Ringbearer whisky tasting

The Lost Close is running a series of Lord of the Rings themed events and tastings of the new Ringbearer whisky, starting on 1 January 2027. It's a single malt marking 25 years since The Fellowship of the Ring had its world premiere, distilled by New Zealand's Pōkeno Whisky Company in the country where the trilogy was filmed, in partnership with collectibles creator Syzygy Forge.

The venue itself is one of Edinburgh's more atmospheric hidden spots: an underground close beneath the city's Old Police Chambers, just off the Royal Mile. It was discovered under rubble from the Great Edinburgh Fire of 1824, and during the building's renovation, workers found a Victorian Crossley engine built in 1878. It's the second-oldest surviving Crossley four-stroke engine in the world and the oldest in Europe, and it's still on display there. These days the room hosts whisky, gin and beer tastings alongside walking tours of the Old Town's history.

So the tasting sits in a space that's as much about the city's own buried history as the whisky is about Middle-earth. The Ringbearer itself comes from Pōkeno, an award-winning distillery in New Zealand, the same country where the trilogy was filmed. It's an officially licensed single malt, released to mark a quarter-century since the first film premiered.

It's part of a wider run of Lord of the Rings events the venue is hosting, so this is one of several themed nights rather than a one-off. Tickets are £89.99, and you'll find it at The Lost Close, 1 Barrie's Close, Edinburgh EH1 1RF.