While rum geeks prop up the bar of the St James Tavern in Kemp Town, Brighton’s bourbon aficionados congregate at its stablemate on North Laine. The long bar bristles with over 70 types & brands of American whiskey, & even received a visit from Jack Daniel's head distiller, after the pub invested nearly £8,000 in its own barrel of JD. Apart from its whiskey fixation, the Great Eastern is a traditional British boozer that hasn’t changed much since it opened 150 years ago – think low ceilings, battered floorboards, book-lined shelves & drinkers perched on tiny wooden stools. It's an atmospheric place, especially at night when the tall candles spread a warm glow over proceedings. Honest pub grub (nachos, burgers etc) arrives in a dumb-waiter behind the bar – although not on jam-packed Friday & Saturday nights.