Distillery profile

High West Distillery

Explore the distillery's history, craft, production, and the distinctive character of its whiskies.

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High West Whiskey

Quick overview of the distillery

High West is a visitor distillery in Wanship, Utah, where a modern production facility, an inviting tasting room, a General Store, and the restaurant The Refectory are all housed together. The site offers guided tours, tastings and special events, and combines practical production with experiences in a scenic mountain setting.

History

High West places itself in the continuity of Utah's whiskey history and describes itself as the state's first legal distillery since 1870. Over its development, the site has grown into a full visitor center where production, blending and retail take place at the same address. At the same time, the company has engaged in local preservation projects under the name Protect the West, an initiative with substantial donations since 2022. Ownership is listed as Constellation Brands, Inc.

Raw materials and production

At the distillery, guests can follow both the distillation and blending parts of the production. High West works with pre-aged components, which are blended into house blends, and bottling and retail are also done on site. The text highlights blending as a central discipline; the example of High West Bourbon shows the house composes a blend of several straight bourbons. The specific technical parameters such as still type, number, fermentation times and water source are not specified on the pages shown.

Maturation and cask types

The house's approach to mature components is based on using pre-aged whiskies in blends, for example straight bourbons with at least two years of aging in the case of High West Bourbon. The website texts also mention distillery-only releases, which indicate internal use of different aging choices, but no details are provided about specific cask types, previous contents or finishes.

Whiskies

The range includes bourbon, rye and blended whiskies, as well as distillery-only releases sold in the General Store. On the website, products such as HIGH WEST BOURBON and DOUBLE RYE are highlighted as bestsellers, and several bottles are marked with medals from international competitions. Visitors can taste popular bottles in the tasting room and purchase both standard releases and exclusive bottle releases on-site.

Whisky Type / Series Age Flavor profile Status
HIGH WEST BOURBON Bourbon Blend of straight bourbons at least 2 years old A house blend composed of several straight bourbons, all at least two years old. Highlighted as one of the bestsellers and as a suitable 'sipper'. Current; Core range
DOUBLE RYE Rye Double Rye is described as flavorful with pronounced rye spice and light botanical nuances; the product is marketed for both neat enjoyment and use in cocktails. Bottle size 750 ml is used in recipe contexts on the site. Current; Core range

General flavor profile

Visiting the Distillery

The distillery offers guided tours led by whiskey ambassadors, where guests see distillation, blending, aging, and bottling and can participate in an optional guided tasting. Tours typically last about 1 hour and 15 minutes and can be up to 2 hours depending on the experience. Guests should arrive at least 15 minutes early and use the free shuttle from the lower parking area; reservations are strongly recommended. The General Store is open without a reservation, and The Refectory offers lunch Wednesday–Saturday and brunch Sunday.

The stated opening hours are General Store and Refectory: Wednesday - Sunday 11:00 AM - 4:30 PM. Tours: bookable according to availability; distance to parking area requires the free shuttle from the lower parking area.
See times and book a visit.

Philosophy and Craftsmanship

High West combines craft and guest experience with a strong geographic identity under the motto 'The Spirit of the West'. Blending and on-site production are central elements of the approach, and the company supports local preservation work through the Protect the West initiative.

Sustainability

The Protect the West program with disclosed donations of over $1 million since 2022.

Awards and Recognitions

  • Gold Medal (2023, Gold, HIGH WEST BOURBON)

  • Silver Medal (2023, Silver, DOUBLE RYE)