PORT ANGELES – The long-awaited opening of Bourbon West, the latest venture of local entrepreneur Jake Oppelt and partners, is here.

Thursday marks the soft opening of the bar in the building on Front Street formerly occupied by Station 51 Taphouse.

The new layout features a 42-foot-long bar, the kitchen has been moved from the back to the front of the building, and the stage will now be in the back corner.

We asked Oppelt to give us a sense of the concept for Bourbon West.

“It’s definitely bar and cocktail forward. Got a great bourbon Library back here. We’ve got some real nice things that you can’t find in other places. We’ve got whiskey flights that are in the works right now, where you’ll be able to sample some of these higher end, hard-to-find bourbons. And what we kind of like to think about it as:’ Come down and have some drinks and have some food with your drinks’, you know, and we hope that we’re hitting the right spots in all that.”

The cocktail menu isn’t the only thing that will set Bourbon West apart. They’re doing some interesting things in the kitchen, too.

“We’re doing some different game meats, gonna be doing some wild game jerky’s and sausages. We’re going to do smoked wings, we’re going to do fresh baked pretzels with some different hot dips that will come out in cast iron. Some cold dips as well, like a smoked whitefish dip we’re working on, got a wild boar sloppy joe dip, a blue cheese and bacon. In addition to the pretzels and the wings and the appetizers and game sausages, we’re going to do an elk chili and a seafood chowder.  At this point right now, we’re going to keep it fairly simple and keep it right there.”

Bourbon West, 125 West Front Street, open daily noon to 2:00 am.

Photos by Stephanie Rae Currie: Jake Oppelt (banner photo) and friends putting finishing touches on Bourbon West.