Awesome distillery tucked away in Auburn! They've been on my radar for along time, but the holiday…read morecalled and I knew what I really neded for my long weekend -- apple pie whiskey! Service was quick and friendly. From what I've heard you can get a little tour of the distilling area if you ask. Alas, I had things to do. The whiskey and the vodka I purchased were both spectacular! The whiskey especially was a crowd pleaser and people wanted to know where I got it! Very soild place to stock your liquor cabinet.

Just wrapped up my variety pack that I purchased from Blackfish when I visited here last year. When…read moreSteve and I went here we did do a tasting on some of their spirits and enjoyed everything we sampled pretty well! What was in my variety pack was some whiskey and bourbon along with a few other spirits. I really liked their Straight Bourbon and the very mild Sweet Tea. I had apple flavored and chocolate flavored spirits as well and those were good too. Glad to see a distillery in Auburn as it's kind of in-between Tacoma and Seattle and many people bypass that area to hit the two larger cities for their distillery and brewery wants and needs.

Great wine, good service. Couple notes.....music needs to be turned up a bit so we can hear it and…read moreyou aren't hearing anyone else's conversations. Food presentation...... It's from Trader Joes (says it on the packaging she gave us) and then hand us the charcuterie platter that we had to open. At least put it on a platter w/ crackers and make it look cute. A TV w/ no sound would be nice to watch sporting events too. Not sure I'll be back or recommend it to anyone

We had great service and great wine tasters :) There was four bottles to taste for $20 and all of…read morethem were delicious.

After reading all of the great reviews, I stopped in this afternoon to try a flight of Mead. I am…read morenot much of a drinker but I have been told that I would love Mead because it is so sweet. The few times I have tried it, I enjoyed it, so I wanted to explore that. When you arrive, you will see a sign directing you to the rear of the building. There is plenty of parking. The meadery is well decorated and welcoming. They have large tables and small ones and a more cozy couch type seating area with a fireplace. They had lots of table games on offer and signs for D&D (another thing I know nothing about but my son loves). I really enjoyed the music they were playing and the ambiance was lovely. The flight is $12 before tip end you get six different needs to taste. Currently they are: Traditional, Cherry, Blackberry, Blueberry, Bearskal and Dragon's Blood. I enjoyed the traditional mead but it was much less sweet than any I had tried before, which makes sense as it was listed at a sweetness of 3 out of 10. The other samples were earthy and tart and tasted like fruit wines I have tried but again much less sweet.The highest sweetness on the flight was 6/10 but that seemed high to me based on what I experienced. I actually found the 3/10 original to be sweeter than any of the others. I am sure, especially based on the reviews here, that to alcohol connoisseurs they are delicious, but as I said, I have a novice palate and they were just not for me. When I returned the flight and went to pay, the young lady working asked me if I liked them and I answered honestly. She explained to me based on what I was saying that I would enjoy much sweeter, more honey based meads and gave me a taste of a peach mead they were almost out of. I quite liked it. She also said it sounded like I would prefer meads on tap as opposed to bottled and now I have a much better idea of what to look for in the future. I had a nice time here and appreciate the opportunity to experience the different meads and learn in a friendly environment. I would gladly come back again, especially when they have some sweeter meads on tap :)

My sister and her husband went with me to check out this meadery. We were the first person coming…read morein and the owner greeted us with a friendly smile and was extremely helpful. He suggested one or two of the meads that we would like and got a couple of glasses to drink while chatting. The place is so spacious but a little on the cold side. I'm sure when there are more people it warms up quite a bit since it's a warehouse like location. They have games you can play with your group and since they do not really sell food besides a few bags of chips you can bring your own food to eat as long as you clean up after yourselves. Also the place is dog friendly as well.

