The adamantane scaffold is found in several marketed drugs and in many investigational 11b-HSD1 inhibitors. Interestingly, all the clinically approved adamantane derivatives are C-1 substituted. We demonstrate that, in a series of paired adamantane isomers, substitution of the adamantane in C-2 is preferred over the substitution at C-1 and is necessary for potency at human 11b-HSD1. Furthermore, the introduction of an oxygen atom in the hydrocarbon scaffold of adamantane is deleterious to 11b-HSD1 inhibition. Molecular modeling studies provide a basis to rationalize these features.