The Drouthy Cobbler
48a, High St, Elgin
What is it: I love my whisky and this has led me to spend quite a lot of time in and around the world-famous whisky region of Speyside which has around half of the distilleries in Scotland crammed into a relatively small area, ensuring I can visit as many as possible when I am there. Most of the time I would base myself in "The Lantern of the North", better known as Elgin. The Drouthy Cobbler has been opened for quite a few years and in that time has built up a loyal following due to its great offering in authentic yet modern pub surroundings.
Interesting fact: The name of the bar comes from a man called John Shanks. John was a cobbler, living on the north side of Elgin High Street. Appointed keeper of Elgin Cathedral in about 1824, he immediately set to work to clear away the accumulated rubbish that had remained there since the collapse of the central tower in 1711. John removed 3,000 barrowfuls of rubbish, laid bare the foundations of the pillars, the elevations at the altar and the steps at the West Gate. No-one who knew this Elgin shoemaker in 1824 had the slightest idea that he would ever be celebrated as the restorer and saviour of the "Lantern of the North". His thirst for whisky garnered him the "drouthy" sobriquet: drouthy being an old Scots word for thirsty, especially a keen thirst for strong liquor.
Verdict: The Drouthy has been here quite a few years and I actually don't know how I managed to miss it before. I was meeting colleagues for dinner and some drinks and was recommended the place to try out. My first impression was the almost hidden entrance up a small alley and into a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere in modern pub surrounding. The staff here really make it stand out for me – attentive, friendly and obviously happy in their job. I will be back here for sure next time I am up in this beautiful part of the country.
Drink: They tick almost all the boxes here. Over 130 whiskies, cocktails, wine, and a really good beer selection. The staff know their stuff as well and are more than happy to introduce you to new whiskies and local beers. I had a Sunshine on Keith IPA, which was zesty, refreshing and packed with flavour and paired that with a Macallan Edition no 3 Single Malt.
Food: As well as the main menu they also offer a great bar bites menu which is perfect for keeping yourself fuelled while enjoyed the extensive list of beer and whisky. You have to try the haggis bites and the Scottish scampi.
Prices: I found the prices pretty good here. It may be a bit more expensive than some of the other local pubs but the offering here is definitely a notch above.
Children: Children are more than welcome here. They don't have a children's menu as such but are happy to offer a children's portion of most dishes.
Alfresco: Great outside area with picnic benches in the alleyway, the only downside is that on the sunny days it probably only gets the suns rays for around and hour.
Perfect for: Travelling around Speyside for the day visiting distilleries then heading up to Elgin for the night and settling down in the Drouthy for some food and drinks.
Avoid if: You just stick to your big city hangouts and can’t be bothered exploring our beautiful country.
Follow me on twitter @andydrink or on Facebook
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here