【Exclusive Interview】Part 1: Tony McGeever – Soho Whisky Club

As one of the most popular private whisky club in the world, The Soho Whisky Club has over a thousand members including countless celebrities, establishing itself as relaxing lounge for whisky lovers for decades. Located in Soho, London, The Soho Whisky Club offers the extraordinary whisky collection and surprisingly affordable membership price. The placid atmosphere portrays the club’s commitment to providing a welcoming space and opportunity for anybody, despite their level of experience with whisky.

In the Part 1 of our interview with Tony McGeever, the manager of Soho Whisky Club, revealed the club’s history and exciting backstories through his fantastic storytelling.

The Basic Information of the Soho Whisky Club

Company’s Name	Soho Whisky Club
Year of Establishment	2010
Owner	Malcolm Mullin
Location	42 Old Compton Street, Soho, London, W1D 4LR, England, United Kingdom
Official Website	Soho Whisky Club

Origin of Soho Whisky Club

How the Soho Whisky Club started

Dear WHISKY：
When and how did the Soho Whisky Club start?

Tony：
The Soho Whisky Club has been operating for 13 years. The Club is built upon the vintage whisky shop of Malcom’s family since 1943. What makes our Club special is the massive variety of whiskies we offer. This is because Malcom’s family have been purchased and stored whiskies since the 1940s, regardless of significant changes in how we drink and market whisky and and even during the period when whisky was not consumed whatsoever. Our collections are not just from Scotland but from all around the world, including very rare bottles and latest releases. There’s always a whisky for someone here , and if I don’t have it, I can go downstairs, take it off the shelf, and bring it up for you.

From a hidden club to a whisky oasis for everyone

Dear WHISKY：
How much has the club grown compared to 13 years ago?

Tony：
Massively. I’ve been lucky enough to work here in three different positions. I’ve seen both sides. I remember when this club started, there was no marketing, no advertising, and it was very secretive. If you came into the shop and bought whisky downstairs, Malcolm or someone would’ve said, “Do you know we’ve got a whisky club.”. So, it was all by word of mouth. The club was a tiny, selective group, and the premise of membership was that you had to know another member to become a member. From there, we rapidly grew in popularity due to the relaxed environment. A lot of the members here are also members of these higher-end clubs. Although they liked that, they wanted a place to calm, relax, and be themselves. Then Soho Whisky Club gave that and still does to this day.

Philosophy and Objective

Broaden the horizons

Dear WHISKY：
What is the role of this club within the whisky industry?

Tony：
We want the whisky to be consumed by various people. We are an ambassador for whisky and broaden the horizons for people so that everyone only sometimes sticks to their set of whisky. We are here to offer something different and entertain the whisky lovers with fresh experiences. With that being said, the best member I love, or the best person I meet, is someone who does not drink whisky and has never been to a whisky club. Our mission is to make their first impression of the whisky the best possible so that they would get hooked to the whisky world.

Role as a “Whisky Ambassador”

Dear WHISKY：
Why do you believe it’s crucial for whisky to be enjoyed and consumed?

Tony：
The whisky industry is rapidly changing a lot right now, especially in the last five years, with non-age-statements coming out and 18-year-olds starting to pull back. Therefore, it’s a priority for the industry and us to keep people drinking whisky, be that ambassador for whisky, and attract new whisky drinkers. And this is the place to do it; you can come here and go, “Whisky can be fun” and “Whisky can be for everyone” because it can be drunk in different ways. So this is what we’re here for.

Joining the Membership

A family of over 1000 members 

Dear WHISKY：
How many members does the club have at the moment?

Tony：
We’re up to about 450 members now with a database of over a thousand. The reason why I know is because I do mailouts for the tastings and stuff. Some people aren’t or used to be members but still want to be contacted. They still want to feel a part of the Soho Whisky Club family; even though they live overseas, they still want to know what’s happening.

Dear WHISKY：
What kind of members do you have?

Tony：
The Soho Whisky Club attracts a diverse membership, bringing together people from various backgrounds, professions, religions, and countries. People love this club because of the variety of people you meet from all walks of life. You could be out there smoking a cigar or having a whisky, and the person next to you could be from another job or area. Conversation is what whisky is all about. You can have the same whisky, but you have two pallets and two different imaginations. You will experience that whisky in two completely different ways, and that drives conversation or a debate. Suddenly, whisky brings people together that you would never know.

Joining the club: start of the brand new whisky journey

Dear WHISKY：
How do those new drinkers find the club?

Tony：
In most cases, members bring someone important to them. For example, two weeks ago, I did a tasting for two fathers and each of their 18-year-old sons. Fathers were two best friends who had a baby at the same time, and their two sons turned 18 roughly the same time. So they came to have their very first whisky tasting together, with me. Children knew that their dads had always been drinking whisky, but this was their first whisky with their dad. When it comes to being introduced to whisky, you’ve got to get it right because people can be put off whisky fast to the point they’ll never touch it again.

Dear WHISKY：
What do you care about the most when joining those first-time tastings?

Tony：
Well, if we got a chance like the above where I could personally join their first-ever tasting, it’s essential to make sure those young drinkers have at least the slightest interest in whisky at the end to explore it further as they age. And for us, those more youthful generations are the most important people because if they get hooked and love whiskey for 4, 5, or 6 years, they’ll do the same thing to their friends. We will have this pyramid effect, potentially leading to everybody worldwide drinking whisky.

New members: whisky lovers with big smiles

Dear WHISKY：
Is there a criterion for a new member?

