Utah's High West is magazine's 'Distillery of the Year'

And, the winnah is ... !

Sometimes, I know, I protest too much. I often disparage "best of" lists on the simple basis that it is utterly impossible to accurately delineate with any certainty which food, beverages, etc., are the "best" in a world in which there are so very many possibilities.

Nevertheless, so many readers enjoy such listings that I inevitably give in and write about them. Here is the latest.

Whisky Advocate (formerly Malt Advocate) magazine has named the Utah whiskey producer High West its "Distillery of the Year." I find the proclamation particularly interesting, based on the magazine's reasoning. To wit:

"When we named David Perkins, founder of High West Distillery, our 'Pioneer of the Year' for 2010, it was a controversial decision. Now, six years later and following the recent sale of the company to Constellation Brands for approximately $160 million, we expect there will still be some naysayers. Yes, High West ... is a great American success story. However, their success is not the reason for our recognition, but just one more result of what whisky enthusiasts know to be true: 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."

As Whisky Advocate notes, High West is two distilleries -- one in  ParkCity, one in Wanshio -- where master distiller Brendan Coyle produces whiskies, including High West Silver Whiskey Western Oat and Valley Tan, an interpretation of historic 19^th Century Utah whiskey that first appeared in 2011.

"However, Perkins launched his enterprise and earned his reputation with his innovative blending of sourced whiskeys -- like Rendezvous Rye, a blend of straight rye whiskies, and Campfire, a blend of scotch, bourbon, and rye, reviving some forgotten categories of American whiskey, and creating new styles of whiskey in the process."

You can read more here.

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