High West Distillery in Wanship is Utah’s first distillery since Prohibition. 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. I recently took a tour of the new High West Distillery in Wanship, Utah, and was pleasantly surprised by it.
Best known for its rye whiskeys, High West has earned plenty of whiskey awards and accolades. 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.
Touring High West Distillery in Wanship, Utah
A Love Affair with High West
I’ve been a fan of High West since they first opened in 2007. 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. 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.
As High West’s popularity grew, I loved spotting their wild west-looking labels around the country and, eventually, around the world. (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. Many Utahns felt he “sold out” but I was excited knowing more people would have access to such excellent whiskey.
From Blending to Distilling
Many distilleries start out selling unaged spirits to get the brand going as their whiskey ages. But when High West first burst onto the scene, they wanted to sell whiskey. So they opted to blend whiskey aged by MGP in Indiana. For those who weren’t paying attention this news was a shocking disappointment. 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. Blending takes talent and High West excelled at it.
Spirits magazines, whiskey connoisseurs, beverage directors, and average whiskey-lovers recognized High West’s talent for blending whiskey. Especially their unique combinations like bourbon and rye (called Bourye) or bourbon, rye, and scotch (my favorite, called Campfire). Even their Rendezvous Rye, a blend of young and old ryes, was rightfully winning awards around the country.
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. The tiny column still was pushing out spirits using local water while a restaurant entertained customers with whiskey tastings and food. (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.
A New Era with Constellation Brands
Once High West was bought by Constellation Brands they opened a new distillery in Wanship, about 16 miles from Park City. The distillery sits on The Blue Sky Ranch, a luxury dude ranch offering mountain adventures and retreats. Blue Sky invited High West to join them on their mountainside land, offering a beautiful landscape and great-tasting limestone water. The brand agreed and a new distillery was born.
High West’s portion of the ranch includes a large distillery and a restaurant with a tasting room. Both are beautifully modern with a rustic, western feel. Large windows invite natural light into the spaces with stunning views.
The distillery is completely high-tech, with computers and stainless steel vats. The space is large and open; a complete contrast to the centuries-old distilleries I’d just visited in Scotland that were cramped and used clipboards instead of computers. A large pot still, imported from Scotland, sits next to a column still, with expansion plans for four more in the coming years. Apparently there are no plans to stop the acceleration of the brand or its whiskey from becoming more popular!
Touring High West Distillery in Wanship
Even though I live in Chicago, I return to Utah on a regular basis to see friends and family. I’ve been anxious to visit the new High West Distillery in Wanship and finally got a chance during my last trip. My Dad is not a whiskey fan at all (despite my trying to convince him to like it for years) but he agreed to spend Father’s Day at the distillery. (Thanks, Dad!)
The distillery tours are free but advance reservations are recommended. The tour gives a quick overview of different types of whiskey and its history, then walks through the steps of making it. Surprisingly, my parents enjoyed the tour and reported that they learned a lot. Our tour guide, Glen, was incredibly knowledgeable and anticipated all my questions before I could ask them.
High West distills, ages, and bottles their spirits onsite. But one of my favorite parts of the tour was seeing the blending room. High West bottles from previous batches were stacked on shelves next to smaller bottles holding spirits from different barrels. Tasting glasses and what looked like a chemistry set sat nearby. It’s here where master distiller Brendan Coyle and his team combine barrels and batches to create each bottling of High West. For all the high tech instruments used at the distillery, making the final product still requires personal tasting.
Distillery Kitchen & Restaurant
The tour concludes with a tasting, of course. That portion isn’t free, but varies depending on what you want to taste. But unlike the High West in Park City, you can actually order a full flight here. In fact it’s the only place in the state of Utah where you can order a full flight. They were able to circumvent the law that limits the amount of alcohol a person can have in front of them at one time because the space is educational. (Most places can only give you two half-ounce tastes at once.)
Before we tasted the whiskey, we had brunch on the beautiful patio. Brunch is buffet-style, with house-made pastrami, sausages, and bacon; breakfast potatoes, eggs with a range of homemade salsas, waffles, bagels and lox; you name it. I’ve eaten at (and enjoyed) the food at the Park City location but was even more surprised at how good every single item was here.
The cocktails utilize High West spirits and are well beyond your average whiskey-based drinks. They are expertly crafted to complement the spirit’s flavor profile without masking it. Some, like the bloody mary, use High West’s vodka or unaged “Silver” whiskey.
Tasting Room
We ended our afternoon at the tasting room. I ordered the full flight (purely because it’s the only place in Utah I could) while my family went a la carte, ordering hand-picked half-ounce tastes. Astonishingly, both of my parents fell in love with whiskey right then and there. They finally understood my love of a well-made whiskey and how fun it is to truly taste it in all its complexity. I cannot tell you how happy this made me! (Seriously this will be a point of glory in my life for years to come!)
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Hopefully I can return to High West Distillery in Wanship next time I’m in Utah to try the dinner menu. And grab a bottle of the Midwinter Nights Dram, a limited edition rye whiskey aged in port and French oak that was out of stock. Or maybe the 14-year Light Whiskey, a bottling of corn whiskey barrels found at MGP produced in 2001.
About & Tour Info
Tours are offered at the High West Distillery in Wanship Wednesday – Sunday at specific times (see here). Tours are free but tastings are per drink. Reservations are recommended. The restaurant kitchen and tasting room is open Wednesday – Sunday from 11am – 3pm plus brunch on Sunday. Reservations are recommended. The General Store is open Wednesday – Sunday, 11am – 5pm. It’s one of the few places in Utah you can purchase bottles of liquor on Sunday.
High West Distillery is worth visiting even if you skip the tour. The tasting room has limit release expressions that many bars (in Utah and beyond) don’t have and the food is well worth the drive. Oh — and the drive from Salt Lake City is stunning, making it the perfect day trip.
Related :: Touring MGP Distillery in Indiana, J. Henry Whiskey Farm in Wisconsin, and Whiskey Acres Distillery in Illinois.
Great travel articles! Sold me on trying a scotch and an different Irish whiskey.