Booze Tour

Aaron and I went on a local distillery tour last weekend. The tour was led by Dustin from Road Dogs Tours. We went on a brewery tour with them back in March. The brewery tour was pretty fun, so we thought we'd try the hard stuff this time.

We met the tour downtown by Pike Place Market at the appointed time and we hopped into the van. It was a toasty day for boozin'. Last Saturday was one of the hottest days that we've had recently. I think it may have reached the low 90's. The two other couples on the tour were from out-of-town, so they seemed to be doing fine with temperature. I, on the other hand, don't like heat. So I felt like I was going to melt, but I forged on in the name of drinking.

The first distillery we visited was Mischief in Fremont.

We got to try their Fremont Mischief Vodka, Fremont Mischief Gin, John Jacob Whiskey and Fremont Mischief Whiskey. The samples were served in tiny plastic containers, so weren't full shots. I liked the vodka and gin, but passed on tasting the whiskey. (I don't drink whiskey, bourbon or scotch due to an ill-fated Seagram's 7/Jim Beam debacle that will haunt me forever.) We didn't buy anything because we already have a bottle of the Fremont Mischief Vodka that I got as a Christmas gift (I know - we need to crack that open!).

After our samples,  we got to see the distilling area behind the tasting room.

The distillery was very compact. The stills were beautiful and reminded me of a brass instrument, like a saxophone. The stills were hand-made in Germany. It was pretty cool to see!

Our next stop was Sound Spirits Distillery, so we headed to Interbay. 

They had a nice area set up in the tasting room and we filed in as our guide lined up some small shot glasses for us. We tried the Ebb+Flow Vodka, Ebb+Flow Gin, Sound Spirits Aquavit, and the Sound Spirits "Vow of Silence" Herbal Liqueur.

Lastly, we got to sample something that is not for sale yet. I couldn't detect the scent, but after a few hints, I realized it was chocolate. Mmm!

At Sound Spirits, I tried everything except the Aquavit. I have had it in the past and it is not my cup of tea. Aaron liked the gin and the aquavit. I'm not usually a gin girl, but this one didn't have such a strong juniper berry flavor, so it tasted less like a Christmas tree. We didn't buy any of their spirits, but I would like to go back and get some of the Ebb+Flow Gin. I think it would make a lovely gin and tonic.

We got to tour their distillery area, as well.

While we were being shown around, we had a chance to meet Steven Stone, the founder and head distiller. He was industriously working, but took a moment to explain to us about the concept of the "head, heart and tails" with regard to distilling. It sounded like the heart was the good stuff. (Here's a more detailed description that I found, if you are curious. Remember, I had had a fair number of shots by this time, so wasn't really soaking up the info too clearly.)

Sound Spirits also had a nice selection of mixers, which we enjoyed perusing.

After bidding Sound Spirits adieu, we cruised down the street to Batch 206 Distillery, which is also conveniently located in Interbay.

Batch 206 has a very hip tasting room - and it was air conditioned! Unfortunately, my camera battery died right when we got there. Gah! But the tasting room had a sitting area, as well as a bar area. It had a mid-century vibe. The wall behind the bar had a really cool geometric wood design and some awesome light fixtures that were made out of bottles. (I asked about them and they were made in Ohio!) We got to try the Batch 206 Vodka and the Counter Gin. They were both great and we got full, chilled shots.

Next to the tasting room was a banquet/party area. It was all set up for a birthday party that was scheduled for later in the evening. It seemed like a cool place for a party!

Behind the banquet/party area was the distillery area. It was by the far the largest we had seen all day. They had a still similar to the one at Mischief. It was brass and silver and made in Germany. It was quite a lot larger, though. There was also a lot of storage space for barrels. Jeff Steichen, the owner of Batch 206 (and also previous owner of the Showbox), said that they are planning to distill brandy and whiskey in the future.

We bought a bottle of the Counter Gin to add to our clear liquor selection at home.

Overall, the tour was really fun! It was a bit hard to drink that much straight alcohol, but Dustin (our Road Dog guide) said that he is working on tweaking the tour so that it incorporates some cocktails with the featured spirits. Even without cocktails, it was a neat way to see some of the local distilleries and better understand the distilling process. And also to get to booze it up and not have to drive. Cheers to that!