The ever-so-sweet burn of whisky running down the back of your throat is a feeling like no other. Complex like a riddle, whisky challenges your pallet, striking up hours of debate about its makeup. Where to tangle with this unrivaled spirit is where J.D. William’s lends a hand.
Nestled in Amsterdam’s beautiful Jordaan neighborhood, J.D. William’s is a concept bar that focuses on whisky and whisky cocktails in an industrial chic setting. Our aim is quite simple: we want to spread our passion for whisky! Whether you are an expert looking for one of Scotland’s rarest single malts or a novice looking to try whisky for the first time, J.D. William’s is the place.
We serve all of our whiskies in Glencairn crystal tumblers with water at its side. At J.D. William’s, quality over quantity reins supreme. We spoke to the founder Daniel of JD Williams.
Daniel, What is your background? Tell us a little about yourself before opening up JD Williams Whisky Bar.
D: I’ve actually been a Jack-of-all trades! Grew up in Upstate New York and earned a degree in English/Journalism and French. I then moved to Japan and spent 2 years in Osaka working as an English teacher and 1 year in Tokyo working as a sports and music journalist. Then relocated to Seattle for 2 years and got into advertising and sales media. From 1998-2009 I lived in San Francisco and continued working in media, while at the same time running a House Music Record label called Bounce House Recordings as well as DJing and producing. I still do this today, but the whisky bar is my focus. I’ve been living in Amsterdam since 2009 and for the first 5 years here I worked only as a DJ, sound designer and music producer. Having a family (2 young boys Jackson and Donovan) changed all that and starting a whisky bar became the focus.
So just to get into it, how did JD Williams get started? What was your vision behind the project? Tell us about the name.
D: I had been thinking about opening a bar for a long time. I almost did when I lived in SF but the timing just wasn’t right. I’ve always had a fascination with whisky and I felt that Amsterdam ws lacking a hip bar that focused on whisky, whisky cocktails and the food I like – Asian Fusion food. The name of J.D. William’s has a lot of meaning to me as it represents my family. My oldest son is Jackson (J.). The youngest is Donovan (D.) and William is my father’s name…hence J.D. William’s Whisky Bar.
What challenges (if any) did you first face when you decided to go into this venture.
D: I think there are numerous challenges opening any sort of business. The language and culture barrier were two issues I had to embrace in order to succeed. Learning and being able to speak Dutch (I’m not perfect but can speak pretty well) was very important so I could communicate well with my builders when re-modeling the bar. It’s also an asset when speaking with my Dutch costumers so they feel at home and not being served by some foreigner trying to being a capitalist in their country. I respect the people here and am thankful they have accepted me and my family with open arms. Learning the rules, regulations and all the fine print when doing business here has also been a challenge. But after 2 years I feel I have got it down!
Can you give us the play by play of your typical day at the bar?
D: A typical day is just making sure we are prepared to do business for the week. Having the proper stock and ordering what is needed for the kitchen. We do many cocktails so making sure the syrups are fresh is very important for business. I feel like I really don’t have a day off each week as when I’m not at the bar I’m still thinking about what is next!
What was your proudest moment of working at JD Williams?
D: My proudest moment was when we opened. We couldn’t have done this without my mother-in-law who has been there to support us from day 1. When she visits us from LA and sees what we have done and all the hard work that I put into this place, I think she feels good, too. It’s something we want to leave for our kids 1 day and I’m doing my absolute best to make this bar the best in the city.
How do you stay current with all the latest whiskies? With all the independent bottlers? and how many different types of whisky do you have available at your venue?
D: I read a lot but also do tastings with my vendors and do 3-4 whisky festivals a year. I’m a big fan of Indecent bottlers and think what they do is top-notch. We do a partnership with SMWS (Scotch Malt Whisky Society), who I feel is the premiere independent bottler i the world. We normally have around 200 whiskies in stock. The countries obviously represented are Scotland, Ireland, USA, Japan, Taiwan, India, Denmark, Finland, Sweden, Suisse, Canada and Netherlands. We also have about 40 independent whisky bottles in stock, too.
Is JD William’s known for anything else besides great Whiskey selection? and when it comes to making the classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned, how do you determine which whiskey to use?
D: Great question! Yes…we are the premiere place in Amsterdam for whisky cocktails. We serve 20+ on our menu, by far the largest number of any bar in the city. We also have a very unique food menu. I spent 3 years in Japan and learned a lot about Japanese food. I’m also half-Taiwanese and my wife is Chinese so we have a strong connection to Asian food. Living in San Francisco (in my opinion) is the food mecca. There is so much quality around that just fall in love with being able to eat pretty much any type of food any day.
We were the first in Amsterdam to serve Poke (now I see others doing it) We were also the first to do Korean style tacos and Sweet Potato fries. The food is very well-received by the locals and it makes me proud when American tourists come in the bar to eat and say this food reminds them of home.
We also have a great craft beer selection as I spent 15 years living on the West Coast as well as living 2 blocks from the Anchor Brewery in SF.
What are you most excited about in the whisky scene? and what kind of crowd does your venue attract, perhaps the whiskey connoisseur, the noobie, maybe the “whiskey know-it-all”?
D: What excites me about the whisky scene is the number of younger people embracing it. We get loads of women in their early to mid 20s coming into the bar wanting to drink whisky and whisky cocktails. 5-6 years ago this never would have happened here in Amsterdam.
Our typical crowd is around 80% locals (Dutch and Expats) during September to May months. Then from June to August when it’s high tourist season it kinds flip flops and becomes 80% tourists in our bar. The locals are out in the parks at festivals and travelling then. We also get people from all ages and walks of life. I want anyone regardless of their knowledge, nationality, gender, sexual orientation or religion to feel welcome at our bar. And the diverse customer base we have makes me feel like we are doing things right.
Is there any particular type of whisky that sells more than the other?
D: I think the commercial brands like Oban, Lagavulin and Glenmorangie always have their initial appeal because it is what people have heard of or tried before. We focus a lot on turning our customers on to new whiskies they have never tried and matching and pushing their flavour profiles. We want them to walk out saying, “whoa, I really tried some crazy whiskies tonight.”
We want to give them the total experience and that is learning about whiskies and their different tastes.
How big is the whisky scene in Amsterdam?
D: The whisky scene is growing here, but first this is a beer drinking country first. They also are very much into Gin and Jenever here so there is still much more room to grow!
Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of Tastethedram?
D: What I would like to share is that for me whisky is just an amazing spirit that is unrivalled. You will never understand it if you don’t try it. We have a motto at the bar that we say “Isn’t it time you tried?” We mean that. You can drink rum and cokes or pilsner beers or white wines anywhere in Amsterdam or in the world for that matter. At our bar it’s time to leave your comfort zone and take a walk over to the whisky side.
For more information on the venue, please visit the links below:
website: http://jdwilliamswhiskybar.com/
facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pg/jdwilliamswhiskybar