Republic of Cider is such an awesome cider tasting room. It's warm and intimate, the staff are…read moresuper sweet and friendly, and they have incredibly unique flavors. I'm not sure how I haven't heard about this place before, but I'm glad to have discovered it. My favorite cider flavor was Spicy Mama, which has Winter Melon & Szechuan Peppercorn. It's as cool and yummy as it sounds. Towards the end of our tasting, the staff treated us to some freeze-dried snacks on the house, which were delicious. We appreciated the phenomenal service and I can't wait to be back!

Not too sure of what I thought about regarding this cider experience. The two Steve and I had had a…read moreBelgian aspect to them in the flavor profile which made a good flavor bouquet but both of the ciders were not all that effervescent and therefore came across as flat or flat like. There was carbonation present but not that much. One cider we had was the George Washington Cider which was a dry cider that had apple, tart, sweet and sour all in the flavor profile. All in all not bad. The other cider we had was the Sassy Peaches which we liked a little bit more with the peach, dry and sour flavors playing off of each other. It wasn't too sweet either which was nice as peach is of course a notoriously sweet fruit. Really the main hang up here was the cider and the small amount of effervescence here. Again... not too sure if that was purposeful or not since that may be the style that is trying to be achieved here but we left a bit underwhelmed.

The second Saturday of every month Nota Bene offers a $5.00 tasting at their winery in South Park,…read moreyes you read right South Park. Who knew people were producing wine in South Park, I didn't until a few months ago. This past Saturday being the second Saturday of the month I decided to grab a friend and head down to South Park to taste their wines. It's in an industrial warehouse so don't expect a cute cozy tasting room but expect to taste next to the equipment and barrels which is always cool. For my $5.00 this past Saturday I was able to taste eight of their wines. I enjoyed three of them the other five were just OK but none made me go OMG this is good. The '05 Syrah, '04 Kestrel and '05 Conner Lee were my favorites that day, each of them different but with a big berry taste, I must have been in the mood for berries Saturday. As we all know everyone's palette is different so you may go and enjoy all eight. Tim the winemaker and Carol his wife were on site to answer any questions you had about their wines, Washington vineyards, or other wineries in the area. They've been making wine for distribution since 2001, prior to that they were what one would consider to be home wine makers. If it's a second Saturday and you're down in South Park check out Nota Bene cellars you might learn something new about wine. The one odd thing to me was before you could taste you had to fork over your $5.00, I know I have to pay but it was a little cold to be forced to pay before having a chance to pretty much look at the wines. Oh and if you decide to buy a bottle like most other vineyards your $5.00 tasting fee will go towards your purchase, I didn't buy anything here.

I tasted here on July 10, 2010 [Second Saturday]…read more Tasting Fee = $5 9 wines [all reds] were offered at this tasting: - 2007 Una Notte [$32] Grenache is prominent on the nose, Spicy, floral, fruity with a kick. - 2007 Mourvedre [$30] A dark, deep wine, Wonderful mouth feel, Well integrated tannins - 2006 Syrah [$30] A luscious wine Grenache is apparent on the finish, which is very clean - 2007 Syrah There's a pinch of viognier Hints of herbal spices Another dark, complex wine - 2007 Abbinare [$27] Merlot-dominant, Soft and supple Smells of cigar box Silky tannins - 2007 Conner Lee Vineyard [$32] Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant I detected blackberries, pencil lead, vanilla Dark pepper on the finish [from the addition of Cab Franc] - 2004 Kestrel View Estates Vineyard [$27] Wonderful nose Dry on the mid-palate Perfect tannins - 2006 Miscela [$27] Cab Franc/ Cab Sauv blend A broad middle palate Cedar, cassis & black cherries A little tight on the finish - best after 2015 - 2006 Ciel du Cheval Vineyard [$35] A profound wine Focused & balanced Oaky, plus esspresso & blackberries soft, mature tannins Will improve with cellaring, but delicious now In a word, Tim Narby rocks...

