Anderson

This is a Gem of a bar hidden away deepest darkest remotest scotland... well ok maybe not quite that remote .. but certainly off the beaten path.. and what a range of beers, small but sencible cask and keg offering with a Beautiful bottle range

A hidden gem in rural Scotland. Not many places in UK you can get such diverse and unique beers on tap. Triple Karmalet on tap! Jim is one of a kind and he knows his beers. This place is a "beergeek" mecca and a must stop for anyone visiting the Highlands. Not to mention the whisky selection...

Visited on Saturday 19/10/13 in a taxi from Dingwall station (£40 for 8 people). We headed to the beer bar at the rear of the establishment which was pretty busy around 7pm on a Saturday but we squeezed around a table. The largest table had a resreved sign on it, overspill form the restaurant so beware of this! The place is a small squareish room with a couple of duke boxes, cosy and the atmosphere was good, a few locals from Inverness, tourists and ourselves. Service was fine but the two young lads manning the bar didn’t know too much about the beers. Looking at the high scores this venue has attained I must say I felt a little underwhelmed by the beers on offer from tap. I came here as a beer drinker, not to eat or pair bottles with food etc. The tap range was pretty lazy in my opinion. 3 casks, 9 kegs. Of the 3 casks one was Harvistoun Bitter & Twisted and was in poor nick to the point 2 blokes returned their pints, one was Kingstone Classic - classic twiggy bitter, the other an XT offering - fair enough. Keg beers included all manner of dross - 2 from Bellhaven (I guess these cover the lager crowd), Vedett, Floris Apple, Brooklyn Amber amongst others, just uninspring IMHO. The bottled list, particularly on the Belgian front was extensive and I don’t doubt that it’s probably the largest in Scotland (or north of Edinburgh/Glasgow) but there’s no rare numbers, nothing you couldn’t order from Beers of Europe or pick up in other UK bottle shops today, ditto the 50 or so other bottles from the US and Europe. I came here expecting a little more in terms of local Scottish (or Highland) beers but found only 2 on tap, one of which was seemingly past it’s best and nothing rare at that. The Cromarty offering on keg was overpriced at £4.60 a pint for 4.7%, I’d pay 20% less than that in cerntral London and we were a stones throw from the brewery!!! I’d head back here with my wife to stay or eat, no qualms, but as a beer drinker who made an effort to come here for beers I felt let down and the 4 or 5 taps in Number 27 and the Castle Tavern offered me more interesting local beers and all in great condition.

The first time we came to the Anderson, it was closed. They keep evening hours only so be prepared. Do come. You can't find a better bar in Britain--one that ticks all the boxes and leaves out nothing. The landlord is an expat American with a good mind and heart. Jim also has a cuckoo clock. It is the first time I heard a cuckoo clock since visiting my grandparents in Mumbai when they still lived on Napean Sea Road. Good vibes, good taste. They run a hotel, too, but I would never stay here because then I would be unable to stop drinking in the evenings and that would be bad news. There are several spaces in The Anderson--one for dining, one for dive bar, and one for whisky lounge/pub dining. My favorite spot was the whisky lounge. I felt instantly at home. We also sat in the dive bar just for a round. There are well-stocked jukeboxes in both bar areas. Think Latin jazz, Captain Beefheart, Stray Cats..no crap on tap holds true for the tunes. The single malt selection was the highlight for me. I would prefer a few more cask-conditioned ales, as that's what I come to Britain to drink, but the bottle list is impressive enough that we ordered a few....Jim's wife is a world class chef. I don't know where she sharpened her chops, but those are some serious skills she's wielding. We tucked into some three dishes and realized that we might never again eat that well in Scotland do we ordered another! Josh and I spent about 5 hours in this place--no joke. The good food, the atmosphere, the owner's company, and the drinking selection were second to none.

Really nice ambiance, with an amazing selection of Belgian bottled beer and several local cask ales. The food was excellent with a delicious creative nuance. The main and biggest flop of the evening was the service. A long wait at the bar to get an advice (kindly provided then by an unknown costumer), with no barman to find. Endless wait to get a menu, than for the food... 2hrs for a beer and a dish, and we were just two. A great place spoiled by frustrating service.

We visited this Pub on 29th of June 2013. They claim to have the largest selection of Belgium beers in Scotland, on the menu they have around 50, some specialities and 2 of them on draft. They have around 12 ales on draft in total, including some beers from the US as Brooklyn Amber Lager and Liberty Ale from Anchor Steam and some Scottish beers from Fyne and Orkney. The pub is great with a lot of beer atmosphere. Food is good too. Service is a bit quirky, never mind you should visit this place.

I visited Scotland with some friends from the US this past April - during over travels, we spent a night on Black Isle and stumbled upon the Anderson for our dinner (it was recommended by our B&B owner). All I can say is that was the best recommendation I have received and I couldn’t have been happier with the result. We sat in the back bar for the first two hours, enjoying their vast beer selection (ah, Mikkeller - how I love thee). We then moved on to their dining area and had a terrific meal topped by an even more amazing dessert. The Anderson is a great place to include on any tour of Scotland, especially if you find yourself in the Inverness area.

I have been waiting some time to visit the Anderson after hearing some rave reviews and seeing their name as one of the few ambassadeurs d’Orval. The Inn located about 30 minutes drive from Inverness airport, which means it’s not nearly as difficult to get to as you would first think. We stayed the night in a brilliant room with a four-poster bed, which I strongly suggest to get the full Anderson experience. Inside they have 3 areas – a dining room, beer bar and whisky bar. We opted for the latter. It’s obvious straight away that the owners are passionate about food and drink. The selection includes about 150 beers, numerous ciders, 250 single malts and over 50 wines. Beer-wise they have a comprehensive tap selection of both cask and keg with quality craft beer being the focus. The bottle list is impressive - composed of a substantial Belgian and Danish selection, as well as interesting Scottish, English and Dutch beers, amongst others. We were there from open to close, but would need to be there for weeks to make a dent on the menu. All staff were friendly, passionate and knowledgeable. Prices seemed very good for someone used to London anyway. Food is a fusion of Scottish and American and pretty damn delicious. Right up there with the best beer places I have ever visited, let alone the UK. I shall most definitely return!

Amazing off the beaten track pub, wonderful beer list for it’s location. Always visited in daytime, so can’t really say what the ambience is when busy - but when in the area, visit!