"The owners of this classic Gastown bar are not only Irish but also work on-site, making the Heather a soulful antidote to all the faux-Gaelic watering holes out there. The old country agrees: The 2017 Irish Whiskey Awards named it the Best Irish Whiskey Experience Winner North America. The accolade is thanks, in part, to the gastropub’s back room. Somewhere between a snug and a speakeasy, the Shebeen boasts more than 200 bottles of the “water of life,” as the Scots and Irish call it. Also on-site is Salt, an artisanal tasting room featuring cheeses like Saint-André triple-crème Brie, and coffee-and-lavender-rubbed cheddar alongside small-batch meats like bresaola and fennel-flavored salami."