Another first-time experience in Madison, and this spot came highly recommended if you're a true whiskey or bourbon lover, and wow it did NOT disappoint! It happened to be near the theatre we went to, so we decided to stop in and check it out. They have nearly 775 different types of whiskey to choose from, which is wild! I loved that they offer different ounce sizes so you can sample a few, and they even pair it with water so you stay hydrated while tasting (smart touch). Price ranges between ~$7.50-$20.00+. The place had a cozy, lounge-like vibe and was pretty busy, but the staff was friendly and helpful. It's first come first served for seating, just like any bar. We sampled a few whiskeys and also tried their premade espresso martini. The whiskey selection was phenomenal, the espresso martini was decent, not the best I've had (it was premade), but still enjoyable (it's made with Tito's, which isn't my favorite base, but I appreciate the fresh coffee beans they used). All in all, this place is a hidden gem. Great whiskey, friendly staff, and the perfect cozy spot to escape the rain for a while. I'll definitely be back next time to try even more from their list! read more

Cask & Ale - Tito's Espresso Martini - Lounges Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

The perfect chill spot for a couple, if you need a cozy booth with dim lighting & good cocktails this is it! We also loved that the football game was on and it wasn't too loud. It's intimate and the drinks are fire. We stuck with the classic old fashioned and felt they were strong and well crafted - thank you for a true luxardo cherry too! We ordered at the bar but chilled in a booth. So many whiskey options!!! Service is friendly & quick! read more

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I love this place! They have great selection. It would be a great spot, my only reservation is what they use as a cleaning product. It is so pungent. It smells like a dive bar but you are drinking quality drinks. You're spending quality drink money but you cannot escape the cheap cleaning product smell. read more

LOTS. OF. WHISKEY/WHISKY. We came here on a Saturday night and it was packed. We managed to find a seat at the end of the bar and were blown away by their whiskey/whisky list. We had a dram of our very first Pappy and Laphroig 25, and they both did not disappoint. The bartender was friendly and very helpful, too. I'd definitely come back here. read more

Cask & Ale - the label on a bottle of rum - Lounges Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Superior beer and whiskey selection. Like stuff you don't normally see in bars. Balvenie 14 Yr. Peat Week for example or Alaska Brewing Company's Amber Ale. Full menu here https://www.caskandalemadison.com/menus/ Good service. Prices are what you would expect for higher end booze. read more

This place is fantastic! I visited on the advice of my mother on a recent visit to Madison. It's a quiet, dark oasis amid the hubbub that State Street can be. The service was extremely friendly and helpful. The liquor menu is seriously impressive, with a daunting selection of many spites, but particularly bourbons. You can sample anything on tap before buying a full drink. They do flights and individual pours or bourbons. They also offer interesting cocktails. If you're an aficionado, you should definitely go to Cask & Ale. You will be glad you did. read more

Cask & Ale - Lounges Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great service! Awesome spot. Definitely will be going back the next time we visit Madison

Not a bad place but seems to cater to the college crowd, very loud environment. If you sit at the tables then you have to go up to the bar and order your drinks as no one comes to the tables to take orders. We had to yell over our table to talk to one another in order to be heard and we ended up not even finishing our drinks. Probably won't be back. read more

Came across this place by luck, and if ypure a qhiskwy drinker, this is the place. HUGE selection of whiskeys guaranteed to satisfy the pickiest drinker if your budget allows. The prices range from reasonable to I have to sell my soul. It's a cozy little place, nothing too high brow. But cozy. They also have an impressive craft beer selection. Take the time to hunt it down and try it. read more

No place in Madison has a better selection of Bourbons. Was here tonight and forgot may card at the bar. 40 minutes later the bartender tracked me down across the street and made sure I got my card back. That kind of service deserves way more than 5 stars. I already was a big fan of this place, but after tonight Cask and Ale is number 1 on my list. read more

Cool place. Too many options for spirits, so make sure to ask for recommendations. Staff is very happy to help. When asking, make sure to include your preferences so they can help guide you. Dimly lit- and very cozy. read more

Love this place for their drinks. The princess slayer (raspberry strawberry lemonade and vodka and soda) is definitely my go to but I love to try a new cocktail every time I go as well. The ambiance is cute yet chill. Definitely recommend! read more

Love this place. Great selection of drinks. Excellent outdoor seating. One of go to places on State.

Great spot for drinks! You're looking at 9 dolla cocktails and kinda pricey yet quite the selection of beers on tap. Really dug the ambiance at this bar... think clean, modern, trendy lounge with good music (90s west coast rap sh*t, the good stuff, to current radio jams). No snobby peeps, but mostly a pretty young and trendy crowd for sure. I dig. I liked that it wasn't overly crowded at all for a Saturday night and music wasn't too loud that you couldn't have a conversation with the person next to you. Anyways, in addition to cocktails n beers, they do have quite the whiskey selection. Me likely. Only hung out for a round here, but would definitely stop by again if I were in Madison. Only suggestion for this spot would be they should have a printed menus to read whats on draft. TV screens weren't really doing it for me as the color & font were hard to read even from the bar. 'Til next time, cheers! 182/365 read more

Cask & Ale - The VanDyke ~ four roses bourbon, st germaine liquor, lemon juice, ginger simple syrup, bitters. A bit sweet, but tasty af. - Lounges Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Strong drinks. Great tap old fashioned, I prefer sour. Nice patio. Dark vibe inside. Good service.

