Whisky Club 28/10 - A Bar Review
This is an unusual bar review, to say the least. 28/10 is a whiskey bar located inside the Senator frequent flyer lounge at Zurich International Airport’s E Terminal. It doesn’t cost any money, other than any tip one wants to leave for the bartenders, but isn’t exactly publicly accessible. We were able to get in by a lucky quirk of fate — due to my wife’s international work travel last year (which, to be fair, sucked), she has United Gold status through the end of the year. And that status meant she could get us in to this lounge.
Atmosphere and Service: This lounge is located on the upper floor of Zurich Airport’s E Terminal, and candidly it felt kind of like walking onto the set of a science fiction movie. Everything was incredibly minimalist and clean in design, with glass doors sliding open automatically and silently. After checking in to the lounge, we entered the seating area and found the bar immediately on our left. Again, it kind of looks like the set of a Star Trek film, with brightly lit, white, artfully arranged rows of whiskey bottles. The bartenders provided quietly efficient Swiss service and mostly stayed out of our way as we made our selections. I’ve read elsewhere that they have deep knowledge of the whiskey roster and are happy to make recommendations, but we made our choices on our own.
Selection: If earlier online reviews are any indication, at one point this bar had a ridiculously high-end selection, including multiple 20-25 year bottlings from Glenfarclas, Balblair, Glenfiddich, etc. I suspect those were gobbled up quickly by anyone who cottoned on to the fact that there’s no better price than free. The selection remains robust and I’d estimate they had up to 100 bottles at the bar, but the majority of them are entry-level single malts in that $50-100 range. Nothing wrong with that. The scotches appeared to be organized by region, with Speyside and Highland malts on the left and Islay scotches in the center. The far right included Japanese, world, and American whiskies (i.e., bourbons). It is a damn impressive selection for a good whiskey bar, and for a whiskey bar that's absolutely free (albeit for the group of people who can enter) it is a stunning selection.
Rare Bottles: Even if not quite the insane selection this bar had when it opened, the current stock remains highly impressive. I saw a lot of independent bottlings — Signatory bottlings in particular — which tend to be more unique, older, single-cask picks from well-known Scottish distilleries. While nothing is stunningly rare, there is definitely a selection of bottles that aren't going to be obtainable at any run-of-the-mill liquor store, including Glengoyne Cask Strength, a few bottles of Edradour (for a long time the smallest distillery in Scotland), and several Kavalans.
Value: Not really applicable, right? If you happen to be in Zurich, and happen to have either a ticket type or status to get you into this lounge, why the hell not? We did it during a one-hour transfer layover, literally running up to the lounge, having a drink each, and then running off to catch our connection. The only thing it'll cost is time.
***
28/10 is a fun, innovative concept in airline hospitality, and a well-executed one at that. This is one perk that's unforgettable and helps the Star Alliance stand out, so credit to them. I also appreciate that they did not make a half-effort here — this bar would be the best scotch bar in many major American cities, including perhaps Miami. My only regret is not scheduling a longer layover for us in Zurich!