The Barrel Thief is a wine & whiskey bar in Seattle’s vibrant Fremont neighborhood. We’re a casual lounge where you can explore fine food and drink: we offer 175 wines by the glass, 300 whiskeys, other eclectic spirits, botany-inspired fresh cocktails, beer, cider, small plates & desserts, tasting flights of wine & spirits, and a selection of artisan chocolates. We spoke to the General Manager of this establishment Guthrie Scarr.
Guthrie, please tell us a little about yourself. How did the Barrel Thief get started? What was the vision behind the project?
GS: I joined The Barrel Thief about 9 months after it’s incarnation, and we’re now in our 4th year. The Barrel Thief began with Christopher Gronbeck’s vision of a dynamic place that encourages exploration & education. A really fun place that embraces change and gives everyone an opportunity to try something they might not have a chance to try elsewhere. With the help of family and friends in support of such a vision, The Barrel Thief was built.
Can you give us the play by play of your typical day and your role?
GS: I am the General Manager, so my day usually involves a little bit of everything. I spend a good deal of time collaborating with the owner, Christopher Gronbeck, to curate our extensive selection of whiskey, wine & other spirits. We also spend a fair amount of time getting our hands dirty on projects to change the aesthetics of the establishment, like building a Whiskey Vault, and crafting a unique bar top out of mesquite tiles. A lot of energy goes into setting ourselves apart from the great number of small establishments in Seattle — there are so many! Everything from the bottles we select, to the wildly curious staff we employ & the casual yet elegant atmosphere we maintain, are the reasons that our guests choose to come to The Barrel Thief. So my tasks vary day to day, but maintaining this unique environment is always my ultimate goal.
How do you stay current with all the latest whiskies? With all the independent bottlers?
GS: We have to be proactive and diligent about staying connected in the industry. Independently bottled offerings have always been a big part of our program, so we stay in direct contact with those bottlers to make sure we are kept in the loop on exciting new & interesting releases. A lot of big staples find their way to our shelf without much effort — Ardbeg and Eagle Rare, for example — so we put more effort into finding interesting whiskey that you might be hard pressed to find elsewhere.
How many different types of whisky do you have available at your venue?
GS: Over 300 different offerings. The bulk of our selection is Single Malt Scotch, Bourbon, Rye & Japanese Whiskey, but we also have Whiskey from around the world, including Tasmania, Taiwan & India.
Is Barrel Thief known for anything else besides great Whiskey selection?
GS: We have one of the largest wine selections available by the glass. We have over 175 wines that are all available by the glass. We’re able to do that by using special preservation systems such as Coravin & Perlage. We also love Mezcal, Brandy & Rum, so we have steadily grown our selection of those items. With exploration in mind, we offer a wide variety of flights — nearly 30 different spirit flights at this time, and customizable wine flights.
When it comes to making the classic cocktails like the Old Fashioned or the Manhattan how do you determine which whiskey to use?
GS: We try not to over-complicate this decision, so we stick to the fundamental questions. Does the whiskey have the profile & proof to stand up in a cocktail? How well does that whiskey represent those cocktails, specifically?
Besides Whiskey where do you think the next boom will be in the spirits industry? Rum? Gin? maybe Brandy?
GS: I think Mezcal is next. It is a diverse, exciting spirit, and the really cool ones are typically made in tiny villages with limited resources.
What are you most excited about in the whiskey scene?
GS: Independent bottlers & single cask releases are easily the most exciting aspects of the Whiskey industry for us. That’s where we have found the most diverse and exploratory Whiskey profiles.
Is there any particular type of whiskey that sells more than the other?
GS: With regards to American Whiskey, we see Bourbon & Rye sell much better than other American Whiskey. American Single Malts have started to catch on in this area, but only marginally. I think some credit is due to Westland Distillery, the hometown heroes of Single Malt Whiskey, for putting American Single Malt on the global stage. Other American Whiskey, that cannot be labeled as Bourbon or Rye, have not yet caught on.
How big is the whisky scene in Seattle?
GS: Whiskey is wildly popular in Seattle. We have some great Whiskey bars in the area, and each of us seems to be doing something a little different, which keeps it interesting, as a consumer.
What was your proudest moment of working at the Barrel Thief?
GS: I’m proud of the efforts we put into making our establishment people-centric. Our core staff has worked hear for several years, so all of our growth has been a team effort. It’s nice to be able to grow with a group of talented & creative people!
Is there anything else you would like to share with the readers of Tastethedram?
GS: We love the diversity of spirits and wine, and there are so many great things to taste from all over the world. We’ll never stop chasing those palate pleasers. Having said that, we would be lost without our local community of producers, so we work closely with our neighbors to put their fine, honest juice on the shelf and in our well. If you come to Seattle, please put us on your list of places to visit. We’ll treat you right!
