Couple aim to toast exit from lockdown with the launch of their new whisky bar in capital
HALFWAY down one of Edinburgh’s most popular streets, there are bartenders with paint on their clothes and a skip in their step.
They have been working tirelessly during the coronavirus lockdown to make the dreams of Jane Nolan and partner Nick come true – in the form of a brand-new whisky bar on Leith Walk set to open its doors on Monday.
The Mother Superior, inspired initially by the film that many say put Edinburgh on the movie map, is a “bar made from bartenders”, according to Jane, who hopes it will pull in whisky lovers and those new to the dram through its doors.
“There’s a thing about whisky that you have to spend loads of money and know the tasting nodes,” she admits. “But I don’t think that’s the way it should be.
“If you enjoy whisky, you enjoy whisky. And we’ll try our hardest to find the right one for you.”
Originally hailing from Ireland, Jane managed another popular
Edinburgh bar, the Black Cat, before deciding to branch out on her own.
She showed interest in the bar, originally the Bar Brig, just a few months before Scotland went into lockdown and took the plunge in the weeks the country began to close.
But, with new Covid safety measures in place and the health of her team paramount, Jane was stuck for contractors to turn her ambitions into a reality.
“My partner is a carpenter, which is perfect, but all other trades we’ve had to put them off till now to prevent risking health,” she explained.
“But, because of this, my whole bar has basically been built by my friends.
“It’s so good knowing the journey we’ve been on to get to this stage. There’s going to be so many memories here.”
Many pubs across Scotland are due to open their doors today, in line with phase three of the Scottish Government’s route map out of lockdown.
The team had originally thought of following through with their Trainspotting-inspired theme and had decked the walls in the film’s trademark orange, black and white.
When that did not quite offer the result that they had originally envisaged, they went back to the drawing board, with help from local independent design team Arkdefo.
It is those kinds of mistakes that
Jane says really makes the bar their own.
“We’re not professionals,” she admits. “When we’ve made mistakes, we just roll with it.
It is not just time and effort that Jane has contributed; she is also pouring her own extensive collection of whisky into the bar.
Made up of about 45 bottles of the traditional drink, the collection will sell for the same price as she bought it – and there will be hundreds of others on offer.
Jane says she wants to make whisky accessible for everyone, and to invite first-time tasters to join in.