Whiskey in Milan: Irish Fire in the Heart of Italy

Last Updated: August 22, 2025 by Michael Kahn. Published: August 22, 2025.

Milan. The city where espresso is religion, aperitivo is ritual, and fashion is a full-time sport. You don’t come here expecting to find Irish whiskey reverently poured into Glencairns by men with tattoos and opinions. You come for the risotto, the Duomo, and to burn through your credit card on Via Montenapoleone. But if you know where to look—really look—beneath the Italian leather and under the Armani suits, there’s a quiet, smouldering whiskey scene taking shape. And in a few dimly lit bars tucked into unassuming streets, Ireland is making itself known.

This isn’t Dublin. You’re not going to stumble upon a wood-panelled pub with a weathered sign swinging in the rain. Milanese whiskey culture is sleek, deliberate, curated. It’s Milan, after all, presentation matters. But behind the design, there’s depth. And if you’re craving a pour of Redbreast 27 neat, you’re in the right city, if you know where to drink.

Backdoor43: The Smallest Bar in the World with the Biggest Selection

First stop: Backdoor43. You’ve probably seen it on some listicle claiming it’s the smallest bar on Earth. Four seats. That’s it. You book in advance, slip inside, and suddenly it’s just you, the bartender, and a back wall that looks like an altar to fermented grain. It’s whiskey-forward, no-nonsense, and oddly intimate. Like being let into a secret society.

Here, I went straight for a pour of Redbreast 27. A whiskey that doesn’t whisper—this one sings. Tropical fruit, pineapple, mango, over a base of mature oak and warming spices. The ruby port casks leave a long, luscious finish that lingers like a beautiful goodbye. It’s not a drink—it’s a goddamned aria. In Milan, it fits.

The bartender, a moustached Milanese named Carlo who’s been to Dublin three times and now considers himself an honorary Irishman, raises an eyebrow. “That’s your choice?” he says. “You have taste.” No argument there.

The Spirit: Where the Bottles Are Better Dressed Than You

Next, The Spirit. Walk past it twice before you realize it’s not another high-end tailor. You step inside and it’s all dark wood, low lighting, and glass cases like museum displays. The selection is absurd—Scotland, Japan, Taiwan—but it’s the Irish lineup that makes you lean in. Someone here gets it.

I order a Midleton Very Rare 2022, because sometimes you want to taste something that reminds you why the Irish are poets. This isn’t a barroom brawler, it’s a gentleman in a tuxedo. Velvety, nuanced, with vanilla, toasted oak, and a citrus brightness that sneaks up on you like a compliment from a stranger. It’s a special kind of drinker who orders this in Milan. You’re probably not here by accident.

The patrons here sip slowly, like they’re in no rush to be anywhere else. The kind of bar where you keep your phone in your pocket and listen to vinyl spin in the background. And here’s the thing: the bartenders don’t just know their product, they respect it. They’ll talk you through your pour like it’s a fine suit, tailored to fit.

Rita & Cocktails: Where You Go When You Want to Drink Well and Feel Alive

If Backdoor43 is intimacy and The Spirit is elegance, Rita & Cocktails is where you go to remember why bars matter in the first place. It’s noisy, it’s packed, and the energy is pure Milan. The cocktail program is excellent, but ask the bartender to set you up with something from their Irish stash and watch their eyes light up.

“Red Spot?” she says, grinning like she’s been waiting for someone to ask. “You’re going to like this.”

And she’s right. Red Spot is balanced chaos. It’s got bourbon sweetness, sherry richness, and the wild card of Marsala wine casks, which throws the whole thing into beautiful, unpredictable territory. It’s like jazz in a bottle—smooth, but not afraid to improvise. It’s one of those whiskeys you can drink at the start of a night and again at the end. It changes with you.

Here, among the noise and neon, Red Spot feels alive. It’s a whiskey that demands to be felt, not just tasted.

The Italian Whiskey Awakening

So what’s the deal with Italy and whiskey? 

Why are Milanese bartenders waxing poetic about pot still and Madeira casks?

Simple: they care. They’ve been watching. And while Italy has always been known for amari, grappa, and wine that could make you weep, the whiskey wave has landed. Not as a fad, but as a slow-burn obsession. Whiskey bars are popping up in Milan, Rome, and Bologna. There’s an appetite for quality, for storytelling in a glass. And Irish whiskey, with its rebirth, its accessibility, and its soul, is filling that space.

Italians aren’t drinking whiskey to be trendy. They’re drinking it because it tastes good. Because it tells a story. Because it pairs well with conversation, with midnight, with jazz records and old friends. Sound familiar?

The Milano whiskey festival allows the average schmuck a sneak peek past the curtain and into this vibrant scene. 

Coda

Milan may not be the first place you think of when it comes to Irish whiskey. But that’s the point. These bars, Backdoor43, The Spirit, Rita & Cocktails, they’re not tourist traps. They’re sanctuaries. Shrines to the craft, to the grain, to the people behind the bottle.

And when you sip Redbreast 27 under a Milanese sky, with the scent of Campari and car exhaust in the air, you realise something:

Good whiskey doesn’t need to be home to be understood. Sometimes, it just needs a quiet bar, a clean glass, and someone who gives a damn.

Stay hungry. Stay thirsty. Milan’s waiting.