Delilah's - A Bar Review
The 1980s and 1990s were something of a dark age for the whiskey industry. Many distilleries closed, including now-legendary names such as Port Ellen and Brora in Scotland. Vodka and cocaine were the rage. In that era, a few isolated bars kept the appreciation of this wonderful hobby alive, and Delilah's in Chicago occupies a place of honor right near the top of that list. Unlike newer, younger competitors that have ridden the whiskey or bourbon explosion, such as Jack Rose in DC, Delilah's opened in 1993 and celebrated its 25th anniversary this year. In fact, the bar even got a special blended whisky from Compass Box to celebrate the occasion. It's no surprise, then, that we had to check this bar out on our trip to Chicago.
Atmosphere and Service: Delilah's is a proud dive bar with an eclectic, shabby style that emphasizes its long history and appreciation of whiskey, beer, and music. On the night that we visited, the bar was honoring Aretha Franklin, who recently passed away, so her music was the soundtrack to us throwing back some spectacular, unusual, and varied whiskies. Also, for some random reason, the place was decked out in Christmas lights as if it were a Stranger Things pop-up.
In contrast to Fountainhead, our last stop for the previous evening, Delilah's is not a quintessential upscale joint. It is completely dressed down, which I love when it comes to whiskey bars, and is akin to some of the low-key pubs that we frequented in Scotland. The tables are old-school diner tables, the kind that has the ribbed metal border. Every free-floating seat is a stool of one kind or another. It's a perfect place to grab a drink for the sake of grabbing a drink.
Service was spectacular. Our bartender was a real whiskey-lover, and recognized us as such after our first round of orders. He made spot-on suggestions, and even keyed us into the fact that they'd just found a dusty single-cask Highland Park expression that Delilah's ordered for its 13th anniversary (meaning, 12 years ago!). A great recommendation is the highest level of service, and that was just one of the many extraordinary drams that we enjoyed that night.
Selection: Delilah's has, shall we say, a few whiskies. In fact, it has something like 700 whiskies, along with 200 or more types of beer. As I mentioned in my previous review of Fountainhead, it's unusual in most cities to find a bar that has such a deep lineup of both whiskey and beer; places typically specialize in one or the other. In Chicago, it seems like it's the norm for these famous whiskey bars to also be top-notch beer pubs. The point is, you'll be digging through this menu for 20 minutes when you first arrive if you want to get a full lay of the land.
Rare Bottles: Delilah's has a healthy collection of rare bottles out of that 700. But where it really stands out is its own single casks or single-barrel selections. Part of having a long history and longstanding connections to distilleries is that the bar gets amazing bottles that are unique to this bar. As I already mentioned, this bar is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, and Compass Box created a special blend to celebrate the occasion. In fact, the bar celebrates its birthday every year with a unique whiskey, many of which are still available to this day. Some of the picks were mind-boggling. If I recall correctly, the anniversary offerings included things like an 18- to 20-year old Willett single barrel. Their unique whiskies are reason enough to come to this bar. If I lived in Chicago, I'd probably be here every week!
Value: You're definitely not paying for high-end decorations or design at Delilah's! Prices on the whole are quite reasonable, particularly for their single-barrel or single-cask selections. It's one thing for a bar to have rare or unusual expressions; it's another for a regular person to be able to afford them! Delilah's falls in the latter camp. I think we paid $14 or $15 for a generous pour of that Highland Park single cask I referenced earlier, and I can guarantee you that would be a $50 to $70 pour at any New York bar.
****
We loved Fountainhead, but Delilah's blew us away. This is one of the world's best whiskey bars.