Did you know they make bourbon in Utah?
I tried some last night from High West Whiskey, at a four-course dinner with the brand’s Master Distiller Brendan Coyle.
High West Distillery is the world’s only ski-in distillery and is located at the base of the Town Lift in Park City.
We kicked off with an Old Fashioned, then sipped a spicy Double Rye, a rich Bourbon, a Double Rye Tawny Port Barrel and a smoky Campfire whiskey.
I was surrounded by blokes who enjoy a good whiskey and they seemed to be very happy with what was in their glasses.
There was a whisky influencer on one side of me and a food influencer on the other.
We had a fascinating chitter chat about how hard it is to get thousands of likes on a pic or story these days on Insta and how random it is when something does.
As for the whiskies, I mentioned to Master Distiller Brendan that when people think bourbon they think Kentucky. I asked him how are distilleries such as High West changing that perception and what he thinks that means for the category.
“I think its taking tradition and turning it on its head, and that’s a good thing,” he said.
“We’re not blue grass horse farms, and we’re not granddaddy’s rocking chair. The beauty of not being bound by tradition is you can do some really innovative things. The distilling industry is already a slow industry to change, and that’s because the very nature of how we produce our products is a very long term cycle, which doesn’t mesh with the ‘here today gone tomorrow’ trends of younger drinkers. We enjoy pressing the boundaries of what whiskey is, and ultimately I think its great for the industry. Innovate or die, as they say…”
You can tell High West isn’t granddaddy’s rocking chair from their Facebook page. The main pic on today’s blog post is from a woodlands themed party they held at the distillery last year to celebrate their Midwinter Night’s Dram, which is a blend of rye whiskies finished in Port barrels.
Brendan seemed like a thoroughly nice bloke and the food served at Hinchcliff House was nom nom.
I could have done without the middle aged barristers at the next table who loudly talked their way through every whisky explanation then asked lots of smug questions because they loved the sound of their own voices so much.
Total wankers.
I didn’t get to try the dessert because I was KNACKERED and headed home just as it was being served.
It was my second event of the night, my first was the Office of the 24-Hour Economy Commissioner’s Uptown Accelerator event, which introduced the 2023 cohort of up-and-coming districts from across Greater Sydney.
There were 21 districts in the latest cohort, with each giving a 2-minute pitch on why people should invest in their initiatives.
It’s an exciting time for nightlife in Sydney – the new government is determined to introduce reforms to revive live music and reverse the damage of lockout laws and COVID lockdowns.
However, I am getting too old to attend two events in the one night. I must have looked ancient when I dashed to catch the bus home because a bloke insisted on giving me his seat.
It is very kind when people do that, but also a bit chastening to realize they think you are an old lady who might fall and break her hip if the bus stops suddenly.
In other news I am having difficulty typing this post because I have a third-degree waffle burn on my index finger.
I plucked a piping hot waffle out of the toaster at work and OUCH.
Worker’s compo claim?
Song of the day: INXS “Burn for you”
housegoeshome 
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