If you are searching specifically for a whisky bar in PJ, you are usually looking for one of three things: a serious back-shelf collection of single malts to taste neat, a strong whisky-cocktail list to drink through over an evening, or just a quiet room to nurse a dram. Dissolved Solids in Damansara Kim covers all three. Here is what to expect.
The back shelf
We rotate seasonally, but the regular core is around 30 whiskies: Scotland (Highland, Speyside, Islay, Islands), Ireland, Japan, the US (bourbon and rye), and a small but growing Asian selection (Kavalan from Taiwan, the better Indian single malts, Mackmyra from Sweden). Prices for a 30ml pour range from RM 22 (entry-level Highland) to RM 95 (older Islay, rare Japanese, allocated bourbon).
If you tell the bartender what you have liked before, they will pour two small comparative tastes (15ml each, RM 28) so you can taste before you commit to a full pour. We do this off-menu most weekday afternoons.
Whisky cocktails we always pour
Old Fashioned. Bourbon or rye, demerara or maple syrup, angostura and orange bitters, stirred long over hand-cut clear ice. The base case. See our journal piece on clear ice at home for why the ice matters.
Manhattan. Rye-leaning, sweet vermouth, angostura, brandied cherry. Stirred. The whisky drinker's Negroni.
Whisky Sour. Bourbon, fresh lemon, simple syrup, optional egg white. Shaken hard.
Boulevardier. Bourbon, Campari, sweet vermouth. The whisky-Negroni. Bittersweet, conversational.
Penicillin. Blended scotch, ginger, lemon, honey, Islay float. Modern classic, our highest-volume whisky drink.
Hot Toddy. Whisky, lemon, honey, hot water, clove. For the rare cool evening or the colder-than-usual room.
Two local whisky cocktails we built
Kopi Sour. Whisky, cold-brewed kopi-O, gula melaka syrup, lemon, foamed. The Malaysian whisky sour. Recipe at /cocktails/kopi-sour/.
Gula Melaka Old Fashioned. Whisky, gula melaka syrup, aromatic bitters, orange peel. The local-sugar version of the classic. /cocktails/gula-melaka-old-fashioned/.
How to taste whisky at the bar
Three rules that make any whisky bar evening better:
1. Use a tulip glass, not a tumbler. Most bars including ours will pour neat whisky in a Glencairn or similar tulip-shaped glass. The shape concentrates the aromatics. A rocks tumbler is for cocktails, not neat.
2. Try a few drops of water. Adding a few drops of room-temperature water to a high-proof whisky "opens it up", reduces surface tension and releases trapped aromatics. Real, not theatre. Bartenders and distillers do it.
3. Move from light to heavy. If you are tasting multiple whiskies, start with the lightest, smoothest (Speyside, Irish, light Japanese) and move toward the heaviest, peatiest (Islay). Going the other direction means you cannot taste anything subtle after the peat.
For the full method, see our how to taste a spirit article.
If you are coming specifically to drink whisky
Best timing: weekday afternoons, 15:00 to 18:00. Bartender has time. The room is quiet. Tasting is easy.
WhatsApp ahead if you want a structured 3- or 4-whisky tasting flight. We will line up something specific based on what you have liked before.
Where exactly
Dissolved Solids · 43-1 Jalan SS20/11, Damansara Kim, 47400 PJ. Maps · WhatsApp
Related reading
- Whisky vs whiskey, the spelling and the styles.
- How to taste a spirit
- Manhattan recipe
- Old Fashioned recipe
- Boulevardier recipe
- Cocktail bar in Damansara, neighbourhood guide.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I drink serious whisky in PJ?
Dissolved Solids (43-1 Jalan SS20/11, Damansara Kim, WhatsApp +60 11-4008 7607) rotates around 30 whiskies on the back shelf: Scotland (Highland, Speyside, Islay, Islands), Ireland, Japan, US bourbon and rye, plus Asian single malts (Kavalan, Indian malts, Mackmyra). Pours run RM 22 (entry-level Highland) to RM 95 (older Islay, rare Japanese, allocated bourbon). Weekday afternoons 15:00 to 18:00 are quietest for tasting.
How should I taste whisky at the bar?
Three rules. Use a tulip-shaped Glencairn glass, not a rocks tumbler; the shape concentrates aromatics. Try a few drops of room-temperature water in high-proof whisky to open it up (reduces surface tension, releases trapped aromatics). Move from light to heavy across a tasting: Speyside or Irish first, Islay last. Going the other way means peat ruins your palate for anything subtle that follows.
Which whisky cocktails do you pour?
Old Fashioned (bourbon or rye, demerara or maple, angostura plus orange bitters, long stir over hand-cut clear ice). Manhattan (rye-leaning, sweet vermouth, brandied cherry). Whisky Sour with optional egg white. Boulevardier (bourbon, Campari, sweet vermouth). Penicillin (blended Scotch, ginger, lemon, honey, Islay float). Hot Toddy for cool evenings. Plus two local builds: Kopi Sour and Gula Melaka Old Fashioned.
Can I order a whisky tasting flight?
Yes. WhatsApp Dissolved Solids ahead on +60 11-4008 7607 and we will line up a structured 3- or 4-whisky flight based on what you have liked before. Off-menu, two 15ml comparative tastes for RM 28 let you compare before committing to a full 30ml pour. We do this most weekday afternoons when the bar is quiet and the bartender has time to talk through each pour.
What's the difference between a whisky bar and a cocktail bar with whisky?
A dedicated whisky bar leads with the back shelf (hundreds of bottles, deep verticals), with cocktails often a side category. A cocktail bar with whisky (like Dissolved Solids) carries a curated rotating 30 bottles plus a strong whisky-cocktail list, so you can shift between a neat dram and a stirred cocktail in the same evening without losing seriousness on either side. Different rooms for different evenings.