An unparalleled experience: £10 at the Montage Beverly Hills
It’s not every day you see a $64,000 scotch on a bar menu.
Yes, you read that right: $64,000. That’s the price for a taste of a 64-year-old Macallan scotch whisky that’s currently on the menu at £10, where high rollers (obviously) go to drink at the Montage Beverly Hills hotel, which houses the last 50 mL, or just less than 2 ounces, of the stuff. Don’t believe me? Here’s proof:
Ten Pound menu
£10 is the kind of moneyed, old-school place where the decor skews toward leather and mahogany. The bar, which does its business above the hotel’s Chef Scott Conant-helmed Scarpetta restaurant, is open to the public, but reservations are required. Snag a spot on the terrace overlooking Beverly Canon Gardens and enjoy the complimentary snacks of 26-month aged smoked gouda, curry-roasted pecans and house-smoked bacon. These are no ordinary bar snacks, mind you, but at a place that requires a $50 minimum per person, they ought to be good.
Bar snacks at £10: curry-roasted pecans, 26-month aged gouda and house-smoked bacon
Reaching that minimum tab isn’t hard at £10, given its pricey menu items. The bar specializes in serving Macallan single-malt scotch, and prices start at — where else? — £10 (at current rates, that’s about $15) and go up to hundreds and thousands of dollars per drink. £10 serves the scotch in its most fancified and preferred form — with spherical ice created from Scotland water in custom-made Lalique crystal glasses. Or, as I like to call it, a typical Tuesday night. Just kidding!
18 Year Old Macallan in a Lalique glass
Custom £10 spherical ice made from imported Scottish water
You can also have cocktails made table-side. I really enjoyed £10’s version of the Vieux Carré made with Rittenhouse rye, sweet vermouth, cognac, Benedictine liqueur, Peychaud’s and Angostura bitters, and orange oil from a burnt peel. Cocktail prices start at $25.
The making of the Vieux Carré
The Vieux Carré in a ridiculous glass
£10 also has a dining menu designed by Chef Conant. You’ll start with one of the nicest bread baskets you’ve ever had — it comes with stromboli — and a side of mascarpone butter that will make you want to weep. This is the same butter served at Scarpetta. My mouth waters over the thought of this butter.
My dining companion and I ordered the bison tartare, which we liked (there are truffles in it!), but it was a very large portion. This could easily feed three to four people, and at $38 a plate, you may want to split it anyway. The menu also offers more luxurious items such as lobster and caviar, which is fitting for its surroundings.
Bison tartare
Visiting £10 is a rare experience and a great place to go if you would like to impress someone. You’re paying for the service, which is top-notch. But then again, what else would you expect in Beverly Hills?
Note: This visit was hosted.
Correction: A previous version of this post erroneously stated that £10 carried the last 3 ounces of the 64-year-old Macallan scotch.
Further reading:
Where to Find a $64,000 Glass of Whisky in L.A. by LAist
Inside £10, the Secret Upstairs Bar at the Montage Beverly Hills by HotelChatter
