High West Distillery Enters James Beard Semi-Finals


The James Beard Foundation named Park City’s High West Distillery and Saloon a semifinalist and one of just 25 bars in the country for the Outstanding Bar Program category for the second straight year.  The Foundation also nominated James Dumas, High West’s Executive Chef, as one of only 22 people nominated for Best Chef: Southwest. High West was Utah’s first distillery to open since 1870.

“We’re once again both thrilled and humbled to be recognized by the James Beard Foundation,” High West proprietor David Perkins said. We bring to our restaurant the same passion, joy and craftsmanship that we do to our distillery and the whiskies we make.”
The Beard Awards are a culinary equivalent to the Pulitzer Prizes, representing the highest honor that a North American chef, bar or restaurant can attain. They are named for James Beard, a cookbook author and teacher who championed American cuisine.  Final nominees for the Beard Awards will be announced May 6 at a ceremony in New York City. The nominees will be announced live on Twitter (@beardfoundation).
High West’s Beard nomination is the latest in a list of significant accolades for the restaurant and distillery, which opened just five years ago.  Whiskey Advocate Magazine named High West its 2011 Whiskey Pioneer of the Year, readers of Salt Lake City Weekly voted High West the Best Park City Restaurant in 2011 and 2012, and the distillery and its products have been featured in publications ranging from Wine Spectator and the Wall Street Journal, to Huffington Post, Delta Sky Magazine and the Boston Globe. 

 Located at exactly 7,000 feet above sea level in historic Old Town Park City, High West is the world’s only ski-in gastro-distillery. High West’s passion is crafting unique and exceptional whiskeys and marrying them with outstanding food. For more information, visit highwest.com.

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