What a place! Not a ton of seating, but I can't stop staring at the wall. The drinks are very strong and and seem very reasonable for price. read more

Cask & Ale - The wall of liquor - Lounges Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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If you like whiskey and friendly people, you want to come here. There are very few whiskeys that are not in their arsenal and the ones they have range from $5 - 250. Full line of Buffalo Trace products including their own SiB picks. Talked with several of the staff there including the owner Ken and everyone was helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. If you are in Madison, don't walk past Cask & Ale. read more

Being classified as a whiskey lounge my wife and I were expecting a casual laid back atmosphere for a nightcap. Upon walking up to the establishment you could hear the music being blasted through the open windows from down the block. Bar packed shoulder to shoulder, you wouldn't even know we're in the middle of a pandemic. We didn't even stop in for a drink. Very misleading description of what this bar is. Not a whiskey lounge at all - just another bar for drunk college kids. read more

I've been wanting to get into whiskey, and this is definitely the place! They have so many options. The only thing is I didn't feel like the bar tenders knew the menu THAT well. read more

This place is amazing. The staff is exceptional. One of the best beer menus in Madison that rotates frequently. Also, the cleanest, nicest bathrooms. Youll want to keep coming back. I stop there almost every time I'm on State Street. The cocktail menu is creative with fun names. Don't miss out and stop by there. You won't regret it. read more

A trendy, hipster cocktail bar near the Capitol. They have an awesome craft beer selection, a creative cocktail list and classic cocktails on draft. I had the VanDyke which is Four Roses bourbon and Saint Germaine with lemon juice (on draft). Refreshing and boozy. Romantic mood lighting which would be great for a first date except it gets really loud when it's busy. So be ready to get REAL close so you can hear each other. read more

Cask & Ale - Lounges Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I don't come here enough. My liver is probably happy with that. But the place really is a solid establishment amongst the fairly average places that line State St. Love their cocktail collection and their beer list is one of the better ones in the city. Love the fact that they display how much is left in each barrel so you aren't surprised when your favorite beer is no longer around. Their kegged cocktails are also not to be missed. The crowd is a good mix and skews a little older that the rest of the State St. bars. Great bartenders. Plenty of seating. Great drinks. What more can a guy ask for? read more

I had scoped this place out on Yelp and was actually looking for this when some hip hop music drew me in...before i knew it, I was at Cask & Ale..funny how that worked out. Anyway, cool vibes - not too crowded around 9pm, and decent drinks. Love the whiskey selection, though I note the draft beers are a little higher-priced for the area. Would go back again next time I'm in Madison! read more

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Cool new edition to State street. Stumbled in here last night and was blown away by their selection. I'm not a whiskey woman, but if it's your thing this is the place to go. I tried out a Mobcraft sour that I just wasn't feeling at all, and the bartender was super nice about switching it out for some mead. He still let me keep the Mobcraft to let my friends try. We scored an awesome booth by the window, perfect for some late night people watching. Can't say enough about how friendly the staff is here. Fun, relaxed vibes all around! read more

Cask & Ale - Lounges Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Terrible, upsetting, and disturbing experience. Two drunk people were invading our table, asking for high five and fist bumps. The guy started taking pictures of us as a background of his old fashion cocktail. Repeatedly calling us Japanese. The two drunk, racists customers and the rest of silent customers made my experience at this place one of the worst ones that I had living three years in Madison. Nothing happened to kick these two white drunken, rude people out, so me and my two Asian girlfriends were forced to leave this place. read more

I am a whiskey blogger. I have a golden rule when it comes to whiskey: I rarely buy a bottle of whiskey I've never tried. This means I am always on the prowl for a bar that has an excellent and diverse whiskey selection. I was very excited to learn about Cask & Ale. A Facebook friend suggested I take a drive to State Street and visit this establishment. And, am I ever glad I did! Cask & Ale boasts 300+ whiskeys. It becomes obvious the second you waltz through the door they aren't exaggerating. The entire back wall is stacked, to the rafters, with different whiskeys. There is a whiskey menu, but it isn't up to date. It just isn't possible. The number of allocated whiskeys is huge. When I visited today, they had all of the Van Winkle and BTAC options. There are top-, mid- and bottom-shelf options. Basically, if you have heard of it, Cask & Ale has it. Pricing seems extremely fair, especially considering how rare several of the choices are. We found the mixologist Brent very knowledgeable and attentive. He seemed to genuinely enjoy having us in his bar. If whiskey is your thing, Cask & Ale is the place you must stop by while near the UW campus. My wife and I will absolutely be back. Cheers! read more