This shop is tucked in the back of Growing Crazy, and it's a very attractive series of shelves with…read morethe most interesting and unique non-alcoholic drinks I've ever seen! The shop owner is very sweet and happy to answer questions or give tasting samples. There's definitely something for everyone here, from a nice root beer ($1.75) to ready-to-drink mocktails, to a glitter syrup ($18.00) to make your drinks sparklyfor a party. The price points are very reasonable so I'm happy to come back here to slowly taste test everything until I find some favorites to bring to a holiday party! I'll definitely want to eventually try the non-alcoholic nettle beer, or any drink from the Pathfinder brand just because the giant eye on the packaging looks cool. Super chill and niche store, highly recommend stopping by for a refreshing drink while you're surrounded by plants :)

So many wonderful drinks to try! It's so nice to be able to have options and non alcoholic drinks…read moreare great to have to make a meal feel special. So many parties need more than just boring sodas for options. My favorite is the pathfinder spritz! What's yours?

Do you enjoy intensely flavorful, mineral-packed wines that are mostly dry, lower in alcohol, and…read moreusually organic with a strong sense of terroir? If so, then you should join the Garagiste email club. But mind you, if you prefer super-oaky wines on the sweeter side that pack a high-octane punch like so many 4-buck chucks, do not sign up to be on the Garagiste email list. Just go to Safeway, pick a bottle, and you'll be fine. So, what is Garagiste and how does it work? It's like a wine club, or co-op, that has no minimum purchase requirement and no fees. First, you sign up for daily emails. Sometimes, you'll receive as many as four a day. Read through the messages. If a wine sounds good, click to order it on-line. Your credit card will be charged. If you live in Puget Sound country, you can schedule a time to go pick up your treasures in Renton after they arrive; otherwise, have them shipped to you anywhere in the USA. I'm a picker-upper. I've been averaging about 12 cases of wine each year from Garagiste since 2008, and I've never had a bad bottle yet. Repeat: I NEVER HAD A BAD BOTTLE OF WINE FROM GARAGISTE. Instant gratification this is not, so if you need a bottle of wine this very minute, go to a store. But patience will be rewarded with some of the most unusual and rare bottles from far-flung places that only Garagiste can offer. I order throughout the year but usually pick up once in the summer so I can enjoy all those yummy rosés right around Bastille Day. When I do go pick up, the warehouse staff is always cordial and professional as they walk me through the pages of inventory sheets. They load the car for me, too. Such nice people! I also really like the owner, Jon Rimmerman, even though I never met the guy. The biggest challenge you'll face as a club member is plodding through the habitual hyperbole that flows forth freely from Rimmerman's keyboard. Expect a heaping helping of excessively embellished hype and some impenetrably recherché cultural references that occasionally include the pointless inclusion of the word "literally." Despite a slight predisposition to esoteric bloviation, I always look forward to reading his words because Jon is extremely passionate, super smart, and he possesses an extraordinary palate. If Jon likes the wine, I know I will like it, too. I consider Jon to be the vinous Delphic oracle. Not only do I love Jon's taste in wine, but I have the highest regard for his support of sustainable farming practices, which is another reason why I am one of his biggest fans. Many of the wines Jon offers are raised BIO/organic, some with horse plow/hand-pick/no mechanization, native yeasts, or zero cellar intervention, and they are usually a family affair, as opposed to being produced by some giant faceless conglomerate. Believe me, you'll get the entire fascinating backstory of each unique wine when you read his emails. Garagiste offers exceptional, one-of-a-kind wines from around the world, created in a way that respects our world. Jon's wines are good on your palate and good for the planet! God Bless Jon Rimmerman and Garagiste. May they both live long and prosper!

Hand curated wines from the best wine growing regions in the world, including everything from…read moreTuesday night sippers to special occasion Grand Cru offerings. Cheers!

Love the Owner, he is so nice and sweet!! This is a great…read moreestablishment and I recommend it to everyone.

New owners have raised the prices considerably. Not only that, they changed the layout of the store…read moreto where the whiskeys are now behind a counter and you have to ask to see the bottle first. Not like the old owners where, you could actually look at the bottle and read what is in it before you decide to buy. I guess I will be getting my drinks from Fred Myer's now, unfortunately.