Back to Scene It

New Big Whisky Saloon in Olympia

Opening night or every night?

Giani Martin and David Thomas get their cowboy on at Big Whisky Saloon in Olympia. Photo credit: Steve Dunkelberger

Email Article Print Article Share on Facebook Share on Reddit Share on StumbleUpon

Here's the tricky thing about grand openings:

They're grand.

At any club's grand opening, the bathrooms are clean, the lights flow perfectly and the liquor is stocked. Hoards of pretty ladies and muscled men abuse the dance floor. At grand openings, a noticeable buzz of excitement crams the air.

But the buzz can be misleading.

What a competent reviewer (eh-HMM) must do is gaze through all the glitz and glamour of opening night and ask the tough questions. Will the new Big Whisky Saloon in Olympia always be a Stetson-wearing, whiskey-drinking hoopla, or is this more of a first night kind of deal? 

I'm talking the TOUGH questions here, people.

Rather than speculate on future nights of the new Big Whisky in Olympia (yes, it's a sibling club of Tacoma's Big Whisky), I decide to ask around and see what others think. After a couple of false starts, where some unfriendly not-so gentlemen ridicule my lack of cowboy boots, I run into Sarah from Rainier. She does her best to dispel my fears that the Big Whisky could fizzle after opening night. 

"I'm so glad they finally have a country music bar in Olympia," says Sarah. "It's about freaking time."

Sarah doesn't mind that she's smack dab in the middle of what seems to me like a cowboy costume contest night. She likes the club's drink wheel and country shtick. The dude she's with doesn't seem to mind all the hot bodies walking around the club, either.

Though I can't say I exactly agree with Sarah that the new Big Whisky is a godsend (damn jerks making fun of my shoes), I understand the club's appeal. New-school country music plays over the loudspeakers. The men in the crowd wear big belt buckles and flannel shirts. Friendly drink girls pass out $1 PBRs. Hookups happen on the dance floor and in the back near the pool table. People smile all around. 

Maybe the club I see on opening night is just a hint of things to come. Maybe for many like Sarah, the Big Whisky does fill an important niché. 

Just be sure to wear your boots.

[Big Whisky Saloon, $5 cover, 425 Franklin St. SE, Olympia, 360.357.4721]

LINK: We snapped photos inside Olympia's Big Whisky Saloon

Read next close

Reviews

Taste the experience

Comments for "New Big Whisky Saloon in Olympia"

Comments for this article are currently closed.