Seattle and Washington Area Thread

[dementedavenger]

Those prices are cheap for LA, broham.

The prices aren't awful, though I feel their pours are small. The issue is the wackiness of the pricing where Hudson's Manhattan Rye is ~35% more expensive that PVW15, GTS and WLW. It's to the customer's benefit, of course, but that's just weird pricing, in my opinion. The beauty of Liberty is that I have no clue what their prices are and don't really care. I always feel like I get treated fairly there and I get my money's worth.

[squire]

Apparently the spirits manager is not a Bourbon guy, but hey, if that what customers are willing to pay . . .

[dementedavenger]

I stopped into Total Wine in Tukwila today and was very pleasantly surprised to find a big selection of bourbon. They had a few bottles of JPS18 Batch #17 for $93.99 before tax if you're looking (I found it interesting that it was on the shelf and not in the "High-End Spirits" cabinet directly across the aisle; in fact, there was no bourbon in that cabinet). Most interesting to me was the big selection of Sazerac brands that I'm totally unfamiliar with: Black Ridge, Buckhorn, Chestnut Farms and Two Stars, among others. Anyone ever tried any of these? They were NAS and seemed more about packaging than anything else. They also had a ton of bottom shelf stuff I've never seen: Black Eagle, Paddleford Creek, Southshot, Watkins Select and Winchester.

[LostBottle]

The Tukwilla Total Wine also has great customer service, a remarkable change from many of the people I encountered who were on the state payroll.

[SFS]

I stopped into Total Wine in Tukwila today and was very pleasantly surprised to find a big selection of bourbon. They had a few bottles of JPS18 Batch #17 for $93.99 before tax if you're looking (I found it interesting that it was on the shelf and not in the "High-End Spirits" cabinet directly across the aisle; in fact, there was no bourbon in that cabinet). Most interesting to me was the big selection of Sazerac brands that I'm totally unfamiliar with: Black Ridge, Buckhorn, Chestnut Farms and Two Stars, among others. Anyone ever tried any of these? They were NAS and seemed more about packaging than anything else. They also had a ton of bottom shelf stuff I've never seen: Black Eagle, Paddleford Creek, Southshot, Watkins Select and Winchester.

The Watkins Select is here at Total as well, and I bought a bottle a couple of months ago. I asked the Wine Manager of the store, who seemed to know his bourbon as well, what he would buy as an every day pour, preferably under $20. He didn't have to think long and named two bourbons. The Watkins was $17 (I forgot what the other bourbon was). It was very drinkable (though I don't remember the specifics), and I finished the bottle within a month or so, having no qualms about reaching for it equally as often as other, roughly-equivalently-priced stuff in my cabinet at the time (mainly 4R YL, and Weller SR, IIRC). At that price, I wouldn't have felt bad about if someone had wanted to mix it.

I will likely buy another bottle again in the future. It's a lot better than Dickel #12, and I liked it as much as the AA. (I can't get AAA here).

[dementedavenger]

If you haven't already tried it, I strongly recommend giving the Oola Cask Strength version of its Waitsburg Bourbon a try. It's young but at 118-proof it's got a real nice bite to it. I wish more craft distillers would follow Oola's lead and put out a cask strength offering. They sell it direct from the Capitol Hill distillery and Total, as well as some of the more expensive joints.

[SFS]

Thank demented (boy, that was fun to type). I'll look for it here, though this is a long way from Capitol Hill (in so many ways).

I used to spend a fair amount of time in the Madison area, though usually a few blocks farther east. I think I know the building they are in.

[dementedavenger]

Two more liquor store reviews.

QFC University Village: Former state store; the entrance is separate from the actual grocery store. A surprisingly strong selection of bourbon and rye, including two bottles of JPS18 (batches 17 and 18) for $104.99 before tax; Weller 12, which I rarely see out here, and a bunch of stuff that has totally slipped my mind now. Prices are competitive with BevMo! and Total if they've put it on sale and right now a lot of stuff is on sale. I overheard the manager talking to someone - either a distributor or craft producer - and he sounded like he knows what he's doing and is trying to turn that store into something. I think this particular store may have a lot of potential because while that QFC is on the edge of the U-District it's main constituency comes from middle to upper income neighborhoods in close proximity.

Capco Beverages in West Seattle: Local folks took over the old "premium" state store. Big selection though the only stuff they had that I don't routinely see elsewhere is OFBB, OFBIB, Willett 4-Year Rye and some real bottom shelf. It's an independent so their prices are not good. The only thing I saw that was priced lower than I've seen elsewhere is the Dry Fly Port Finished Wheat Whiskey, a 375ml bottle that still costs $30 after tax. I'm sure I'll be back, though likely just to browse.

[BourbonShill]

A bunch of Weller 12 just landed here last week.

[LostBottle]

A bunch of Weller 12 just landed here last week.

...but, if you are not a bar or restaurant....