Whisky & Cigars

Eva Sichelschmidt has run a specialist shop on Sophienstrasse since 1997, with several hundred whisky bottlings, around a hundred rums and a computer-controlled cigar cabinet. Eugen Kasparek leads three-hour tastings as master of tasting. As a gift for men you give a whole evening here rather than just a bottle.

Whisky and Cigars on Sophienstrasse: a specialist shop for connoisseurs in Mitte

Sophienstrasse is one of the quieter addresses in Berlin-Mitte, only a few steps from the Hackesche Höfe. Between galleries and old courtyards sits the specialist shop Whisky and Passion, which most Berliners know by the name Whisky and Cigars. Eva Sichelschmidt has run the house since it opened in 1997 and has turned it into a fixed address for anyone looking for a present with substance.

Step inside and you face several hundred whisky bottlings from Scotland, Ireland and the United States, with others from Japan, India, Sweden and New Zealand. Particular attention goes to cask strength releases and American small batch bourbon. Around a hundred rum bottlings from Cuba, Guatemala and Peru stand alongside them, rounded out by gin, cognac, sherry, champagne, delicacies and reference books. Besides the well known labels there are house bottlings you will not find anywhere else.

Tastings, a cigar cabinet and vouchers as a gift for men

The technical heart of the shop is a computer-controlled cigar cabinet that holds the maturity of the stock steady. Inside it rest cigars from Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua, available singly from around 8.50 euros. Pipe tobacco, cigarillos and the matching accessories complete the range. At the tasting bar in the shop much of what stands on the shelves can also be sampled on the spot.

What you mainly give as a present at Whisky and Cigars is time. Eugen Kasparek, the house master of tasting for more than ten years, leads roughly three-hour tastings with a constantly changing programme. A single malt tasting for beginners costs 54 euros, the ticket stays valid for a year and can be issued in the name of the person receiving it. Anyone who would rather not commit takes the gift voucher, whose value is freely chosen and which remains valid for three years. For groups the team also hosts private tastings, in its own rooms on request. Mineral water and bread are served during the whisky tastings so the palate can settle between samples.