Craving a spirit as wild as the West? Look no further than the distilleries in Wyoming, where history and taste for whiskey runs deep.
Back in the Wild West days, a good bottle of whiskey was more than just a drink — it was a source of warmth on cold frontier nights, a reward for a hard day’s work and sometimes, even a form of currency.
Today, Wyoming’s distilleries are keeping that spirit alive and well. From family-run operations nestled on working ranches to hidden gems that might have echoed with the secrets of Prohibition-era distillers, these aren’t your average spots. These craft distilleries capture the essence of Wyoming—rugged, independent and bursting with flavor.
So, ditch the usual itinerary and embark on a journey through Wyoming’s whiskey scene. You might just discover a new favorite tipple, steeped in history and as vibrant and wild as the landscape itself.
1. Wyoming Whiskey
Location: Kirby, Wyoming
Wyoming Whiskey is an independent, family-owned distillery located within the Bighorn Basin in Kirby, Wyoming. Founded by the Mead family, fourth-generation cattle ranchers, it is the oldest distillery in Wyoming and is deeply connected to the state’s heritage and legacy.
Everything that goes into the bottle is 100 percent Wyoming. In fact, on the bottom of every bottle is the brand of the Mead’s working cattle ranch. The production facility for this Wyoming distillery sits on cattle ranch land, where water is sourced from a limestone aquifer in nearby Manderson. The distillery also sources non-GMO grains from Rageth Farm in Byron.
Raise a toast shining bright with that deep copper hue as you let heady notes of brandied cherries, cayenne pepper-candied pecans and sweet baklava dance with orange blossom honey, swirling into blackberry maple. That’s just the 10-year anniversary edition, crafted by original Master Distiller Steve Nally and Master Blender Nancy Fraley—perfectly barrel-selecting and batching a brilliant bourbon a decade in the making.
Try the 1872 limited edition straight bourbon whiskey—commemorating the first 150 years of Yellowstone. As you hold the bourbon in a specially made leather case, savor the caramelized honey and white peppercorn, finishing the sip with a captivating aftertaste of zesty grapefruit rind. Lean back and unwind with orange marmalade wonders in every bourbon swig.
2. Backwards Distilling Company
Location: Casper, Wyoming
Sitting around the family dinner table is where this distillery became a reality. Backwards Distilling is really a family affair, with a brother and sister, mother and father team of four who started and now run this full-time distillery and tasting room in Mills, Wyoming, right outside of Casper.
The Pollock family had done a lot of traveling over the years to seek out the best foods and spirits. One day around the family table, it occurred to them that they could make their own.
After about two years of traveling, research and education, the distillery quickly took off. Now, you can visit their tasting room for seasonal specialties and get a taste of the local product in more than one way. The Backwards menu features spirits and cocktails that are not only made from scratch but feature produce from a cooperation with the Wyoming Food for Thought Program, which is a local organization that helps fight hunger in Wyoming’s Natrona County.
The tasting room is open most weekdays and weekends, although operating hours can change depending on the season. Before arriving, be sure to check their hours! Distillery tours are usually conducted on weekend afternoons. Learn more by following the events calendar. (Tours are limited, so it’s highly recommended to call ahead to guarantee your spot.)
The Backwards Distilling family includes not only the Backwards line but also 307 Vodka and Milk Can Moonshine. Most well-known for its moonshine, the inspiration for this creation draws deep from Wyoming’s past. In the era of prohibition, Wyoming had a reputation for producing some of the best moonshine in the country. One particular distiller sold his product out of a dairy wagon, which is why Milk Can Moonshine comes in an old-fashioned style milk jar.
3. Jackson Hole Still Works
Location: Jackson, Wyoming
The dynamic duo of Chas Marsh and Travis Goodman are not only the creators of Jackson Hole Still Works, but they are also the only employees at the small-batch distillery. Chas brings a deep background in brewing beer, while Travis has more than 14 years in the wine business. Combined, the pair quickly distinguished the best grains and flavors for their product. Using corn from Riverton and oats from Powell, Jackson Hole Still Works produces gluten-free Highwater Vodka and Great Grey Gin.
Chas and Travis work tirelessly to distribute throughout Wyoming, often driving hours to meet with local liquor stores in remote locations. As a result, their product is available in 85-90 percent of stores throughout the state, as well as restaurants and bars. When a product is ready, they host local bottling parties, which bring the community together for 4-5 hours to help bottle new products and spend time together. Participants can mark the bottles they work on and then look for them in local liquor stores.
The mission of Jackson Hole Still Works is to educate consumers that Wyoming does, in fact, produce some of the best spirits in the country (and possibly the world). The tasting room is open for most days throughout the week (but customers are encouraged to call ahead to confirm Chas or Travis is on-hand).
4. Pine Bluffs Distilling
Location: Pine Bluffs, Wyoming
Pine Bluffs Distilling is a family affair. What started as a home set up for owners, husband and wife, Chad and Theresa Brown, along with their aunt Kathy Brown has now turned into a full-blown business. They opened their distillery in 2017 and are proud to support their local community.
“It’s not only about contributing spirits; it’s also about contributing to those around us. Using local grains, providing local jobs, and operating with transparency is what matters to us,” Chad says.
Like many Wyoming distilleries, Pine Bluffs Distilling works with local farmers to gather their ingredients. The Browns work with the Formstrom Family for corn, the Andersons for barley and oats, the Macys for rye and the Butlers for white wheat. They take pride in knowing that their product doesn’t come from pre-made malts but is locally sourced from family-owned farms. While their main product has been whiskies, Pine Bluffs Distilling now has one vodka and a gin for you to sample.
