Nihon Whisky Lounge is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

1. Nihon Whisky Lounge

7.8
1779 Folsom St (at 14th St), San Francisco, CA
Whisky Bar · Mission District · 109 tips and reviews

Sanjay K.Sanjay Kewlani: Fantastic food and a whole range of Whiskey!

Susan L.Susan Loh: Classy and intimate spot in the most random part of the Mission. Great selection of whisky, superb happy hour, and get the agedashi tofu with a side of rice.

Pete I.Pete Ippel: Come with friends who know their whiskey lounge and you'll leave enlightened. Bar staff is also well educated. Fun place to relax and chat.

Bourbon & Branch is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

2. Bourbon & Branch

8.7
501 Jones St (at O'Farrell St), San Francisco, CA
Speakeasy · Tenderloin · 318 tips and reviews

Charbay W.Charbay Winery and Distillery: Amazing cocktails, fabulous bartenders and hard to find libations (read: Charbay Whiskey II, Doubled & Twisted, etc). Always a good time!

The Daily MealThe Daily Meal: A date night that’s drinks-focused is still a date and the location should be chosen wisely. Bourbon and Branch is the right atmosphere with mood lighting, cozy booths, and creative minds tending bar. Read more.

Kim L.Kim Le: The imperial eagle is a great drink for bourbon lovers

Healthy Spirits is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

3. Healthy Spirits

9.1
2299 15th St (at Castro St), San Francisco, CA
Liquor Store · Duboce Triangle · 37 tips and reviews

Jeffrey J.Jeffrey Johnson: Both the bourbon and beer clubs are great!

Sean M.Sean McBride: Whiskey, craft beer, and hummus. Plus extras. What more could you want? I love this store.

Kevin C.Kevin Carter: go browse the amazing beer and whiskey selection

Rickhouse is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

4. Rickhouse

8.1
246 Kearny St (at Bush St), San Francisco, CA
Cocktail Bar · Downtown San Francisco-Union Square · 250 tips and reviews

matt o.matt oesterle: best cocktails in SF, if you don't include sister bar bourbon & branch. vieux carre is my personal favorite. punch bowls great for large groups if you are lucky enough to find seating.

Jaimy S.Jaimy Szymanski: Avoid like the plague during weekday happy hour - too crowded with FiDi bros. Otherwise, expertly crafted cocktails and a fantastic whiskey selection. Nice atmosphere, too!

Billy A.Billy Anders: Get the Laphroaig Project and Penicillin if you want awesome Scotch cocktails

Cask is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

5. Cask

8.6
17 3rd St (at Market St.), San Francisco, CA
Liquor Store · SoMa · 45 tips and reviews

The Bold ItalicThe Bold Italic: Excellent selection of bourbon, with bottles from $20 to $200, and it's all very good. Read more.

S M.S MC: Amazing selection of bourbon & other spirits

AdiAdi: Awesome selection of Scotches and Bourbons! They'll gift wrap it for free. Excellent customer service!

The Alembic is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

6. The Alembic

8.8
1725 Haight St (btwn Cole & Shrader St), San Francisco, CA
Cocktail Bar · Haight Ashbury · 236 tips and reviews

Tantek Ç.Tantek Çelik: sit at the bar and ask the bartender for their personal whiskey or bourbon recommendation. neat of course.

Keith S.Keith Skirbe: Beer battered rockfish sandie!!! Great cocktails and if you like bourbon and whiskey they have a great selection

Michael L.Michael Lunøe: Really nice cocktails! Awesome selection of whiskey! Food is pretty good too!

Rye is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

7. Rye

8.5
688 Geary St (at Leavenworth St), San Francisco, CA
Cocktail Bar · Lower Nob Hill · 141 tips and reviews

James Y.James Yu: Get the Dark and Stormy, a nice mixture of ginger beer and bourbon

SFGate M.SFGate Manager: As its name suggests, this sleek bar in a gentler section of the Tenderloin specializes in rye whiskey and specialty cocktails made with rye and other spirits.

Eric N.Eric Nelson: Great for unique bourbon and rye and the bartenders are very knowledgeable

Local Edition is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

8. Local Edition

8.4
691 Market St (at 3rd St), San Francisco, CA
Cocktail Bar · SoMa · 267 tips and reviews

SHOWRUNNERSHOWRUNNER: Great, strong cocktails in the loungey basement of the Hearst Building. I like the Eagle (bourbon, homemade root beer syrup, soda).

