Amber

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2009 – in the shops now or buy online.

If you believe that whisky truly is the 'Water of Life' (as it translates from its Gaelic name of Uisge Beatha) then you just have to dine at Amber before you reach your pickled liver grave. Amber lives and breathes whisky. Literally. It is housed in the Scottish Whisky Experience, where by day you can learn all you need to know about its heritage and production, and more besides, as well as sample a dram or two. A perhaps surprisingly sophisticated dining experience (especially in the evening) is on offer in the dining space adjacent to the tasting room, where you can whet your appetite on a sweet Speyside aperitif. The menu steers towards comfort rather than innovation and some dishes work better than others, the hot smoked salmon does not really need heating, but the beef medallions fare better, revelling in a reduction laced with more than a hint of whisky amongst the peppercorns. Desserts hit the spot with a zingy rhubarb crème brulee and a terrine of dark chocolate lifted with a hazelnut and whisky sauce. A smoky Lagavulin 16 year old matured in Pedro Ximénez casks rounds off the evening in style.

• High point: Whisky Galore, a real treat for whisky lovers
• Low point: Dishes don't always match the quality of the drams