Fluid Movement founders unveil new London bar

The entrepreneurs behind Fluid Movement bar consultants and Worship Street Whistling Shop are set to open a new whisky watering hole next month.

Black Rock is set to open its doors in Shoreditch in March

Tom Aske and Tristan Stephenson, who also launched the Aske Stephenson bottled cocktails line last year, will open Black Rock in March.

Located in Shoreditch, London, the venue – which is still under construction – will carry more than 250 different whiskies from around the world, including Scotch, Irish, American and Japanese expressions, as well as labels from up-and-coming distillers.

Its aim is to “take things back to basics” with a “simple” menu of whisky cocktails to be enjoyed in a “minimalist and contemporary” environment.

The interior will feature an 18ft, 185-year-old tree trunk as an alternative bar workstation, allowing guests to sit around each side of the oak trunk and be served by a “roaming” bartender.

Furthermore, the tree trunk bar will also double up as a cocktail ageing system, boasting two channels that have been carved into the length of the trunk – one of which is lined with American charred oak and the other with toasted European oak.

Patrons will be able to view the two channels through a glass top. The channels will each age a different whisky cocktail.

The ‘Whisky Library’ will display the venue’s whisky offerings throughout the bar and enable guests to easily select an expression using a three-tier price point system.

In further efforts to cater for both whisky lovers and newcomers to the category, Black Rock will also offer a ‘Concierge Service’ later this year, providing tutored tastings, advice on whisky investments and bespoke trips to whisky regions around the globe.