High West Distillery

Park City has always been known as Utah’s best watering hole. And soon, the town will boast a new claim to fame that artfully combines the best of the old and the new — the world’s first ski-in, small-batch artisan distillery and “après-mountain” saloon.

When Park City resident David Perkins opens his High West Distillery in late spring 2009, the historic “National Garage” at 703 Park Avenue (near the town lift) will take on an entirely new life — one perfectly suited to the times. Built in 1907 by E.J. Beggs, the broad wooden building started out as the Beggs & Buckley Livery. When the horseless carriage nudged four-legged transportation out of the way, Beggs and Buckley began servicing cars and changed the name to National Garage. Over the years, the building’s façade has been repainted time and again, emerging with a patina that’s the envy of anyone who has ever tried to “distress” new wood.

Once its transformation to distillery and private club is complete, the place will also be the envy of anyone who’s ever fantasized about actually dropping out of the corporate world and making a dream come true. High West visitors can expect an informative distillery tour with a gleaming copper pot still. An adjoining private club will serve premium spirits and small plates of “mountain” cuisine, according to Perkins.

Though it hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park — what with red tape and a serious career shift (biotech to booze) — Perkins has already achieved dizzying success with his first High West bottling, Rendezvous Rye. The rich, golden elixir was blended in a temporary Salt Lake City warehouse location and packaged in hand-blown, rough-hewn bottles with a rustic look and feel. Much to Perkins’ surprise, Rendezvous Rye scored a Double Gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits competition in 2008. Malt Advocate Magazine awarded the blend of two fine aged rye whiskeys (a 6-year-old and a 16-year-old) 95 points, saying, “Thanks to the high rye content, this whiskey is very spicy, with cinnamon, crisp mint and fennel. Underlying sweet notes of caramel, molasses, vanilla, macaroon, cocoa, and candied fruit provide a calming effect and enhance the whiskey’s complexity.” Oh, yeah. And it’s smooth as a baby’s bottom. The magazine followed up that honor by naming High West Rendezvous Rye one of the Top 10 American whiskies of the year in October 2008.

Of course, that first round of rye wasn’t created from scratch by High West. That’s going to take some time. While their locally crafted batches — made under the direction of Scottish-trained distiller Brendan Coyle and assistant distiller Chris Dombos — age in charred American oak barrels, awaiting release in a few years, the team is also producing a high-end vodka, distilled from flavor-rich oats and with no aging requirements. Their Vodka 7000 hit the market in mid-2008, also to rave reviews for its silky smooth qualities. By Christmas 2008, High West will release its first local fruit-infused vodka, made with luscious Brigham City peaches. Expect more local fruit and vodka collaborations to follow.

As for High West’s early successes and future potential, Perkins credits his mentor, Jim Rutlege, Chief Operating Officer and Master Distiller at Four Roses Distillery in Kentucky, for “teaching me things you can’t look up in a book.” And, Wasatch Brewing’s Greg Schirf for nudging the Park City distillery idea along and introducing Perkins and the idea of a distillery to Park City’s City Council. Finally, David’s wife, Jane Perkins, has also collaborated on the creation of High West Distillery. The thick, old bottles she saved from The Duffy Malt Whiskey Company, her great grandfather’s distillery, along with clippings and keepsakes about that company “brought us both fully into the dream,” says Perkins.

A devoted zinfandel fan, writer Virginia Rainey was skeptical about the idea of even trying a rye whiskey until she sipped High West’s Rendezvous blend. Now she could definitely see imbibing a small glass of the spirit by the fire on a cold day.

For more information, visit highwestdistillery.com.