Marble Arch Whisky Bar: Salt's £50 Single Malt Tour

Salt Whisky Bar and Dining Room is at 82 Seymour Street, London W2 2JB, on the corner by Marble Arch, and it pairs a lit display case of around 200 whiskies with a North Indian menu. It opens at noon every day, serves guided tasting tours from £47 per person for two or more, and keeps an outdoor shisha lounge. If you want a whisky bar in London where you can eat properly and taste your way through the regions, this is a practical choice.

The address is 82 Seymour Street, Tyburnia, London W2 2JB. The bar's website says it stands on the corner of Marble Arch in the heart of central London, and Marble Arch station on the Central line is the obvious way in. The bar also lists an email address at saltbar.com for general enquiries.

The room was designed by Steve Seary Architects, and the about page describes a mix of austere wenge and warm black walnut hardwoods with dark natural slate cladding, bespoke wood and leather furniture, and a frosted glass-lit bar. The centrepiece is an illuminated display case housing the whisky collection, which the website puts at around 200 bottles from around the world.

Salt runs guided tasting sessions, which it calls whisky tours. Trained staff lead you through a sample of roughly 20ml, a wee dram, from each region, and explain the history and character of the whisky. Scotland's malt whisky comes from six traditional areas: Highland, Lowland, Campbeltown, Speyside, Islands and Islay. The tours are run during quieter periods, require a minimum of two people, and add an optional 12.5 percent service charge.

Four tours are listed on the website. Salt Single Malt Scotch Whisky Tour A costs £50 per person and covers Tomatin 12 Years, Auchentoshan 12 Years, Springbank 10 Years, Macallan Gold and Laphroaig 10 Years. The International Tour costs £52 and moves through Speyside, Irish, Japanese, Indian and American whiskies, including Suntory Hibiki Harmony and Amrut. Tour B costs £54, and the Bourbon Tour costs £47.

For a first visit, Tour A at £50 is the cleanest way to learn the map of Scotch, because each glass comes from a different region, from the Highlands to Islay. Tour B at £54 steps up to Glenmorangie Nectar d'Or, Auchentoshan Three Wood, Tomatin 14 Port Cask Finish, Cragganmore Distillers Edition and Lagavulin Distillers Edition, which suits someone who already knows the basics and wants richer finishes.

The International Tour at £52 is the one to pick if your group does not agree on Scotch, because it sets Glenfiddich Solera Reserve, Connemara Original, Suntory Hibiki Harmony, Amrut and Jim Beam Double Oak side by side. Skip the Bourbon Tour at £47 if you came for Scotch, since it covers Kentucky and Tennessee bottles such as Blanton's Gold, Bulleit Rye, Maker's Mark and Gentleman Jack. The website adds that the bottles listed for each tour depend on what is in stock, so ask which ones are pouring.

Salt describes itself as an Indian dining room as well as a whisky bar, and the menu leans on North Indian traditions with a contemporary twist. Dishes named on the website include Chilli Chicken, Dal Makhani, Murgh Malai Kebab and Lamb Chops. The kitchen takes last orders at 11:30pm.

The bar's website says booking is for the dining tables only, so you can walk in for drinks but need a reservation if you want a table for dinner. Because tasting tours run during quieter periods, ask when you book whether a tour can be arranged around your table time.

Salt is open Monday to Saturday from 12 noon to 1am and on Sunday from 12 noon to 12:30am. The kitchen's last orders are at 11:30pm. Because the bar opens at noon, a quiet weekday afternoon is the natural time for a tasting tour, when the room is less busy and the bartenders have time to talk.

The website also advertises an outdoor shisha lounge with a premium range of shisha tobacco from around the world, a large cocktail menu and an Indian food offering. If shisha is not for you, the indoor bar and dining room are the main draw, and the about page says the bartenders will help you find the right drink for your palate.

The bar's events page has listed live Bollywood nights and comedy nights, and the website invites guests to book the dining room and the whisky bar for gatherings. A tasting tour is a good fit for a small group because the minimum is two people and each guest gets a flight of regional drams to compare.

For a larger table, call the bar before you arrive rather than relying on a walk-in, and ask whether the tour you want can be run for the group at the time you plan to visit.

Marble Arch sits at the corner of Hyde Park, so a walk along the park's edge before or after a tasting is easy. Edgware Road, with its long run of Middle Eastern restaurants, is a short distance to the west, and Oxford Street begins at the arch for shopping. Seymour Street itself is a quieter stretch of terraces.

After a tour, the Central line from Marble Arch station gets you back into the West End or east towards the City. The bar closes at 1am from Monday to Saturday, so last Tube times matter if you plan a long evening.

Address: 82 Seymour Street, Tyburnia, London W2 2JB. Hours: Monday to Saturday 12 noon to 1am, Sunday 12 noon to 12:30am. Kitchen last orders: 11:30pm. Whisky tours: Tour A £50, International £52, Tour B £54, Bourbon £47 per person, minimum two people, optional 12.5 percent service charge. Booking applies to dining tables only.

Ask Karpo APP for other whisky bars and tasting rooms near Marble Arch and Mayfair when you want a second stop.