Iconic whisky bar experiences series: White Lyan

let’s begin

Mixology is an art that has seen a revival and renewed interest in recent years. Everyone can take part in mixology, from mixing drinks at home to exploring new drinks in your local.

It opens up the palate to a host of new flavours and is an experience in taste and innovation.

One bar that is taking that innovation to the next level is White Lyan in Hoxton.

Opened by Ryan Chetiyawardana, or Mr.Lyan as he is known in the mixology industry, in 2013, White Lyan is leading the charge in drinks creativity. He has been compared to Heston Blumenthal on more than one occasion and the label definitely fits.

Refusing to serve drinks with ice or fruit, Mr.Lyan has changed the mixology game in more ways than one. Like Blumenthal he also invests in new technologies in food, such as distillates, bone tincture, pastes and various powders, and he is masterful in his use of these.

He is taking our preconceptions of cocktails and mixing spirits to new levels of thinking and creating some of the most interesting and enthralling concoctions the industry has seen in a long time.

He has set about revitalising the industry and giving it a healthy dose of innovation, all from inside the White Lyan.

What makes this bar special isn’t only the lack of ice or fruit. Rather it is the in-house only cocktails list, with truly amazing drinks that are only made from own brand and self sourced spirits.

As well as this, the cocktails aren’t made right in front of you like they are with every other cocktail in the world. Instead, they come pre-mixed, allowing the flavours to fully meet and intertwine.

If you notice anything about the drinks at White Lyan it will definitely be that they offer something completely unique and unheard of in the drinks world.

Pre-mixing and bottling also ensures that every version of the cocktail served tastes the same. This is also the reason no ice or fruit is used.

Ice melts and fruit can vary in flavour, but with pre-mixed drinks and no ice or fruit there is no risk of affecting the quality of the drink.

Mr.Lyan is at the heart of his creations and has won an incredible amount of awards for his hard work, including International Bartender of the Year 2015 at

Tales of the Cocktail and Innovator of the Year 2014 at the Imbibe Awards.

He pours himself into every drink and is only too happy to share those with his customers.

Not only does he sell his cocktails from behind the bar, but he also makes them available online and to buy by the bottle in White Lyan and Selfridges.

White Lyan is certainly worth a visit and for those who think it sounds pretentious need only pay it a visit to see that it is not.

The aim of the bar is not to create exclusivity or balk at time old traditions, but to innovate and create and share this with the wider public.

Art is no longer confined to galleries and museums, it is being crafted in the White Lyan.

Tags: CocktailsDrinkWireflavoursMixologypalatespiritsWhite Lyan

Greg

My name is Greg, and I’m a brand strategy consultant, writer, speaker, host and judge specialising in premium spirits. My mission is to experience, share and inspire with everything great about whisky, whiskey, gin, beer and fine dining through my writing, my brand building and my whisky tastings.