We started our Seattle day with an obligatory visit to Pike’s Place Market and made our first stop at Peiroshky Peiroshky which was delicious. We wandered the market and admired the flowers and all the fish, but opted out of purchasing any of the very large fresh fish. Jack’s Seafood provided excellent Clam Chowder and Crab Cocktail to fulfill our fish needs. I loved seeing the Peonies everywhere, Mitch was a bigger fan of the giant shrimp. We also saw the original Starbucks location, but the line was insane and I spend plenty of time at Starbucks at home, so we were content to walk by and not go in.
After that we hit the Space Needle and got some excellent views and history. It’s touristy, but interesting and really did present a great view of the city and the harbor area, where we were able to scope out our ferry to Canada and marvel at the giant cruise ships that had pulled into port. We also got a few of the obligatory selfies and the Space Needle provides a free souvenir photo with a variety of backgrounds to choose from. Not too shabby!
From there we headed to the Westland Distillery, which proved to be the best part of the day. They are a local single malt whiskey distillery and have been around for just a few years. We took a tour, saw the process and all the casks aging, and learned how they do things. Then we got to the tasting- obviously the best part! We got to try 4 different types of Single Malt- American Oak, Sherry Aged, Peeted, and Single Cask Strength special.
Westland bills itself as American Single Malt Whiskey, but that’s not actually a thing. Yet. They’re working on it. The Pacific Northwest is very similar in climate to Scotland, so making Scotch style whiskey makes sense. I liked the Sherry Aged best; Mitch was partial to the American Oak. But we both agreed, the option to bottle our own was one we couldn’t pass up (plus it made your tasting and tour free!). Westland allows you to bottle your own whiskey from their current cask. You fill out the ledger, so they have a record and complete the info on the label- your name, date, bottle number (we got 61 and 62) and percent alcohol and proof. Then you fill it yourself! You literally put the bottle under the tap, turn the handle, and let it go. Another first- we’ve now bottled our own whiskey. Then place the labels on the bottle and “seal” it with another sticker across the corked top- and ta-da! Your very own hand bottled whiskey. Cask strength and defiantly special. We decided to get two bottles- one to share with friends as we continue on the trip, and one to take home for just us.
That evening we had dinner with Dani and Shelby and get to try some beer from a local brewery out in the pass- Dru Bru. Mitch liked their cider, I was a fan of the stout (the cider was pretty good too, but I only got a sip of it). It was an excellent end to an exciting and really fun day.
Seattle total:
4- relatives: 1 brother, 3 cousins
3- Different fish centered meals
3- Peiroshkies (we shared them)
4- Whiskeys sampled
2- Whiskeys purchased
4- total bottles of whiskey now in the car (we’re prepared)
360- degrees of view from the Space Needle
We passed on the Geoduck.
Hand bottled whiskey! Next up: becoming distillers. 
Space Needle Selfie
The Space Needle will take your picture for free- just ask the machine to do it. 
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