Milroy's of Soho: what to order and when to go

One door on Greek Street gets you a whisky shop, a whisky bar, a tasting room upstairs and a cocktail cellar reached through a bookcase. Milroy's of Soho, 3 Greek Street, is the sort of place you walk into for a bottle and leave having had three drams you never planned on.

What it is

Milroy's calls itself London's original whisky specialist, and sells rare whisky, wines and other spirits by the glass, bottle and case. The shop's own line is "Relaxed with no rules and certainly no dress code". That is the tone throughout: nobody will quiz you on peat levels before pouring.

The building holds four things: a ground-floor whisky shop and bar, a first-floor tasting room for tastings, launches and private events, and the Vault, the basement cocktail bar behind the bookcase.

A little history

The business was founded in 1964 by John "Jack" Milroy and his brother Wallace, starting as a wine shop on Greek Street, and it is still at the same address. According to Time Out, quoting the shop's own account, Jack began at Kettner's Wine Shop, then opened his own up the road at number 3.

Whisky Auctioneer describes Milroy's as an early champion of single malts, marketing exclusive bottlings from the 1970s, the most famous being a 50 year old Balvenie selected in 1987. A refurbishment began in May 2024, and the shop and bar reopened that October as 3 Greek Street, timed to the 60th anniversary. Managing director Stephen Worral said it was designed to be accessible for all palates, tastes and budgets, according to The Spirits Business.

What to order

In the shop: around 500 bottles are in stock, and the site says you can taste a bottle first if it is open behind the bar. Milroy's Original Blended Scotch (40%, 70cl) starts from £15.40, a sensible first buy. For something more adventurous, the Soho Selection and Vintage Reserve ranges are one-off single-cask or small-batch releases. The Bowmore 1 Year Old 2025 Soho Selection (62.4%, 70cl) starts from £26.79 and is billed as Islay like you have never tasted it before. Further up, the Bowmore 13 Year Old 2013 Vintage Reserve starts from £49.09 and the Auchentoshan 38 Year Old 1987 Vintage Reserve from £233.77. Prices are from the shop's own site and can change.

At the bar: the official site talks of about 300 open bottles, so call it hundreds. The Spirits Business also reports Highballs on tap and non-alcoholic options. If you want a simple serve, Milroy's publishes two Highball recipes made with its Original Blended Scotch:

• The Original Apple: 50ml whisky with Appletiser.
• Soho Spring: 50ml whisky with elderflower pressé and a lime wedge.

In the Vault: order the Coconut Butter Old Fashioned, made with fat-washed bourbon, coconut and bitters, which the site says has been on the menu for ten years. Monday has live jazz down there.

When to go

The shop and bar open Monday to Saturday from half ten in the morning until midnight, and on Sunday from half two until half ten at night. The Vault opens Monday to Saturday from five until midnight and is closed on Sunday.

Reviewers on Tripadvisor say before dinner is quieter, with more time to talk to the bartender, and that it gets busier after dinner. For a bottle and a proper browse, go in the afternoon.

Booking and prices

The bar takes walk-ins. For the Vault, book a table through the Milroy's site. Bar enquiries go to bar@3greekstreet.com or 020 3404 0368, and shop orders to shop@milroys.co.uk. Upcoming tastings and distillery evenings are listed on the What's on pages of the site, and the tasting room takes private groups of 5 to 14. Check the site for tasting prices and the bar for current drink prices.

The shop calls itself the oldest whisky shop in London, a claim Vice repeats when it describes owner Martyn Simpson. Treat it as the house boast, and a rather well earned one.