Drew W.Drew W: Great scotch/ whiskey/ bourbon selection.

Rouven W.Rouven Weßling: Great whisky based cocktails! Try the Lieutenant Governor if you like scotch.

Humphry Slocombe is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

9. Humphry Slocombe

9.0
2790 Harrison St (at 24th St), San Francisco, CA
Ice Cream Parlor · Mission District · 375 tips and reviews

Eli R.Eli Reyes: Shorter lines than Bi-Rite and the ice cream flavors are so different. Try the Secret Breakfast (Bourbon and Corn Flakes) and the Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee - those are a MUST!

Priya S.Priya Saiprasad: Order the brown sugar fennel along with the secret breakfast. The combo of bourbon, cornflakes and brown sugar is delicious

Minyi S.Minyi Shih: Combine Secret Breakfast (bourbon w/cornflakes) & Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee flavors to get the perfect cup!

The Epicurean Trader is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

10. The Epicurean Trader

9.1
401 Cortland Ave (at Bennington St), San Francisco, CA
Gourmet Store · Bernal Heights · 19 tips and reviews

Mathieu V.Mathieu Verbeeck: A curated selection of the most amazing wines, whiskey's, coffees, teas and cheese/chocolate delicacies. Serving free coffee on Saturday's as well.

timoni w.timoni west: Despite the name, really the best of all things: best chocolate, best whiskey, best wine, best shrubs.

Matthew B.Matthew Brennan: Best selection of craft whiskey & craft spirits in SF. Very fair prices and hard to find whiskies. Great selection of artisanal cheese, pantry items and oils and vinegars. Amazing sandwiches too!

Blackbird Bar is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

11. Blackbird Bar

8.8
2124 Market St (at Church St), San Francisco, CA
Cocktail Bar · Duboce Triangle · 180 tips and reviews

Amanda I.Amanda Iseri: Get the bourbon chipotle bloody marys

Beau L.Beau Lebens: Loads of delicious cocktails and a really solid selection of whiskeys.

Tyler B.Tyler Brock: The improved Tokyo is great. A little Japanese whiskey and a little sake + wasabi.

Elixir is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

12. Elixir

7.8
3200 16th St (at Guerrero St), San Francisco, CA
Cocktail Bar · Mission Dolores · 95 tips and reviews

Eric A.Eric A: Great whiskey and friendly bartenders.

Chris H.Chris H.: Some of the best whiskey sours in town

Carina W.Carina Wetzlhütter: whisky is always the best choice. awesome bar, awesome selection.

Humphry Slocombe is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

13. Humphry Slocombe

8.7
1 Ferry Building (at The Embarcadero), San Francisco, CA
Ice Cream Parlor · Financial District · 138 tips and reviews

Melissa S.Melissa Smith: Secret breakfast (bourbon + cornflakes) = amazing.

Chris L.Chris Lake: Secret Breakfast flavor (bourbon caramel and cornflakes)

Kathy L.Kathy Liu: Secret breakfast with bourbon caramel sauce is delicious

ABV is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

14. ABV

9.0
3174 16th St (btwn Guerrero & Albion St), San Francisco, CA
Cocktail Bar · Mission Dolores · 148 tips and reviews

Benjy W.Benjy Weinberger: The Whisky in Church is smokey, smooth and delicious.

Braden K.Braden Kowitz: "Whiskey in church" is excellent.

EaterEater: All 16 cocktails on the menu (organized by spirit) feel thoughtful and smart. Highlights include Whiskey in Church (smoky scotch, oloroso, maple, smoked pear bitters) and the Sutro Swizzle. Read more.

Wilson & Wilson Private Detective Agency is one of The 15 Best Places for Whiskey in San Francisco.

15. Wilson & Wilson Private Detective Agency

8.8
501 Jones St (at O'Farrell), San Francisco, CA
Speakeasy · Tenderloin · 47 tips and reviews

DonaldDonald: Located inside bourbon and branch. Reservations only. (4 of 4 petals via Fondu) Read more.

James P.James Paden: The cocktails are more experimental than Branch and Bourbon. Some of the best cocktails I've ever had

James P.James Paden: Cocktails. Extensive Bourbon list, but come for the cocktail menu.