By Marie-Antoinette Issa.
Slip down the narrow stairwell off Sydney Place and the city’s hum will fast fade into a distant rhythm. The clang of trams, chatter of tourists and even the lapping of tides at Circular Quay - all dimmed. Instead, in their place is a low, pulsing jazz beat, the soft hiss of a cork and the amber glow of hundreds of Japanese whiskies lining charcoal-grey shelves at Bar Besuto.
BB is no ordinary basement drinking dive. It is a secret pulse, a moody sanctuary, a place where every spirit isn’t just poured - it’s revered. This is because Bar Besuto is defined by its whisky.
Not just any whisky, but an obsessive, carefully curated shrine to Japanese expression. Every bottle on the shelves, glowing warmly against the charcoal-grey walls, tells a story of craft, patience and rarity.
"Our status as home to Sydney’s largest Japanese whisky collection isn’t really up for debate - it’s just a fact at this point,” says Brandon Sabile, Bar Besuto’s brilliant bar manager. "The reason we can say that so confidently is because there’s actually a very limited export of Japanese whisky coming out of Japan.”
He explains that while there are around 157 whisky distilleries across Japan, only about 10 major distribution chains exist - and each handles roughly five or six distilleries. "When you do the maths, that means only around 60 to 70 distilleries are exporting internationally, leaving close to a hundred that remain purely for domestic retail,” Brandon explains.
That exclusivity is what makes Bar Besuto’s collection so remarkable. Some bottles are so scarce that the very act of tasting them feels ceremonial - a privilege reserved for those willing to linger, sip slowly and let the flavours unfold.
"That’s why we fly over to Japan ourselves to source bottles directly. We personally collect and bring them back to Sydney. The last time I returned, I had 21 bottles packed into my luggage - it was a very heavy suitcase. Customs sees me a lot,” he laughs.
Every bottle tells a story. Some have travelled across oceans and decades, produced in minuscule quantities by distillers whose names are whispered with awe in Japan. There are single casks that exist in only a few hundred bottles worldwide, limited releases that might never come your way again.
Here they are within reach, offered in delicate tasting measures that encourage discovery. One sip and the warm honeyed malt or smouldering of smoke folds into the mouth like a soft secret. Another and the floral notes unravel like a garden in Spring. To wander these shelves is to traverse the islands of Japan one flavour at a time.
The design is an extension of the whisky itself: precise, moody, understated yet alive with subtle drama. Deep greys and midnight blacks form the canvas while a golden glow illuminates the bar, picking out shimmering amber tones.
A quiet buzz hums through the space, setting a rhythm that is as smooth as the liquid in the glass. A tapestry by a Sydney artist greets guests from above, welcoming you as you descend into this subterranean world. Every detail has a purpose, every shadow an edge of elegance.
Alongside rare releases, silky malts and indulgent treasures - the kind of spirits that invite conversation, reflection and curiosity - Bar Besuto also offers a $250 pp omakase experience that encourages guests to trust their instinct and imagination, letting the evening unfold sip by sip and course by course, in perfect harmony with the bar’s quiet rhythm.
There is magic in the contrast of Bar Besuto. A hidden basement yet radiating warmth. A city bustling overhead yet time slows here. The moody interiors, soft lighting and gentle pulse of music transform the act of drinking into a ceremony, one where every glass becomes an encounter with craft, history and story. To linger is to be transported - to taste the islands of Japan without leaving Sydney.
Whether it’s a pre-omakase tipple, a post-degustation reflection or simply a night of quiet discovery, Bar Besuto feels like a secret unlocked. Thirty seats, hundreds of bottles, one moody basement - a hidden portal in Circular Quay that takes guests on a sensory journey through Japan distilled into amber liquid, warm light and soft shadows.
