Howdy Folks! You can’t get any more western than sipping whiskey on a cowboy ranch in Utah (OK, maybe sipping while riding a horse on a cowboy ranch, but anyway…). During my recent adventure “out west”, I had the pleasure of meeting with Lead Distiller, Brendan Coyle, at High West Distilling’s new location at Blue Sky Ranch.
Brendan showed me around the new High West Distillery. The new buildings and distilling facilities are immaculate and breathtaking. Blending old-world tradition with modern distilling technology, High West has really outdone themselves. The art and passion of handcrafting premium spirits are evident in every detail of this new facility. While the copper stills will make any distiller envious, my personal favorite, was the classic spirit safe.
High West started in park city, but when proprietor David Perkins teamed up with Mike Phillips, owner of Blue Sky Ranch, a 3,500-acre historic dude ranch in Wanship, they knew their shared passion for the American West would be a success.
Brendan shares the same passion as David for producing great Rocky Mountain whiskey. He joined High West in 2008, after completing a Masters of Science in Brewing and Distilling Sciences at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.
The new distillery is now open to the public. Its grand opening was September 9th, Miner’s Day, as they felt it was appropriate given the role that mining played in Utah’s history (and we all know what miners drank). They now offer educational tours and tastings, plus high country-western cuisine. The facility will also be available for private functions after hours and will soon feature a luxury guest resort (you gotta dream big in big blue sky country). Maybe a good location for our next Briess corporate retreat and strategic planning sessions?!?!
