Once High West was bought by Constellation Brands they opened a new distillery in Wanship, about 16 miles from Park City. (Even the food won a James Beard nod in 2014.) It sits at the edge of Park City Mountain Resort, making it the world’s only ski-in, ski-out distillery. The tiny column still was pushing out spirits using local water while a restaurant entertained customers with whiskey tastings and food.
While High West was winning fans with their blends, they were distilling their own whiskey in a converted historical home on Park City’s Main Street. Even their Rendezvous Rye, a blend of young and old ryes, was rightfully winning awards around the country. Especially their unique combinations like bourbon and rye (called Bourye) or bourbon, rye, and scotch (my favorite, called Campfire). Spirits magazines, whiskey connoisseurs, beverage directors, and average whiskey-lovers recognized High West’s talent for blending whiskey. Blending takes talent and High West excelled at it. But for people who understood that a new brand couldn’t possibly have a 16-year whiskey, we saw High West for what it was: an amazing tasting whiskey. For those who weren’t paying attention this news was a shocking disappointment. So they opted to blend whiskey aged by MGP in Indiana. But when High West first burst onto the scene, they wanted to sell whiskey. Many distilleries start out selling unaged spirits to get the brand going as their whiskey ages. Many Utahns felt he “sold out” but I was excited knowing more people would have access to such excellent whiskey.
(Even before it was distributed internationally I saw a bottle at a whiskey bar in Switzerland.) Owner David Perkins sold the distillery to Constellation Brands in 2016, allowing the whiskey even further-reaching prosperity. The fact that a state notorious for not drinking (or at least making it difficult to do so) was home to an award-winning whiskey was one of the few things I could be proud of as a Utahn.Īs High West’s popularity grew, I loved spotting their wild west-looking labels around the country and, eventually, around the world. Back then I was living in Utah and the whiskey was a point of pride, especially among the odd liquor laws and stingy drinking culture. I’ve been a fan of High West since they first opened in 2007. Touring High West Distillery in Wanship, Utah Sipping whiskey at the beautiful High West Distillery on Blue Sky Ranch in Utah. Notably High West Campfire, the world’s only blend of bourbon, rye, and scotch, made Whisky Advocate’s list of top 20 whiskies of 2017. I recently took a tour of the new High West Distillery in Wanship, Utah, and was pleasantly surprised by it.īest known for its rye whiskeys, High West has earned plenty of whiskey awards and accolades. And while many small craft distilleries do more than put their region on the spirit-making map, High West’s sensational whiskey quickly turned the brand into a coveted premium spirit. High West Distillery in Wanship is Utah’s first distillery since Prohibition.
0 kommentar(er)
