When I made it out to 2bar, I realized I was in familiar territory. Located at 2960 4th Ave South, it's in the same building complex that used to house one of the best liquor stores in the state before privatization. If you were looking for really hard to find independent stuff, this was the place to go. The state is no longer present but thanks to 2bar, you can still get quality independent liquor there.
Opening in October of 2012, it consists of Nathan Kaiser, Chris Lehmann and Zach Zelinski & Zack Stockman, who oversee night time operation:
Nathan Kaiser is the owner. He used to be the COO of Blue Box, and has been involved in startups of one kind or another for years. He wanted to get back into the business of making things. The 2bar name comes from his family's farm in Yoakum, Texas. And, he wants to carry on the 2bar legacy.
He wants to grow the business and still stay true to the craft. He sees a groundswell of the DIY (do it yourself) culture emerging into the mainstream, and considers craft distilleries to be an integral part of this Renaissance.
Chris Lehmann, head distiller, is a living, walking encyclopedia on whiskey making knowledge. His favorites are single malt Scotches, so it will be interesting to see if they decide to start producing a single malt American whiskey in the future. When I showed up, he had just had gotten back from Springbank distillery in Scotland. There, they still employ about 40 people, compared to the average of 5-8 per distillery (most work at large distilleries has been automated.) He worked alongside them, learning some of the very subtle parts of the craft.
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| Chris & Nathan, with their new bourbon barrels |
Why Liquor?
Nathan wanted to get back into making real-world products, instead of just offering virtual solutions. With a degree in Microbiology and a love of moonshine, 2bar Spirits was a perfect combination of education and interests.
2bar Spirits is about quality, locally sourced and produced spirits and about celebrating moments in time.
There are two cultures that tend to emerge in any business. One is where each employee hoards all the knowledge and techniques that they have amassed over the years, in order to gain an edge over their fellow employee. While this can greatly benefit the individual, the company as a whole can suffer greatly. The other culture is a culture of sharing. When one person learns a new technique, he shares it with all of the coworkers who will benefit or are interested in hearing about it. These companies have lower turnover, happier employees, and most importantly, tend to do really well over time. Nathan has based all of his businesses off of the later model.
Family Legacy
The original 2bar was (and still is) a cattle ranch in Yoakum, Texas. His grandfather is 82 and still works it. His Grandfather’s dad passed away with he was only eight years old and he and his then 11 year old brother had to start supporting the family and the ranch with their mother.
Although there are no records (or court submittable evidence!), there are hints and rumors of moonshining stories the family passed down over the ages. Whether true of not (again, no evidence!) Nathan sees his distillery as a way to honor his family heritage. One thing that has plenty of evidence is the family work ethic. This is integral to Nathan's business dealings.
Partnerships
They work with and buy directly from local farmers, not through distributors. They like to deal with people instead of conglomerates whenever possible. In this business especially, relationships matter. This ties into why they make liquor in the first place. When I asked if they would go to a distributor if one of the family farms they worked with went under, Nathan's response was, “No, we'd find another farmer.”
And with these relationships, they are looking more to consistently improve their offerings than to keep a consistent flavor profile.
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| Each fermentation tank is named after someone lovely. This is (obviously) June Carter |
Offerings
Right now, they make a sipping vodka and moonshine, with bourbon aging in barrels for later release. It will be coming out soon, but they haven't given a date yet. Their first batch was laid into casks in January of this year. I was able to smell a sample, and it is coming along nicely.
Vodka:
High notes, sweet. Almost reminiscent of Jameson 18 year. The mash is primarily made from local wheat, but doesn’t have as much of a ‘play-doh’ taste as some wheat based whiskey that I’ve tried.
Moonshine:
Smooth for a moonshine (smoother than Bruichladdich Rocks, for comparison), nice depth of flavor. If you’ve had other moonshine before, don’t be afraid to try it at their tasting room before you pick up a bottle. It's very drinkable. I’d prefer mine straight over having it in a mixed drink.
