The rise of whisky culture, a movement toward the exploration of all things whisky related began in the U.S. roughly ten years ago. But Colin and Donna Pickering say they were just lucky to be in the right place at the right time when they opened The Whisky Bar at 2122 2nd Ave in the Belltown neighborhood in Seattle a few years ago. It has become a neighborhood favorite.

Long time West Seattle residents, the Pickerings had wanted to build on the success of the downtown location and open second location but nothing really gelled until the former Feedback Lounge spot at 6154 California Ave SW became available. It will be managed by Tressa Points.

So, coming this June, The Whisky West will open offering a stunning array of almost 500 whiskies from around the world, ranging from a reasonable $4 to the rather unbelievable $430 per ounce and a half for the rare Port Ellen Whisky.

Colin, who was born in England came to the restaurant business by way of his brother who is a chef. After meeting and marrying Donna they opened their first bar in Belltown and later opened the first Whisky Bar in 2001. Points, who is from Arizona has a degree in Economics and had wanted to open her own bar but got offered the opportunity to run this location. "How many people get the chance to open a business their first year out of college?" she said.

When complete The Whisky West will accommodate 150 people in booths and tables offering Whisky of course but a full bar with fresh craft cocktails, 24 on tap beers with rotating taps, around 60 different bottled beers from Corona ($5 per bottle) to Guinness. The 1749 Limited Edition ($50 per bottle) along with a selection of Trappist beers and a menu of high quality pub style food.

The menu will include sliders (lamb, cod, pulled pork, chicken and corned beef), special dishes such as house made bangers and beans, pan seared crab cakes – fennel salas, citrus vinaigrette, beer battered Alaskan cod – house chips or house salad, and a Whisky Burger – Stilton Mayo, Whisky Onions.

Snacks like stuffed mushrooms, fries, chicken wings, and stuffed jalapeños will be on the menu too.

One feature the Pickerings will build into the new location will be something they did downtown. Called a "Snug", it is a small semi private area once common in pubs across Great Britain and Ireland that will let 10 to 20 people gather for meetings or celebrations.

The physical space of the bar is undergoing a major transformation. First the brick wall on the east face of the building has been removed, and tall sliding glass doors will be installed allowing patrons to sit and look out on the neighborhood.

Booths will feature charging ports for mobile devices and outlets, and one area will be set aside for Whisky tasting. Flights of four half pours will allow people to sample a variety, chosen for them by highly knowledgeable waitstaff.

Music wil be part of The Whisky Bar, with acoustic and electric performances " a couple of times a month," said Colin, " and if it goes well we will add more," said Donna.

There won't be video screens, such as you'd find in a sports bar, but a large screen with a video projector will show major sports events at times.

While a primary focus of the bar is on Whisky, there are many kinds. Still, an understanding of the original basis for the drink is useful.

A quick primer on Scotch Whisky

• Single Malt Scotch Whisky – distilled at a single distillery from water and malted barley without the addition of any other cereals, and by batch distillation in pot stills.

• Single Grain Scotch Whisky – distilled at a single distillery from water and malted barley with or without whole grains of other malted or unmalted cereals, and which does not comply with the definition of single Malt scotch whisky

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• Blended Scotch Whisky – a blend of one or more single Malt scotch whiskies with one or more single Grain scotch whiskies.

• Blended Malt Scotch Whisky – a blend of Single Malt Scotch whiskies, which have been distilled at more than one distillery.


• Blended Grain Scotch Whisky – a blend of single grain scotch whiskies, which have been distilled at more than one distillery.

For a whisky to be labelled "Scotch Whisky" it has to be produced and matured in Scotland for a minimum of three years, even though Scotch Malt Whisky is often matured for ten years or longer. As a side note. The spelling of the drink Whisky or Whiskey works like this: "Whisky" is generally used for whiskies distilled in scotland, Wales, Canada, and Japan, while "Whiskey" is used for the whiskeys distilled in ireland and the United States.

The Whisky West will be a neighborhood bar and the Pickerings have come to know all the area bar owners very well, and expect to join the sense of camaraderie and acceptance other bar owners in West Seattle share. "There's room in West Seattle for everyone," said Colin.