Date Night: Sample Spirits from Seattle’s New Distilleries

Tired of weekend winery trips? Why not call up the babysitter and slip out for an afternoon of sampling locally-produced spirits? Our friends at Seattle Magazine have done the research for us, and here is their list of local and up-and-coming distilleries in the greater Seattle Area. Welcome to another edition of Date Night.

The recent boom in Seattle booze distillers comes thanks to the Washington State Craft Distillery Law (passed in 2008), which allows local liquor producers to offer on-site tasting and bottle sales, à la wineries—provided that at least 51 percent of the liquor ingredients are grown in state. Accordingly, a slew of recently opened distilleries now offer facility tours and tasting rooms, so you can try before you buy. Bonus points: Increase your locavore cred by ordering a drink made with local spirits at area bars that carry them.

Swill from the still at these LOCAL distillery tasting rooms:

Sun Liquor Distillery and Bar (pictured)
Capitol Hill
514 East Pike Street
sunliquor.com
Taste: Sun Liquor gin
Claim to fame: First Washington establishment to  be both a distillery and a bar
Also poured at: Sun Liquor’s first location (bar only) at 607 Summit Avenue East

Sound Spirits
Interbay
1630 15th Avenue West
drinksoundspirits.com
Taste: Ebb + Flow vodka and gin, and coming soon, aquavit
Claim to fame: Seattle’s first distillery since Prohibition
Also poured at: Bars such as Rob Roy, The Hideout and Oliver’s Twist

Bainbridge Organic Distillers
Bainbridge Island
9727 Coppertop Loop Northeast, Suite 101
bainbridgedistillers.com
Taste: Legacy organic vodka, Heritage organic gin, Battle Point whiskey
Claim to fame: First organic distillery in Washington
Also poured at: Seattle bars such as Brouwer’s Cafe, Local 360, Liberty, Mistral Kitchen, Tavern Law, and on Bainbridge at Harbour Pub and Hitchcock

To discover more date-worthy Seattle distilleries, click here.

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at Seattle Magazine, which keeps readers on the pulse of restaurants, personalities, arts, entertainment and culture that reflect the tapestry of our dynamic landscape. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a weekly dose of fantastic Date Night ideas throughout greater Seattle.