Helsinki Whiskey Week 2026: 13 bars, one drink each, and where to find them

Helsinki has plenty of good whisky bars and talented bartenders, and most of them deserve more attention than they get. For Whiskey Week, every bar on the list picks one drink it stands behind. At the cocktail bars, the Week cocktail costs 10 euros. The whisky houses and pubs pour their pick neat or paired with a beer.

No tickets, no sign-up. Walk in, ask for the Week drink, and ask the bartender why that whisky. Check each bar's opening hours on its own website before you head out, as some are closed early in the week.

South: from Jätkäsaari to Kaartinkaupunki

The southern loop starts by the sea. Barley & Bait in Jätkäsaari, the new harbourside district west of the centre, builds its Loch & Loaded from GlenAllachie 12, DK Butterscotch, allspice syrup, lime and Fever-Tree Ginger Beer. The same whisky is also poured neat, 2 cl for five euros. Why GlenAllachie? "It isn't the biggest or the loudest, but they do things properly and with a big heart." On Thursday 8 October the bar holds a whisky day, with selected whiskies at 3 to 6 euros (2 cl) all day.

Välimerenkatu 20, Jätkäsaari

In Kaartinkaupunki, two Week bars sit a couple of blocks apart. Pub Ludvig is a British-style pub where whisky and cocktails meet. Its My sweet Islay pairs Bowmore 9 with mango-miso syrup, orange bitters and a passion fruit and vanilla mixer.

"If Islay were in the tropics, it would live in this glass," says bartender Jenna Vuokila.

The Bowmore is also available neat, or with a Marble Earl Grey IPA.

Ludviginkatu 1, Kaartinkaupunki

Bar Mate goes for an autumn sour. The Un-peel-ievable Sour puts Jack Daniel's Tennessee Apple together with chai spices and lemon. If you're hungry, the HDF Combo for 18 euros brings the sour, a 2 cl pour of Woodford Reserve bourbon and arancini.

Pieni Roobertinkatu 9, Kaartinkaupunki

Goldfish in Ullanlinna will announce its Week drink shortly.

Korkeavuorenkatu 21, Ullanlinna

City centre and Kamppi

The five bars in the centre are all within walking distance of each other. Catfish in Kamppi makes a Shanghai Highball with Glenrothes 12 single malt and lychee-infused black Chinese tea.

Arkadiankatu 6, Kamppi

A few blocks away, Teerenpeli Kamppi pours Kulo 7, a sherry-cask single malt from its own distillery in Lahti, at 7.50 euros for 2 cl. Show a Whiskey Edition ticket and you get 10% off the house whiskies, plus two house beers (0.4 l) at 7 and 8.20 euros.

Olavinkatu 2, Kamppi

Yeastie Boi hides in a courtyard off Annankatu. Its Rhubarbarella Sour is bourbon, homemade strawberry and rhubarb syrup, and lemon. The Rhubarbarella Sour costs 10 euros, and The Devil's Sting together with a Rhubarbarella Sour is 20 euros. Come hungry: in our opinion, this is where Finland's best bagels are made.

Annankatu 29 B, courtyard

Hotel Torni has two Week bars under one roof. American Bar makes its Berry Spicy with Buffalo Trace, blackberry and juniper, berry liqueur, spiced honey, lemon and thyme. In the same building, Pub O'Malley's pairs a Guinness (0.5 l) with Jameson Caskmates Stout Edition (4 cl) for 18.80 euros. The house calls it the signature pairing of Finland's first Irish pub.

Hotel Torni, Yrjönkatu 26

Kallio and Teurastamo

The northern loop starts in Kallio, Helsinki's bar-dense neighbourhood just north of the centre, and ends at Teurastamo, the old abattoir complex a short tram ride further on. Twenty Four Social Club seasons Bulleit Rye with miso and shakes it with Braastad VSOP cognac, lemon and sugar syrup into a Miso Sour. "Miso brings an umami side that we pair with the spice of the rye."

Kolmas linja 6, Kallio

The Firm on Fleminginkatu makes a Peach Whiskey Highball with Irish Roe & Co, peach and soda. The gildas are included in the 10-euro price.

Fleminginkatu 10, Kallio

At Teurastamo, two Week bars share a courtyard. Tislaamo is the bar of Helsinki Distilling Company, so you drink the whisky where it's made. The Week cocktail is the New Helsinki Sour, and the house flagship, Helsinki Whiskey Rye Malt Sherry Cask #25, is also poured neat (2 cl, 9 euros): a sherry-cask rye malt made from Finnish grain. Add a tuna tartlet on the side.

Työpajankatu 2 a R3, Teurastamo

A few steps away, B-Side Bar makes a Stout Fashioned from Maker's Mark, stout, chocolate bitters and sugar. The bar's own B-Side Corn Whiskey was distilled together with Helsinki Distilling Company (4 cl, 11.70 euros). The Pickle Back is served with Four Roses, 8 euros. On Wednesday 7 October at 8pm there's a pub quiz with a whisky round, and on Saturday 10 October at 8pm the week wraps up at Möyhy Club.

Työpajankatu 2 a R1 D, Teurastamo

How to do the week

Two or three bars make a good evening if you stay in one area. The Kaartinkaupunki bars are a short walk apart, the centre loop runs from Kamppi to Hotel Torni, and at Teurastamo, Tislaamo and B-Side share the same courtyard. Map and every offer: hdf.fi/whiskey-week.

Dates for the calendar:

• Fri 2 Oct Week starts, Week drinks on the menu at every bar
• Wed 7 Oct, 8pm Pub quiz with a whisky round, B-Side Bar
• Thu 8 Oct Whisky day, Barley & Bait
• Fri–Sat 9–10 Oct HDF Whiskey Edition, Vanha ylioppilastalo
• Sat 10 Oct, 8pm Möyhy Club, B-Side Bar

The weekend finale: Whiskey Edition

The week ends at HDF Whiskey Edition at Vanha ylioppilastalo, the Old Student House on Mannerheimintie, on 9 and 10 October. Distilleries, importers and bars fill the building, and this year's theme country is Ireland. On both nights a rare bottle is opened once an hour, and on Friday the Whisky Awards results are announced in eight categories.

You don't need to know anything about whisky beforehand. There are tastings for first-timers: Single Malt Basics covers the essentials, and in the Around the World Blind Challenge you guess, as a group, which country each whisky comes from. Tasting tickets are sold separately.

HDF Whiskey Week and Whiskey Edition

• Whiskey Week: 2–10 October 2026, 13 bars, map and offers at hdf.fi/whiskey-week
• Opening hours: check each bar's own website
• Whiskey Edition: Fri 9 Oct 4–11pm and Sat 10 Oct 3–11pm
• Venue: Vanha ylioppilastalo, Mannerheimintie 3, Helsinki
• Tickets: Fri 16 €, Sat 20 €, Weekend Pass 32 €. Tastings sold separately.
• Age limit: 18+

Get your Whiskey Edition tickets