First look: Inverurie Whisky Shop to open new bar The Foghouse

At least 400 bottles of whisky will be on the shelves at new whisky and wine bar The Foghouse in Inverurie.

This is the latest project from Mike Stuart, founder of Inverurie Whisky Shop and Foghouse Spirits.

The new bar, which features a whisky lounge and tasting rooms, will be open to the public this Saturday July 5.

The Press and Journal got an exclusive sneak peek inside the new venue ahead of the opening.

So why a whisky and wine bar?

Mike with his wife, Toni Stuart, at The Foghouse. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Mike tells me: “Whisky and wine are community drinks.

“They bring people together from across budgets, class, work life.

“Someone that’s drinking a supermarket dram gets as much respect as somebody who’s forking out on something that is 30 or 40 years old.

“We hope to have a range that will span everything.

“It is not just a whisky and wine and whisky bar for the elitist.

“People can come in and just enjoy a coffee as well.”

The Foghouse to be a place for ‘zen’ in Inverurie centre

This new bar marks the next phase for Inverurie Whisky Shop.

The Foghouse bar opens this weekend, and it is hoped by September this year that the adjacent space on the corner will become their new shop.

Meanwhile though, Inverurie Whisky Shop remains up and running on Burn Lane.

Mike explains: “We opened Inverurie Whisky Shop ten years ago, and it was always intended to be more than a whisky shop: to offer experiences, training, tastings.

“Where we are is great but I think we have maybe outgrown the space.

Mike noses a dram. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

“We launched Foghouse Spirits in 2020, inspired by the fog house on Bennachie, which was a secret place for the laird of Pittodrie House to go and be on their own in a moment of reflection and unwind – maybe with a dram.

“We like the idea of creating a modern equivalent of that: a place where people can come and relax, get a comfy seat with friends – without loud music or sports.

“It’s a place to stimulate conversation, but also to allow people to find their own fog house, their own zen where they can come and relax.”

Charcuterie boards, whisky tasting and more at The Foghouse, Inverurie

So far, the reception to the bar on social media and on Inverurie’s streets has been very positive, says Inverurie born and bred Mike.

“There have been a lot of people stopping in the street to ask about us,” he adds.

“So hopefully they come have a look when we open too.”

The whisky lounge at The Foghouse in Inverurie. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

The main area at The Foghouse is a whisky lounge, where people can sit or stand and try out the whisky and wine offering.

And if you’re not a fan of wine or whisky, the bar will also serve gin, rum, brandy, vodka, beer and more.

The food menu will be limited to begin with, featuring charcuterie, bread and olives.

Some of the whisky available at The Foghouse. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

But the team will also offer specialist tastings paired with chocolate, fish and cheese.

The redecorated space at the back of The Foghouse will be used as overspill, but also as tasting rooms for whisky and wine tastings.

Wine and whisky flights will be available for individuals, or privately for groups of six to eight people.

The team also plan to launch a whisky and wine club. With different tiers of membership, customers can store whisky in cages onsite.

There will be more information about the scheme coming out in due course.

What’s new at 55-57 Market Place, Inverurie?

The building was previously home to family-run Spanish restaurant Siesta Tapas, which opened in December 2023 and sadly closed in February this year.

The Market Place stretch was occupied by Via Roma for 17 years prior to this.

Since taking the keys in April this year, Mike, alongside his parents and wife, Toni, has been renovating the space.

Mike at The Foghouse. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

The space is now painted an elegant shade of dark green, with new flooring and décor added.

Whisky is in every inch of the space: staves from ex-Bourbon American oak casks line the walls, accentuated with lighting.

There are casks lids decorating the bar too, plus a selection of 400 bottles of whisky behind the bar and 26 bottles of wine.

Mike credits Steve Reid, creative director and founder at SetForth Studio – working with Imajica Brand Evolution at the time – with this creative look which also appears at Inverurie Whisky Shop. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

The artwork at The Foghouse also pays homage to the greats in the whisky and wine industry.

“Local legend” Dr Rachel Barrie, known as ‘The First Lady of Scotch’, features on the walls at The Foghouse, as does Stephanie McLeod, master blender at Dewar’s distillery.