It's bottoms up at the bottom of the trail
Photos courtesy of High West Distillery
Perhaps Park City, Utah’s High West Distillery should dub its most prominent product whi-ski.
The enterprise is literally found at the base of Park City Mountain’s Quittin’ Time ski trail, and that alone gives it a well-deserved claim to fame, with the distillery flatly stating that it’s the “world’s only ski-in/ski-out gastro distillery.”
“You can literally ski to the entrance,” says a High West spokesman. “The typical experience is to end the ski day at High West. Skiers and snowboarders tend to enjoy après ski at High West or dinner. The Saloon is also open for lunch. Skiers and snowboarders alike are very important to High West.”
High West dates back to 2006, founded by biochemist David Perkins and his wife Jane in a landmark structure that the couple wanted to preserve. Perkins chose Park City because of his love of the Old West and Utah’s little-known whiskey history.
The distillery — reportedly the first legal distillery in Utah since 1870 — now produces whiskeys bearing such names as Campfire and Rendezvous, the pricier The Prisoner’s Share, and vodkas as well.
High West has made its presence felt during the past 15 years, offering whiskeys in finer liquor stores, bars, and restaurants in all 50 U.S. states and internationally as well. It received Whisky Advocate’s Distiller of the Year award in 2016, with what has been described as the ultimate authority on whiskey declaring, “High West delivers innovative and delicious whiskeys, expands the definition of what it is to be a distiller, and pioneered a successful new paradigm for craft distilling.”
Visit Park City spokesman Dan Howard praises High West as an asset to local tourism, “helping tell the story of the town and sharing its unique and colourful flavour.”
Meanwhile, Howard says High West creativity is on display in other ways.
“Each October High West releases its rare holiday whiskey — A midwinter nights dram — and there is a line outside of the saloon’s gift shop,” he says. “The entire offering sells out in under a day. It is thrilling for us to be able to feature High West in cities across the United States and in Canada because the distribution has expanded to include major bars and hotels.”
And Howard adds that High West has become a much-appreciated tourism partner for Park City.
“High West accompanies the tourism team when it speaks with media around the country helping tell the story of the town and sharing its unique and colourful flavour,” he reports. “We highlight both the quality of the local whiskey and the role the distillery has played in Park City’s past and how it entertains guests throughout the year.”
