High West, the first legal distillery in Utah since Prohibition, offers whiskey that appeal to both the casual drinker and connoisseur
Formerly known as a mining town in the mid-19th century, Park City, Utah is now better known for world-class skiing, the Sundance Film Festival and High West, a distillery recognised for its innovative approach to blending sourced whiskey with its own distillates.
Founded in 2006 by David Perkins, a biochemist who caught the whiskey-making bug on a visit to Kentucky, High West is the first legal distillery in Utah since Prohibition. Never to shy from detailing its mash bills, ages and whiskey origins, its lineup reflects transparency and variety, offering products that appeal to both the casual drinker and connoisseur.
Drink of choice
The High West Bourbon is perhaps the one product to start with. Aged for a minimum of two years in charred white American oak barrels, this blend of straight bourbon utilises a variety of high rye content mash bills for that earthy complexity. Never chill-filtered or carbon-treated, it is the perfect marriage of richness and brightness, filled with notes of honey nougat, sweet cornbread and lemon zest.
Those who prefer a good ol’ single malt can opt for the High Country American Single Malt. Distilled on-the-grain and blended in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah, this robust, flavour-forward expression showcases its delicious American qualities with a hefty mouthfeel and roasted malt complexities. Best enjoyed neat or with a few drops of water, every sip teases the palate with rich toffee and crème caramel, before handing you a slice of sweet maple pecan pie.
Do check in with Proof & Company, its distributor in Singapore, to get your hands on some bottles.
Stop by
Sign up for a distillery tour and tasting, and don’t leave without a meal at The Saloon, the world’s first ski-in, ski-out “gastro-distillery”. Visit for its hearty grub, barrel-finished cocktails and High West’s core product range, but if you’re fancy like that, The Nelson Cottage offers a prix-fixe menu (US$110) that comes with optional whiskey pairings for US$60.
