A group of whisky-lovers racked up a bill of almost £159,000 after a night sampling Scotland’s National Drink at a luxury hotel. The Fife Arms is a boutique hotel located in the Aberdeenshire village of Braemar.
The award-winning inn has earned acclaim for its stylish interiors and various bars and restaurants. And the five-star establishment has now made headlines for an eye-watering bill a group of visitors received after enjoying a variety of whiskies at one of its bars.
A photo of the receipt, which comes in at a staggering £158,914, has since been widely circulated on social media. The most expensive item on the bill is £67,500 spent on Balvenie 50-year-old, which comes in at £4,500 for each of the 15 drams.
According to Balvenie, the 50-year-old cask includes scents of “deep fruits, cassis and candied apricots” and flavours “caramelised fruits, rich spice, and soft vanilla”.
Meanwhile, the customer also spent £40,000 on Laphroaig 1940s Unpeated. They ordered 10 drams of the rare unpeated bottling, coming in at £4,000 each.
Other expensive whiskies that can be seen on the bill include £12,750 of Glenlivet G&M 1943 at £850 each, £7,600 worth of House of Hazelwood Blended at Birth, and five drams of Karuizawa Samaroli 24-year-old, totalling £7,500. Altogether, the guest paid an additional £26,485.60 in tax.
Sharing a photograph of the bill, one Facebook user wrote: “A group of lads’ bar tab from The Fife Arms, Ballater. Expensive taste, hope they enjoyed it.”
Before long, fellow social media users shared their thoughts on the hefty bill. One wrote: “Surprised they let the tab go this high or even let some of the drinks go that high. Must have known them or get them to prove they had the cash or paid as they went then printed the overall receipt.”
A second said: “It’s a dear one, been in there a few times, pub in Braemar right in the middle, Bonny place, been on the TV a few times.” Meanwhile, another Facebook user joked: “Holy s**t that’s one expensive hangover.”
When reached out to for comment, a spokesperson for The Fife Arms told the Daily Record: “We would never comment regarding our guests.”
As we previously reported, The Fife Arms was recently crowned the ‘best in the world’ for 2025 on a prestigious list by travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller. The publication praised the hotel’s “16,000-odd works of art” and “team of wry, wise-cracking staff ready to make an event out of everything”.
More information can be found on The Fife Arms website.
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