Nathan, “Overall, Moonshine is a precursor to Bourbon. If you were to put it in a new charred oak barrel it would become a Bourbon. In the case of 2bar Moonshine and 2bar Bourbon, we have used different mash bills for both, though both are still majority corn. Also, our Moonshine is a standalone whiskey. It was never meant to go into a barrel, it if was it would have the harshness associated with other moonshines or white dogs.”
So, where can you get it? As of July 2013, this is the most complete list!
You can find 2 Bar Spirits at:
| Company Name | Address | City |
| T&C - Town & Country | 343 East Winslow Way | Bainbridge Island |
| BevMo! | 1100 Bellevue Way NE | Bellevue |
| Black Bottle - Bellevue | 919 Bellevue Way NE | Bellevue |
| Total Wine & More | 699 120th Avenue NE | Bellevue |
| Archer Ale House | 1212 10th Street | Bellingham |
| BevMo! | 114 West Stuart Road | Bellingham |
| Copper Hog | 1327 North State St. | Bellingham |
| Green Frog | 1015 N. State St. | Bellingham |
| Liquor Depot | 1255 Barkley Blvd | Bellingham |
| Market - Lakeway | 1030 Lakeway Drive | Bellingham |
| The Real McCoy Home Bar & Kitchen | 114 Prospect St. | Bellingham |
| 2point0 Cafe and Wine Bar | 1912 201st Place SE | Bothell |
| Preservation Kitchen | 17121 Bothell Way NE | Bothell |
| Edmonds IGA Market | 550 Fifth Avenue So. | Edmonds |
| Broadway Liquor - Everett | 2027 Broadway Avenue | Everett |
| Fall City Liquor | 33625 SE Redmond-Fall City Rd | Fall City |
| King's Market | 160 Spring St. | Friday Harbor |
| Rumor Mill | 175 First St. | Friday Harbor |
| Flat Iron Grill | 317 NW Gilman Blvd | Issaquah |
| Bridle Trails Red Apple | 6625 132nd AVE NE | Kirkland |
| Brix Wine Cafe | 9749 NE 119th Way | Kirkland |
| Metropolitan Market - Kirkland | 10611 N.E. 68th St. | Kirkland |
| Lopez Village Red Apple Market | 214 Lopez Road | Lopez Island |
| Wine 101 | 11601 Harbour Pointe Blvd | Mukilteo |
| G3 Liquors - West Olympia | 400 Coopers Pt. Rd SW #24 | Olympia |
| Ramblin Jacks | 520 E. 4th Ave. | Olympia |
| Total Wine & More | 625 Black Lake Blvd | Olympia |
| Burrata Bistro | 19006 Front Street | Poulsbo |
| HIGH SPIRITS LIQUOR STORE | 19880 7th Ave NE STE 101 | Poulsbo |
| BevMo! | 2180 148th Ave NE | Redmond |
| Redmond Ridge Liquor Store | 22310 NE Market Dr #108 | Redmond |
| 611 Supreme | 611 E Pine Street | Seattle |
| BalMar | 5449 Ballard Ave. NW | Seattle |
| Barrio - Capitol Hill | 1420 12th Ave. | Seattle |
| Bastille Cafe and Bar | 5307 Ballard Ave | Seattle |
| BevMo! | 10700 5th Avenue NE | Seattle |
| BevMo! | 850 NW 45th Street | Seattle |
| Bick's Broadview Grill | 10555 Greenwood Ave. N | Seattle |
| Blackboard Bistro | 3247 California Ave. SW | Seattle |
| Bob's Lake City Liquor | 9824 Lake City Way NE | Seattle |
| Cal's American Classic - Seattle | 404 Terry Avenue N. | Seattle |
| Calamity Jane's | 5701 Airport Way South | Seattle |
| Capco Beverages - West Seattle | 4100 SW Alaska Ste#A | Seattle |
| Columbia Tower Club | 701 5th Ave. South | Seattle |
| Copper Coin | 2329 California Ave SW | Seattle |
