Whiskey. Wiretaps. The Northwest’s most notorious rumrunner. Join Stick Lounge for a night where the drinks flow, the stories spill, and the truth…well, most of it’s true.
Stick Lounge presents Roy Olmstead’s Birthday: An Evening of Whiskey Tasting and Storytelling (Most of it True) starting at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025.
The celebration features tastings from Seattle’s own 2Bar Whiskey and live storytelling by Steve Edmiston, co-creator of The Good Bootlegger’s Guild and a Humanities Washington speaker who’s been called “part historian, part raconteur, part conspirator.”
Olmstead, once a Seattle cop turned rumrunning king, built an empire during Prohibition with charm, cunning, and a moral code that earned him the nickname “The Good Bootlegger.” His fame is owed in large part to his refusal to let his men carry guns, insisting that “no amount of whiskey is worth a human life.” He made millions smuggling liquor into the Northwest, avoided violence, and—legend has it—earned the respect of both the press and the public.
“Olmstead’s story is bigger than crime,” says Edmiston. “It’s about the blurry lines between law and justice, myth and truth, whiskey and water. There is love, betrayals, spycraft, and a legendary trip to the Supreme Court. He’s the Northwest’s Gatsby with bourbon chaser.”
A Hometown Story with Des Moines Roots
Olmstead’s Northwest notoriety is deeply tied to Des Moines. On Thanksgiving Day, 1925, federal agents surprised Olmstead on the Woodmont Beach dock, seizing his final delivery, and bringing his empire crashing down. The Good Bootlegger’s Guild has celebrate Olmstead’s birthday annually, and privately, at Woodmont Beach. This is the Guild’s first public event. So dust off your fedora, step into the speakeasy spirit, and toast the bootlegger who kept the Northwest wet when the rest of America went dry—right here in Des Moines.
Event Details
- WHAT: Roy Olmstead’s Birthday: An Evening of Whiskey Tasting and Storytelling (Most of it True)
- WHEN: Saturday, September 20, 2025, 6 PM
- WHERE: Stick Lounge, 22341 Marine View Dr S, Suite C, Des Moines, WA (map below)
- SPECIAL GUESTS/TASTINGS: 2Bar Whiskey
- SPEAKER: Steve Edmiston, The Good Bootlegger’s Guild
- TICKETS: $30.00, includes whiskey tasting hosted by 2Bar Whiskey – scan the QR code below for details:
About Stick Lounge
Stick Lounge is a community gathering space in downtown Des Moines, WA, just steps from the marina. Known for its warm, versatile setting, Stick Lounge hosts private parties, tastings, game nights, and cultural events, and also produces the Stick Lounge Podcast, highlighting local stories and voices from South King County.
About 2Bar Whiskey
Founded in Seattle in 2010, 2Bar Spirits is the city’s first bourbon distillery and a true grain-to-glass operation. Named for the founder’s family ranch in Texas, 2Bar crafts award-winning whiskey from 100% local grains and is proud of its all-female production team, blending tradition, independence, and Northwest character in every bottle.
About Steve Edmiston
Steve Edmiston is a business and entertainment lawyer, and indie film screenwriter and producer. As Humanities Washington Speaker Bureau appointee, he presented “Whiskey and Wiretaps: The Northwest’s Rumrunning King” at venues across the state for three years. He has keynoted for the Pacific Northwest Historical Society, Washington State Historical Museum, Smith Tower Rumrunner’s Club, and McMenamins History Pubs.
