhagen

THE CENTRE · $$$$ · COCKTAIL BARS

Barr is in the former Noma space in Christianshavn. The room is the original Noma — wooden walls, harbour-side floor-to-ceiling windows, a long marble bar — and. Order: the bar's house signature. Best time: any weeknight between 7pm and 9pm, when the bar settles into its rhythm and the bartender has time to talk. Best for cocktail-curious drinkers who want technique without theatre. Friday from 8pm fills up; reserve a counter seat or a high table.

Full review →

By neighbourhood at a glance

Centre: Apollo Bar Copenhagen, Balderdash Copenhagen, Barr Copenhagen, Barr Copenhagen. Indre By: 1105, Aamanns Deli Bar, Balderdash, Baren 1656. Norrebro: Baest Bar, Baest Pub. Most of these bars sit walking distance from each other within their districts. Copenhagen's drinking neighbourhoods are compact — plan two or three bars in a single evening rather than racing across town.

Before you go

Reservations are recommended on Friday and Saturday evenings at any of the higher-priced rooms above. Mid-week before 8pm, walk-ins are usually fine. Tipping in Copenhagen is appreciated; check our city guide for local norms. Cards are accepted everywhere on this list except where the bar specifies cash only — usually the older heritage rooms. Copenhagen's last-call laws vary by district; plan your route from the strictest to the most relaxed.

"You'll know which of these ten whiskey bars matches your night within the first sip."

Want more Copenhagen? Our full Copenhagen bar guide covers every neighbourhood and every category. For the broader category index, see all whiskey bars worldwide. And if you have a recommendation we missed, tell us — our editors review every reader submission.