| Crow Restaurant & Bar | 823 5th Ave. N | Seattle |
| Crown Hill Liquor & Wine | 1120 NW 85th Street | Seattle |
| Delancey | 1415 NW 70th St. | Seattle |
| Delicatus | 103 1st Ave. S | Seattle |
| Downtown Spirits | 2300 7th Avenue #A | Seattle |
| Esquin | 2700 4th Ave. South | Seattle |
| Etta's Seafood Restaurant | 2020 Western Ave. | Seattle |
| Green Leaf Belltown | 2800 1st Ave | Seattle |
| Innkeeper | 2510 1st Ave | Seattle |
| Kangaroo & Kiwi | 2026 NW Market St | Seattle |
| Local 360 | 2234 First Avenue | Seattle |
| Lottie's Lounge | 4900 Rainier Avenue So. | Seattle |
| Metropolitan Market - Admiral | 2320 42nd Ave. SW | Seattle |
| Metropolitan Market - Uptown/Mercer Street | 100 Mercer St. | Seattle |
| Northwest Liquor & Wine - Capitol Hill | 1605 12th Ave | Seattle |
| QFC | 9999 Holman Road | Seattle |
| QFC | 2746 NE 45th | Seattle |
| QFC | 8400 35th Ave NE | Seattle |
| Radiator Whiskey | 94 Pike Street | Seattle |
| Ray's Boathouse | 6049 Seaview Ave. NW | Seattle |
| Row House Cafe | 1170 Republican St. | Seattle |
| Roxy's Backdoor | 462 N 36th St | Seattle |
| Royal Room | 5000 Rainer Ave | Seattle |
| Seattle Yacht Club | 1807 East Hamlin | Seattle |
| Skillet Street Food | 1408 E Union | Seattle |
| Spur | 113 Blanchard St. | Seattle |
| Steelhead Diner | 72 S Pine St. | Seattle |
| Tanakasan | 2131 Sixth Avenue | Seattle |
| The Sexton | 5327 Ballard Ave NW | Seattle |
| Total Wine & More | 2701 - 184th St SW | Seattle |
| Trace Restaurant | 1112 4th Ave. | Seattle |
| Tractor | 5213 Ballard Avenue NW | Seattle |
| Triple Door | 216 Union Street | Seattle |
| Vessel | 624 Olive Way | Seattle |
| Wine World Warehouse | 400 NE 45th Street | Seattle |
| Central Market - Shoreline | 15505 Westminister Way No. | Shoreline |
| North City Bistro | 1520 NE 177th St. | Shoreline |
| BevMo! | 3126 NW Randall Way | Silverdale |
| Snoqualmie Casino | 37500 SE North Bend Way | Snoqualmie |
| Snoqualmie Tobacco Company & Liquor Store | 37500B SE North Bend Way | Snoqualmie |
| Bon Bon | 926 W. Garland Ave | Spokane |
| Casper Fry | 928 S. Perry Suite #B | Spokane |
| Central Food | 1335 W SUMMIT PKWY | Spokane |
| Eggers South Hill Liquor | 5611 S. Perry Street | Spokane |
| Huckleberry's Natural Market | 926 S. Monroe Street | Spokane |
| Jones Radiator | 120 East Sprague | Spokane |
| Pita Pit | 6314 N Ash Street | Spokane |
| Stella's Cafe - Spokane | 917 W Broadway Ave | Spokane |
| The Swinging Doors | 1018 W. Francis Avenue | Spokane |
| Total Wine & More | 9980 N Newport HWY | Spokane |
| Adriatic Grill | 4201 S. Steele st. | Tacoma |
| BevMo! | 2330 S. 37th Street | Tacoma |
| El Gaucho - Tacoma | 2119 Pacific Ave. | Tacoma |
| Metropolitan Market - Tacoma | 2420 N. Proctor St. | Tacoma |
| Pop's Liquor Store | 2805 6th Avenue | Tacoma |
| BevMo! | 17197 Southcenter Parkway | Tukwila |
| BevMo! | 700 SE 160th Ave | Vancouver |
| Total Wine & More | 4816 NE Thurston Way | Vancouver |
| Vashon Liquor Store | 17607 Vashon Highway SW | Vashon |
| Barking Frog - Willows Lodge | 14580 Ne 145th St. | Woodinville |
| B&G Friday Harbor Liquor | ||
| Rocco's |
