ByBrad Japhe,
Senior Contributor.
Louis Andia, Kooth Hospitality's GM, curates Manhattan's top whisky libraries across venues like Kono and Beatbox, making the LES a premier F&B hub. A fan of peated malts, he recommends Laphroaig Cairdeas for everyday, Yamazaki Peated Malt Spanish Oak, and the high-end Nikka Taketsuru Pure Malt 25.
As the general manager and beverage director for Kooth Hospitality, Louis Andia oversees one of the most impressive whisky libraries in all of Manhattan. He doesn’t just pour the juice in question, he helps curate it, personally.
Under his purview is Kono, the top-rated yakitori counter in the country–according to North America’s 50 Best Restaurants. Behind its back wall it hides a reservation-only Japanese inspired HiFi listening lounge called Beatbox. Next door is Yamada, a Michelin star kaiseki that recently collaborated with Suntory Global Spirits on a limited menu in which dishes were prepared with the company’s premiere portfolio of whiskies. On the opposite end of a block-long promenade is the Bar at Nakaji, where Andia has amassed one of the largest commercial collections of rare Japanese malts anyone on earth.
