Comedy whisky tasting led by Scottish comedian Daniel Downie, with a flight of four Scottish malts and his K9 sidekick Brahan.
Daniel Downie brings his Mountebank Comedy Whisky Tasting to The Stand Comedy Club on Thursday 29 October. It's a tasting and a comedy set rolled into one, and it's Downie leading the whole thing. He's a Scottish comedian and a historian of Scottish history with an MLitt from the University of Dundee, and he describes himself as a self-confessed whisky 'baw-bag'.
The tasting itself is a flight of four malt whiskies, each from a different distilling region of Scotland. As you work through them, Downie talks through the distilling process and the drink's history and cultural significance. It's a good way to get a handle on why Scottish whisky tastes the way it does, and where the different regions fit into the picture.
Downie's not new to this. In 2019 he launched the Mountebank Comedy Walk of Edinburgh, the city's first comedy walking tour, which later became the only Scottish experience to make TripAdvisor's Top Ten Experiences in the UK. The tasting followed in early 2025. He's brought several sell-out shows about Scotland to the Edinburgh Fringe, is a regular on the Scottish comedy circuit, and hosts the Mountebank History of Scotland podcast, which pokes fun at the hysterical and ridiculous side of Scottish history, from William Wallace to Susan Boyle. Critics have called the tasting a 'hysterical and historical' whisky experience, and The Scotsman put it bluntly: 'In the curriculum of your Fringe visit, Daniel should be compulsory'.
Every week we pick 🏆 the 5 best 🏆 things to do in Edinburgh and send them to your inbox. Just one weekly email, no spam.
By submitting your email, you accept our Privacy Policy
He'll be joined by his K9 sidekick Brahan. The session runs for about 90 minutes, with doors opening at 14:45 and the tasting starting at 15:00. You'll find it at The Stand Comedy Club, 5 York Place, Edinburgh New Town EH1 3EB.
