Story and Photos by Kevin Gibson

Kate and Brad Mead told the story of how they launched their Wyoming Whiskey distillery to a group of visitors on a blustery day on their Mead Ranch – rolling fields stretched into a backdrop of nearby Grand Teton mountains.

The horses in a nearby fenced-off area seemed to be listening in, while the couple’s three dogs, including Sophie, the adorable but skittish cattle dog, who tried not to stray too far from Kate. Everything in sight, from the family home to nearby barns, peek out from a layer of fresh mountain snow.

The distillery, at one point, was nearly to become a winery, but the couple were intrigued with the bourbon industry. It helped that at the time there weren’t other whiskey distilleries in Wyoming.

“We did not originally set out to start a whiskey company,” Kate says. “But we did.”

It’s been a success. Wyoming Whiskey just turned 10 with the release of a 10.5-year old, high-rye whiskey and a big celebration with live music by country songstress Britnee Kellogg at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson Hole, just a few miles from the ranch. The commemorative whiskey flowed into the night.

It was more than 100 years ago that Brad Mead’s grandfather started the family ranch, and it’s still going strong five generations later, as well as still being family-owned and operated. Brad and Kate do most of the work themselves – the ranch used to employee a number of people – and they live in the family home right on the property. It’s an idyllic setting, in which the couple clearly belong.

When the idea for adding whiskey making to the family legacy came up, it was one the couple had to give a lot of thought to, Brad said. And then one day, Brad got wind of a still for sale. So, he bought it.

“I said, ‘Kate I bought a still,’” he said. Her response? “Will it fit in the garage?”

It wouldn’t.

But the fact remained that the couple knew nothing about making whiskey, so they contacted a business associate, David DeFazio, who would become a partner and co-founder. What it boiled down to was the Meads telling DeFazio they wanted to start a distillery. He asked where he came in, and they told him they wanted him to figure out how to get it done.

And so, it began. The partners went to Kentucky to seek out knowledge, and they found that in the form of a Master Distiller named Steve Nally, who was who had enjoyed a 33-year career with Maker’s Mark. Nally distilled the early Wyoming Whiskey products before heading off to a new career at Bardstown Bourbon Co.

Enter Nancy Fraley, a Master Blender and owner of Nosing Service, a consulting company based in Berkeley, Calif. It was she and Nally working in tandem that produced the new anniversary release, a blend of barrels that go back to the earliest beginnings of Wyoming Whiskey.

The Brand

Wyoming Whiskey carries the honor of being the first legal distillery established in the state, making it sort of the de facto whiskey of Wyoming. And the natural resources and personality of the ranch and region go straight into the many expressions that have come from the operation, from the standard Small Batch and Outryder Rye to special editions like its National Parks and Wide Open Spaces series.

While all the water used to make the mash and proof the whiskey is pure Wyoming, if you look at the bottom of a bottle of Wyoming Whiskey, you’ll see a distinctive “TT,” which is the ranch’s long-time family brand – which also is found on the cattle Mead Ranch raises and sends to the processors for preparation.

Why “TT”? There’s a house on the property referred to by the family as “Double-T.” It was a conscious decision to intertwine the ranch and the whiskey, paying homage to one longstanding Mead tradition while launching what they hoped would be another.

And why not? While the climate in Wyoming is quite different than that in Kentucky, the colder and slightly more consistent weather factors help bring unique notes to the whiskey. And like Kentucky, Wyoming flows with limestone water, which Kentucky distillers historically have credited as playing a huge role in making bourbon stand out from other spirits.

The New Whiskey

While Nally was unable to attend the celebration due to weather issues, Fraley was on hand to take part – and to reminisce. She led a tasting at the Meads’ home but spoke with FredMinnick.com briefly beforehand.

Having joined the team as a consultant in 2014, she says, “It has been phenomenal to watch the progress – it’s been a challenge to get consistency in the product.”

But the new 10-year (it was actually aged about 10.5 years), was something she felt was worthy of nurturing for the long haul. In fact, the team wanted to release it last year, but said it didn’t feel quite ready yet. But when it hit a certain point, she realized it was ready.

Tasting it originally at the three-year mark, she felt the batch was “feisty” and “bright,” so she began looking for barrels to set aside for a future special release: “By the time I heard we were going to try to do a straight 10-year release, I thought, ‘This better be phenomenal.’ I wanted it to be as good as my skills would allow it to be.”

She wanted not just depth but also length on the palate for the final product, and she and Nally chose from 10 prototypes before deciding on what became the final blend and proof. Describing the final product during the tasting, she name-dropped notes of fig, dates, nuttiness, marzipan and orange blossom honey.

“You should have tasted it at 119,” Fraley said.

Apparently, the market agrees that the 103.4-proof, high-rye bourbon is a worthy 10-year anniversary tribute: When the first 125 cases were released to the state in November, they immediately sold out. In total, 520 six-bottle cases will be released. The whiskey will be available in only a handful of states, but the demand in the state should easily gobble up the remainder.

“It really helped explain where we are in the marketplace,” DiFazio said. The immediate sellout to distributors “was a hugely validating moment.”

Not to mention a milestone for a brand that essentially brought bourbon to Wyoming by way of a family cattle ranch, leaving its brand on the past and future of whiskey-making out West. The new release, which is the oldest release so far, “is about putting a stamp on the decade,” Brad Mead said. Look for more to come.

10 Year Anniversary Edition will be available in-store in select U.S. markets including California, Colorado, Georgia, Maine, New York and Wyoming. Suggested retail price is $199.99.