A Bourbon and a Burger

               With the winter months in full effect, so are the cold, wet, afternoons. Sounds like a great time to just relax in the house enjoying a nice pour next to a warm fire. Then again, it’s also a great time to go out and enjoy a nice bourbon with dinner and friends. To me the best thing about bourbon is sharing. I have come to realize that a sealed bottle on the shelf collects dust but an open bottle shared amongst friends collects memories. I am lucky enough to have some amazing friends that are always down for great conversation, amazing food and most of all fantastic bourbon!

               It was one of these cold, dark, wet afternoons that I was feeling a bit claustrophobic in the house so I asked my buddy Bobby if he wanted to grab a bite to eat and a pour at this new whiskey bar at the mall. Yea I know what you are going to say but yes, the mall! Of course, Bobby was down, so we headed off to the mall to try Stack 571 Burger and Whiskey Bar at the Capital Mall.

               Stack 571 Burger and Whiskey Bar comes to us from restaurateurs Attila Szabo, Chris Anderson & Chris Bryant. The restaurant gets in name from the old American Smelting and Refining Company smokestack that once stood at Point Ruston. It stood 571 feet, the stack was at the time of its construction in 1917, the tallest structure west of the Mississippi and the tallest structure of its kind in the U.S. This is no ordinary Burger and Whiskey Bar. They do things a different from other burger places and bars by providing fresh, quality ingredients from known and trusted local sources. This also includes featuring local breweries and distilleries. This brings us to the bourbon, my favorite.

               As we walked in, we were greeted by the waiter and the amazing smell of garlic, onions and burgers! We sat in the bar area but the family section was packed and full of laughter! We decided to start out with a pour of the Oola Bourbon. In 2010, OOLA Distillery was one of the first distilleries to open in Seattle post-Prohibition. Located in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, producing small, handcrafted batches of premium spirits. They use locally sourced grains for all their spirits which makes for a pretty tasty bourbon.

               So, to the good stuff, the Oola Bourbon! This is a very straight forward five-year-old smooth bourbon, coming in at 94 proof, 47% alc/vol. It’s not complicated in any sense of the word. I mean it’s clean and slightly oak-ish on the nose and has decent legs. Hints of caramel vanilla or maple with a hint cherry first with very little heat on the finish. Over all a very nice sipper neat, but I would not use as a mixer for fear that it would get lost. At the price point of about $40 it is about on par for local small batch.

                When it comes to food the menu has a little bit of everything on it from chicken strips and salads to appetizers and of course burgers. The cost is very similar to any other burger joint in the area.  I enjoyed the Stack Burger. It’s a great tasting burger with marinated tomato, crisp iceberg lettuce, brioche bun and Stack sauce. The burger patty was well seasoned and cooked just right, medium of course, and really brought the whole burger together. The burgers do not come with fries so keep that in mind. Bobby enjoyed The Pepper Bomb with pepper crusted beef, caramelized onion, pepper bacon, fried jalapeño, roasted pepper, pepper jack cheese. This burger is not for the faint of heart. I mean it is called The Pepper Bomb so expect a little heat to round this burger out. He had a bucket of fries which came with some amazingly tasty sauces as well! My burger was cooked to medium just the way I like it!

               As we sat enjoying or bourbon and chatting you could not help but notice the huge wall of liquors behind the bar! The selection of bourbons is one of if not the best selection I have seen so far in Olympia and decently priced. There is plenty of seating in the family friendly area as well as at the bar. One of the things I liked the most was that it’s not set up to be a sports bar in the sense that you don’t go there for the game, you go there for the atmosphere. If you are out and about shopping and looking for a burger and a drink give Stack 571 a try and why you’re there get a pour of the Oola Bourbon, you won’t be disappointed! Pour yourself a glass and enjoy!