More than two years after its conception, Whisky Mist has proved its durability by continuing to pull in a glitzy crowd of big spenders, celebrities and royals with an intoxicating blend of exclusivity and intimacy.

The Venue
Whisky Mist is located inside Park Lane’s Hilton Hotel, with a separate entrance to the side on Hertford Street. It’s within reach of Hyde Park Corner and Green Park tube stations, although if you can afford the club’s prices, you’re more likely to be in a cab or leaving your driver outside. You’ll spot the club by the considerable team of door staff, and the ever-present queue. Once inside, you’ll probably either love or hate the bachelor-pad décor. It’s dramatically dark, and features crushed velvet curtains, animal-prints, and black and purple furnishings. There are two main areas, with the main club and makeshift dancefloor in front of the oversized bar, and a VIP area off to one side where you’ll find the ever-present Chelsea footballers and the girls who follow them.

The Atmosphere
Be warned – the door staff at Whisky Mist, for reasons best known to themselves, are noticeably slower than most London venues. Given that the club is so tiny and there are always a lot of people on the door, this can become frustrating so try to arrange a table in advance if you’re prepared to spend so that you won’t have to wait. Once inside, the crowd is usually a little more mature than the West End clubs, with the men more likely to wear suits than the jeans and pointy shoes prevalent elsewhere. Thankfully, the regular presence of celebrities including Alicia Keys, the Pussycat Dolls and Prince Harry helps keep the vibe fun, and the staff are keen to please and helpful. The only criticism of the bar team would be that they’re far quicker to serve their male customers, perhaps assuming they’re more likely to earn tips that way, but the general vibe and air of exclusivity means you probably having too good a time to notice that. It’s another reason why table service makes sense if you can afford it. You’ll also avoid the crush in here when it gets busy if you’re ensconced safely in the VIP.

The Music
Whisky Mist is very popular with footballers, who, as it’s widely known, can’t dance. Perhaps that goes some way to explaining why there doesn’t seem to be much thought put into the music policy, as the patrons are subjected to a fairly boring blend of well-established club classics and electro tunes. There’s nothing offensive about the music, but it fades into the background and won’t feel like a big part of your night out. It doesn’t help that the dance floor is so very small too.

The Drink
Whisky Mist offers the usual expensive vodka, champagne and cocktail menus expected at members’ clubs of this standard. There are bottles of wine from about £40, vodka from £200, and champagne from £250 upwards (bankers could easily spend thousands from their latest bonus here), and even single cocktails will set you back £15 each. At these prices, you’ll be glad the bar staff are genuinely well-trained and happy to make recommendations, but you’re going to need to be prepared to dig deep and flex the plastic to get drunk here.

The Last Word
Whisky Mist’s success has largely been through consistently staying in the gossip column headlines in recent years. Everyone knows the club’s name, and that keeps the punters flooding in with their platinum credit cards in hand.

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