Cask & Ale - Lounges Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

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Showed up here around 1:30am on a Thursday after seeing that their listing said they were open until 2:30am. We arrived and I asked the bartender (didn't get a name but he was a shorter rude guy) if they had an Glenn Fiddich, he literally tossed me a drink menu without saying anything, rude. I take a look and order a couple drinks. The rude bartender didn't tell me anything besides the fact that they were closing soon. I told him Yelp said they were open until 2:30am and he just said No, on only Friday and Saturday. Ok fine, but he just had a bad attitude and seemed like he was in a hurry to get out of there. I understand working all day, especially being on your feet as a bartender, I did it for many years. However, at the end of the day, you have a job, and you should follow thru with it and not be a jerk to anyone because you're trying to get out of there. I wanted to return to this place when I had more time because I love scotch and bourbons but I won't bother. read more

If you like beer and/or whiskey, this place is a must stop location. The menu for available drinks is truly overwhelming. I've been to a lot of whiskey bars over the years, and I'm not sure that I've found one to beat Cask & Ale. You can certainly find something for yourself here regardless of your taste. The staff was on top of anything you wanted or needed be it advise, suggestions, or simply a water refill. read more

Very strong drinks and great ambiance. After going to the Old Fashioned and leaving disappointed, this place made a mean Old Fashioned! Highly recommended! read more

Cask & Ale - Lounges Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Amazing selection and knowledgeable bartenders. Very friendly, even when they were very busy. I was able to try several whiskies I have been trying to find and a couple others I really enjoy. Great place and one of the best for Whiskey in the midwest! read more

Phenomenal selection, great service, fair prices. I have 35 more characters remaining until

Did my own personal bar crawl one night while in Madison, and ended the evening at Cask & Ale. I don't drink whisky, so some of the allure is lost on me, but overall it's a very enjoyable place to have a beer and hang out for an evening. Love the computer-based tap lists, it's a great way to keep an eye and make sure they don't run out of the beer that you're sipping on. Bar seats are comfy and the bartender was super friendly and gave me a bunch of different beers to try before settling on the one I wanted to commit to. Environment was lovely and it felt to have a little bit older of a crowd than most of the bars in the area that I checked out. Definitely will be visiting again on my next trip to Madison. read more

we stopped here for a happy hour drink on Saturday. bartenders were so friendly! not many gluten free beer options (not even the local Alt Brew!) and very minimal wine by the glass ( 2 red, 2 white). I would try again for one drink , small spot, dark, a little out dated! read more

What makes sad about about a place like Cask and Ale is the pretentiousness. The bartender was judgmental and treated me differently than my male counterparts. I say check out spots in Madison that are inclusive and treats everyone the same, even if you are the only lady in the bar. read more

This place has one of the more extensive whisky selections I've come across. Not only do they have your typical hard to find bourbons and scotches, they have a pretty extensive collection of things you might not expect like Japanese whisky. The atmosphere is very laid back and well put together. A great place to enjoy a completely relaxing night. read more

Came to this place to have a drink with some friends and was sorely disappointed by the old fashioned that the bartenders made. There is a nice beer selection as well as vibe for the entire place, which is small but cozy. It's a good place to escape the college bar atmosphere, but the prices reflect being a full adult and the drinks were just okay. i'll have to give it another try as maybe i didn't order the right drink...but i've made better old fashions.... read more

This is kind of a 3.5 star joint. I was looking forward to this bar for their whiskies, found the bar with only 8 or 10 people in it on a Friday night at about 8:30pm. The perks here were the dark lighting, fun music, beautiful bar, extensive whiskies, decent beer list, large and comfortable booths. It was challenging, however to find a drink menu or flag down staff. Turns out you have to order at the bar even if you're in the booths. The beer is only listed on the television screens but they are largely unreadable from the booths. I couldn't get my hands on the whiskey list or related cocktails, so went with beer. Staff was kind enough, knew about beers. For most bars downtown, this was nicely without too many obnoxious drunks, students, etc. I'd give her another go and sit at the bar next time around, focusing on whiskey. read more

Probably the most expansive bourbon and rye selection in Madison. They really designed the place well with a long bar and great booths. They also have a great tap list and wine selection for people who aren't fans of the dark liquor. Good service, great selection, cool design. Definitely a place I will be coming back to. read more

If you like beer or whiskey or bourbon, this is the place to go. You want your Pappy? They've got it. Not paying for that hype? (Though honestly, tasty for a splurge especially is someone else is buying). Then get that hard to find Rock Hill Farms, or any number of great tastes. Great list of brews, and a great relatively dark, wood-forward decor to enjoy your favorite drink. read more

Nearly 300 whiskeys available - what more is there to say! The staff is very friendly and knowledgeable, and the space is gorgeous. It feels nothing like the bar that formerly occupied this space. In addition to an unparalleled whiskey list, there is a rotating list of taps and wine. The kegs are on a digital system that shows those at the bar how much of the keg is left. There are also some great sounding cocktails, but with all that whiskey and beer, I haven't been compelled to try them yet! read more

Cask & Ale - Whiskey selection - Lounges Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin