Weekend Parting Shot: My Trip to Spirits of the Wasatch

Happy Friday, Gentle Readers,

I pray this missive finds you well. Any fun plans for the weekend? I am getting our personal and business taxes together, so my weekend is… pretty much ruined before it even gets off the ground. 

Whiskey Recommendation

Yes, you read that right. I am departing from the usual wine format this week to extol the virtues of whiskey. Over the years, several of you have requested whiskey (or scotch) over vino, and this time around, I am happy to oblige. But this is not just a flight of fancy by any stretch of the imagination. This week, I am bending the elbow with a higher calling in mind. 

On Monday, Steve wrote about the Salt Lake Tribune’s efforts to dox the husband of Data Republican’s (Small r) husband’s business in Salt Lake City.  The business in question is the Spirits of the Wasatch Distillery. You can read the full piece here. 

The smear by the paper was typical of the progressive, ruthless, unethical, self-indulgent, reactionary, narcissistic, pseudo-journalistic, and patently unfair style of the Tribune and a number of its craven and cowardly readers who rank among the lower primates in the progressive branch of the Tree of Evolution took it upon themselves to leave a one-star review on Yelp. 

I got taken to the woodshed by the readership of the Trib years ago, so I understand the feral mentality of keyboard warriors who think they have struck a blow for “muh democracy” by behaving like cackling hyenas in heat. It is the typical progressive M.O. 

As a Utah resident, I thought about writing my own screed, but Steve did a pretty good job of dissecting the situation, and Glenn Beck took it upon himself to have a couple of come-aparts over the matter. So what was I to do? Then, inspiration struck me: buy some booze. So I called the distillery and arranged for a tour and private tasting for Mrs. Brown and myself. I don’t make many good decisions in life, but this was one of them.

First, who knew good booze was so complicated to make? There is more to it than meets the eye, and it was quite an educational experience. But I know what you are all waiting for, so let’s get to it. For the sake of time, I’m only going to highlight three products.

First, the gin. I am not a gin person, having been introduced to it in college by way of Beefeater Dry. But the gin offered by Spirits of the Wasatch is a thing of beauty. There is a nice, standard-issue gin, but the one you want is the High-Desert Barrel-Rested Gin, which is infused with a number of botanicals and has an amazing aroma of sagebrush. I don’t drink gin, but I darn near bought a bottle based on the nose alone. It has a great blend of spices that would make it the perfect thing to go into your G&T, but it can more than stand on its own. If you drink gin to any degree, you need a bottle of the Barrel-Rested. You’ll thank me later.

Second, we have the Perky Cowgirl Coffee Liqueur. Being the kind and conscientious husband that I am, I purchased a bottle for Mrs. Brown. This excellent coffee-bean-forward liqueur will serve as the perfect dessert drink for any occasion. Look for hints of coffee and chocolate that do not override one another; there is just the right level of sweetness. It goes great in a glass; if you care to part with some, you can pour a little over a couple of scoops of French Vanilla ice cream.

And finally, we come to the main event. I love scotch, and I enjoy whiskey. The distillery had sold out of the bourbon, but I managed to snag a bottle of Mountain Summit Whiskey. 

You need this whiskey. No, really, you need this. This is the whiskey you have been waiting for your whole life; you just didn’t know it.

First, the nose: a little wood smoke, a little chocolate, a dash of caramel. It has a good, strong start that hits all the right spots across the palate and finishes nice and up high, where a good whiskey should. It is finished with Amburana wood, which lends itself to a buttery drinking experience. It is simultaneously smooth and challenging.

Bear this in mind: this is an honest-to-God sippin’ whiskey. Do not, under any circumstances, “shoot” it. Anyone who tries to make it a part of a high-end “Jack and Coke” should have the end of their tongues sewn to the end of their noses for punishment. 

This is a glass to be savored and appreciated slowly with a good cigar, a good pipe, or good friends. You break this out for a baptism or when you pay off your mortgage. It took me about three hours to get through two fingers, and Mrs. Brown even remarked, “Are you still on that glass?” Yes, I was, and I enjoyed every second of it.

They also have a nifty selection of drinkware to complement the experience.  

If you are not a drinker, they also offer a fun line of Sasquatch-related merch that will bring a smile to any cryptid hunter’s face.

Here is my point: It is easy to wax poetic over wrongs that need to be righted and the evils of the Left. I do that all the time. However, as Benjamin Franklin once observed, we must all hang together, or we will all hang separately. 

I did not ask the owner for an exclusive interview. It was getting late, a storm was blowing in, and everyone needed to get home. Besides, the man has been in the news enough for one week. 

I paid for my purchases for the sake of ethics. But we need to do more than complain, commiserate, and opine. Anyone can rant and rave, including yours truly. We need to have each other’s backs where it counts. Anybody can vent their spleen, but if we want to make sure that we make it beyond the next two to four years, we need to show up for each other. 

If you have the money to support those who do make a stand and put themselves on the line, spend it. These people are counting on you. The truth is that there are more of us than there are weasels, and it is high time the weasels knew it. We can defeat them if we care more about each other than ourselves. Alcohol laws in Utah are, well, complicated, but the distillery hopes to start shipping out of state by the end of March. So place your orders now. 

That’s it for me. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you next time.

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