Coming soon to Pine Bluffs Distilling is a decadent farm-to-flask oat whiskey that dials up the notes of vanilla, honey and citrus for a complex, elevated pour worth the second glass. If you’re visiting in August, make sure to try the limited-release Five Grain Whiskey, a perfectly distilled fusion of the best local ingredients (sourced from four farmers) coming together to make an unforgettable drink. With an array of alternating flavors, there’s always a new taste to savor at Pine Bluffs Distilling. Distillery tours are provided upon request.
5. Cowboy Country Distilling
Location: Pinedale, Wyoming
Tim Trites, owner and Master Distiller of Cowboy Country Distilling, fell in love with Wyoming when he visited in 2001. He would go on to find the perfect place to open his distillery in Pinedale after discovering a property with a natural spring from the snow-capped Wind River Mountains. His own distilling experience spanning forty-eight years has accumulated in award-winning spirits.
These efforts have borne fruit in Ukrainian-inspired vodkas, Austrian-influenced cordials, rums with notes of the Dominican Republic and whiskeys and bourbons that evoke and incorporate a personal and family history reaching back to Scotland.
Try some award-winning pours that’ll have you raising your eyebrows—like the one-of-a-kind Jalapeño Bacon Vodka, winner of the 2020 SIP Awards. From botanical gin swirled with Wyoming rosehips to an oak-aged rum made with raw Colombian cane sugar, the offerings here are as inventive as they are delicious.
The distillery officially opened in 2018. Their products are never sourced but made completely at the distillery and their waste goes to local farmers as feed and fertilizer. They are proud to be environmentally responsible. Whiskey tastings and distillery tours can be made upon request.
6. Chronicles Distilling
Location: Cheyenne, Wyoming
For Aaron and Chase Lesher, two Marine Corps Infantry Veterans and brothers, hard-won resilience led to them founding a new distillery—a storied new chapter in downtown Cheyenne, where Chronicles Distilling distills all corn-based spirits in-house. Every piece of Chronicles, from furniture to equipment, was personally built by the brothers.
Come for free tours and samples on your next Cheyenne adventure. Chronicles Distilling was made to feel like an open door for all who wander in, curious to learn more about distilling and all the stories Chronicle has to pour. Consider this a family-friendly space where you can bring your kids of all ages, as anyone who’s looking to drink a refreshing cocktail or purchase souvenir bottles must be at least 21 years old. For anyone younger than 21, amazing soda options are available.
Visit the bar on the main level and sample a Fizzy Willy in all its strawberry dragon fruit pizzazz—clean, refreshing and made from batches on rotation, spinning fruit and spice flavors until visitors get to hold a hard seltzer in hand. For the vodka lovers, go for the perfectly zesty Tart Lemon Chronicle. Every name and every flavor is creative, full of the heart and stories you can feel from owners who’ve invested their soul into the business. Explore names like the Biting Wind, Berry & Barb and Spit Shine—the possibilities are delicious.
7. Brush Creek Distillery
Location: Saratoga, Wyoming
Capturing the untamed soul of the American West, Brush Creek Distillery infuses the natural wonders of Brush Creek Ranch into every bottle. The distillers handcraft leading high-quality, small-batch creations in Saratoga, mastering spirits on-site and placing them to rest in barrel barns—each day striving to advance sustainability and innovation with partners of the farm.
Here, the richness of Wyoming is poured into bourbon and rye whiskeys, new American gins and vodkas—elevated with regional snowmelt water used to cut flavors aged to perfection. Even Brush Creek’s small-batch Vendome pot, Esther, stands as a historic tribute, commemorating Esther Hobart Morris, Wyoming’s first female justice of the peace.
Brush Creek Distillery innovates tastes with the freshest ingredients from its on-site greenhouse, producing a range of flavors that bounce with the juiciness of locally foraged berries. From The Farm’s on-site creamery, where cheesemakers whip up Chevre through exceptional barrel char, making good use of those emptied bourbon and rye barrels, to a distillery mash-inspired bakery and kitchen called the Cheyenne Club, every wild gastronomic delicacy is sustainable, authentic and masterfully made.
Head to the foothills of the Snowy Range Mountains and experience a 45-minute tour, tasting samples of vodka, gin, bourbon, rye and specialty projects before they’re released into the world. Dive into the behind-the-scenes excitement of a true Western distillation process.
8. Koltiska Distillery
Location: Sheridan, Wyoming
The Koltiskas settled in Sheridan County in the late 19th Century, and the family has called Wyoming home for more than five generations. As a ranching family, Justin Koltiska’s great-grandfather had a liquor recipe that was always in high demand from family and friends and often brought to local celebrations. In 2001, Justin, his brother, Jason, and his uncle, Rob, opened Kolts Fine Spirits. In 2005, they released the handcrafted Koltiska Original Liqueur, followed by KO 90, each an embodiment of the spirit of the American West.
In early 2016 Kolts Fine Spirits became the Koltiska Distillery, and the company opened a new production facility and tasting room in July, offering guests an opportunity to sample old favorites, new products (Vodka and Winter Mint) and craft cocktails inspired by more than 100 years of local family lore.
Craving the might of that old Western soul with some modern delight? The Koltiskas recommend recipes for signature drinks that perfectly blend their strong and smooth spirit liqueurs. Try a KOwboy Coolaid with 1.5 ounces of Koltiska Original or K090 paired vibrantly with an energy drink and 1 ounce of cranberry juice—then stride forward with newfound swagger.
The Koltiska Distillery offers daily distillery tours and delicious whiskey tastings.