Tony：
There are no selection criteria whatsoever. Usually, people get introduced to this club via other members since the member could bring up to three guests with them. If that member wants to make their friend a member, I will check if the seats are available and just do a quick interview process. We do this to get to know who they are just to make sure because we want whisky to be enjoyed in a relaxed and safe place. Or if they’re a non-member who came in for a whisky tasting with me, I will spend two hours sitting down and tasting with them. And as long as you’re a nice person and you like whisky, and you’ve got a big smile on your face, you can be a member,

Accessible Membership Fee

Dear WHISKY：
How much does the membership cost? 

Tony：
Full membership, offering every service, including invitations to member-only events, is 300 pounds, and Oversea membership, suitable for international members, is 150 pounds. Even with additional joining fee for 50 pounds initially, its quite affordable I would say.  

Dear WHISKY：
£300 is reasonably affordable compared to other whisky clubs.
What led the club to set this price?

Tony：
We want to keep the price as low as possible, making it more accessible for everybody. Unlike many other whisky clubs that charge hundreds of pounds for membership, our philosophy is straightforward: we want whiskies to be drunk and consumed.

Dear WHISKY：
What are the tasting events like?

Tony：
We do two types of events here. One is the traditional sit-down tasting with around 28 to 35 people; the other is a more relaxed tasting event. We would have food, party games, and music and just have the whiskies coming around on a tray like a house party. Once in a while, I’ll just clap for attention, and then the brand ambassador would briefly explain the whisky; once done, off you go and start chatting again.

Dear WHISKY：
How often are events held?

Tony：
Fortunately, because the industry likes us as a club and what we do with our pricing, we have people coming in at least once a week. It will usually have a brand ambassador or the owners of the distilleries coming down to sit with us. Everyone will gather and sit here with 5 or 6 whiskies, and the brand ambassador will give us a presentation about the brand while we try them all. Education is a big part of the club because there are many notions or set ideas in the whisky world.

Dear WHISKY：
Could you give us an example of those misconceptions you aim to address?

Tony：
The biggest one is people thinking blended whiskies are cheap and not as good as single malt. Although the price point might be lower than single malts, much effort goes into blends. The more education there is, the more understanding there is. Advanced education could also help the industry because sometimes people won’t drink a particular whisky only because they have heard wrongful information about it.

Connections with Industries

 A platform for industry to connect with people

Dear WHISKY：
How does the club gain these valuable opportunities to host brand ambassadors for tastings?

Tony：
The industry realized the affordable pricing we were doing here, and they saw this as a vessel to advertise their products. It was a great marketing tool for the industry to send their ambassadors or blenders to connect to the consumers directly. That’s why the industry and the whisky drinkers love this place.

Designated as an Ardbeg Embassy

Dear WHISKY：
We can spot a number of Ardbeg logos in this building.
What’s the relationship like with the Ardbeg?

Tony：
A couple of years ago, Ardbeg decided to select places worldwide to become what’s known as an Ardbeg embassy. While many places selected were shops and small bars, Ardbeg chose us as one of the first clubs. Therefore, we have a massive collection of Ardbeg bottles here at the club, and we also get releases first. For example, the bottle here is an Ardbeg embassy bottle they will launch in November 2023, but it is sold only to the embassies. We probably would be the only place you could drink it because Ardbeg would not sell it to the public due to its small cask size. So, this is the place to be if you are an Ardbeg fan. 

Soho Whisky Club’s contribution to the better community

Whisky, all about discussion

Dear WHISKY：
Could you tell us about other initiatives of the Soho Whisky Club? 

Tony：
We are trying our best to make the community better. I recently started a blog on the website in that term. I am getting a lot of fire and attention. It’s all about discussion and debate; in the past, whisky has caused a war but has always been solved simultaneously. Have an honest conversation within the industry and go, “Look, we understand that you’ve got good intent, but there’s a better way to do it,”, and sit down together to discuss the better ways.

Keeping the Industry Alive and Healthy

Dear WHISKY：
What makes you value the dialogue so much in the whisky industry?

Tony：
As it happened for the mining industry back in the 80s, the whole industry could get swept off, and everybody related to that world could lose their job. The community built upon whisky, such as the town of Scotland, could potentially be wiped out under those circumstances. It has happened in the past and can happen even to this day. We have to stick together, support, and watch each other, as any factor that we do outside can affect the whole community.

Dear WHISKY：
Is it a problem that only Scotland have?

Tony：
Not at all. Even people in London should be aware and careful. It’s about understanding going up there, knowing what the people need and want. In addition, it’s about protecting the whisky. In the 70s and 80s, we had a thing called the whisky pool or the whisky lock, where no one was drinking whisky at all. All the warehouses were packed to the point where distilleries had to stop production. A considerable amount of distillery workers lost their jobs and families.

Dear WHISKY：
What happened to those distilleries afterward, when society started to drink whisky again?

Tony：
Many of them never got a chance to reopen; in other words, that specific community died. Too many distilleries were knocked down. Hence, we cannot allow that to happen. We have to watch and make sure whiskies are being consumed constantly. A barrel enters the warehouse, matures, gets bottled, and gets drunk. We need this constant flow to keep that community and industry thriving.

At Last

Connecting People with Whisky: Conversation and Experience

In Part 1 of the article, Tony’s explanation of the Soho Whisky Club’s purpose and their take on whisky as the mode of conversation revealed the secrets of this club’s welcoming aura. This club truly treats whisky with love and respect by making sure it is consumed by the right person, at the right time, and on the right occasion. Their dedication to keeping the whisky industry alive by supporting whisky enthusiasts’ well-being and leisure and making more people fall in love with whisky is truly remarkable.

In the second half of this article. Tony McGeever himself would be the focal point of the article. To enjoy more of his entertaining storytelling, check out Part 2!