When people think of Utah, mountain ranges or national forests might spring top of mind. Not many would think about spirits, but literature suggests that distilled spirits have a deeper connection with the Beehive State than initially thought.

“Few know this, but distilled spirits appear quite a few times in Utah’s history,” says High West Distillery’s Master Distiller Isaac Winter. “The first mountain man rendezvous was held in what would later become Utah. In his book ‘Roughing It,’ Mark Twain talks about the ‘valley tan’ liquor made by the Mormons as tasting something like ‘fire and brimstone.’ Finally, High West really set the stage for modern distilling in 2006 when we became the first legal distillery since the last Mormon distillery shut down in 1870.”

Given Utah’s position above sea level, the state makes for an interesting climate when it comes to distilling spirits, Winter notes. Located in Park City, Utah, Winter explains that High West sits at 6,000 feet above sea level, which lowers the boiling point when distilling spirits.

“I like to think that this lower temperature helps retain some of the more delicate aromatics we see in our pot still whiskey,” he says. “Over the course of their aging, our barrels do increase in proof, but we differ from folks in Texas, New Mexico, etc., in that we have a more temperate climate making our whiskey a bit less oak impacted. We have found success at High West in moving barrels from our warehouses in the Salt Lake valley at 4,300 feet up to our distillery at 6,000 feet to push and pull maturation notes, taking advantage of the cooler elevations when we can.”

Creative blending

Explaining that at its core, High West is a blending house, Winter details the complexity and texture that the distiller brings to its whiskies.

“Our philosophy is that we shouldn’t restrict ourselves to just one type of whiskey,” he says. “We like using column still whiskey for focused botanicals and cereal depth. We like pot still whiskey for texture and richness. By bringing whiskey produced by different methods, distilled at different sites, and using multiple mashbills we can create something that is more than the sum of its parts and not governed by one tradition.”

High West Campfire is a blend of straight rye whiskey, straight bourbon whiskey, and blended malt Scotch whiskey.
Image courtesy of High West Distillery

Although High West Distillery might be known for its vast collection of whiskies, it does have a few that stand out in terms of popularity. When it comes to volume, Winter says that High West Bourbon is its most popular.

“This is a fun blend to put together because we get to pull from three states, and use both sour and sweet mash production methods,” he says. “We are really excited to begin adding our own pot still distillate into this blend very soon.”

On the other hand, its most sought-after whiskey is Midwinter Night’s Dram.

“This is a blend that combines beautiful botanical spice from our award-winning Rendezvous Rye with juicy red fruit notes from port barrel finishing,” Winter says. “To drive complexity in this blend each year we play with the ratio of tawny and ruby port barrels as well as the ratio of column still and pot still whiskey in the base blend. We agonize over this blend for months before release. At some point we have to step back and release it into the wild. The market excitement we see every year makes all the work worthwhile.”

As the distillery is entering its 20^th anniversary this year, it is set to celebrate with a special release.

“To celebrate the occasion, we have decided to revive a deep cut from our portfolio,” Winter says. “I can’t say any more about it right now, but our fans are going to really enjoy this special drop.”

Compelling story, whiskies

As the High West team continues to blend whiskies for enthusiasts out there, the spirit is contending with a challenging market.

“The whiskey industry is in the middle of a transformation,” Winter says. “We’re coming off an unprecedented 10-year run of explosive growth and now entering a period of more sobering economic realities, with no clear end in sight.

“At the same time, consumers have more choices than ever ― not just across whiskey, but beyond it, with THC, low- and no-alcohol, and functional beverages all competing for attention and occasion,” he continues. “Aging inventories built during the boom years will continue to flow into finished goods, giving consumers access to beautiful, well-matured whiskey.”

However, Winter says this isn’t a collapse of the market, but more a reset.

“Consolidation is likely to continue, particularly among scaled producers looking to solidify long term success through distribution and operational leverage,” he says. “It’s easy to get lost on the shelf when you have no brand identity but that’s not High West. In my opinion, we are in a great position, High West has an authentic brand story and compelling blends that deliver great value.”

Among the ways that High West Distillery is able to leverage its story is through its Distillery and Tasting Room.

“Education has always been a main pillar of the High West philosophy,” Winter says. “We figure that leveraging our beautiful distillery just outside Park City, Utah, is the best way to convert new ‘whiskey missionaries.’ We offer several different tours on site with options for the first timer all the way to the dedicated whiskey enthusiast. For the die-hard High West fan, I’d recommend the Whiskey Library tour where guests can sample their favorite drams from our library of hundreds of releases.”

Beyond direct consumer engagement, Winter points to the distillery’s innovative spirit as a differentiator in the years to come.

“High West has built its reputation by pushing the boundaries of what American whiskey can be — whether that’s introducing something truly distinctive like Campfire, or demonstrating the power of thoughtful, disciplined blending with releases like our 16 Year Rye,” he says. “As we look to the future, I have complete confidence that the team will continue the legacy that made this distillery special in the first place, while still finding new ways to evolve.”

That will come from maintaining its core identity.

“At our core, High West is a blending house,” Winter says. “We’ll continue to source beautiful whiskies from across the country and beyond, and where the right building blocks don’t exist, we’ll make them ourselves in our stillhouse. That balance ― between sourcing and distilling, creativity and restraint — is central to who we are.

“We absolutely want to be the No. 1 premium American whiskey in the U.S., but to me that means far more than a sales ranking,” he continues. “It means standing for quality, originality, and integrity at every level — from the liquid in the bottle to the story behind it. If we can keep doing work we’re proud of, make whiskey that excites people, and stay true to what makes High West unique, the rest will take care of itself.”