High Spirited
Craft distilleries continue their ascent across the mountain west.
Jackson Hole Still Works, Jackson, Wyo.
» This new operation produces just one product—Highwater Vodka, made with 100 percent Wyoming-grown corn and oats. Even the bottle is local, adorned with a reproduction of a painting created by local artist Katy Anne Fox just for the distillery. Visit the tasting room for free samples, and check back for news on production of future spirits, including gin and bourbon. jhstillworks.com
BackDrop Distilling, Bend, Ore.
» Bend’s newest distillery is inside the GoodLife Brewery and bottles the smooth, wheat-based BackDrop Vodka with plans to make rum, bourbon, and whiskey. Sharing space with a brewery is a boon: BackDrop has designs to add beer cocktails to the menu and to assist the brewery in mak- ing barrel-aged beers. backdropdistilling.com
Marble Distilling Company, Carbondale, Colo.
» A distillery that’s also an inn? Makes sense if you think about it. Marble opened in June with a tasting room, a small-plates restaurant, and five king rooms with fireplaces and samples of Marble’s spirits. Pretty much everything you need right there. The flagship product, Crystal River Vodka 80, is made with local wheat and barley and distilled five times in a copper pot. Also look for the Gingercello, Marble’s take on the classic limoncello liqueur. marbledistilling.com