2 years and 2 days ago, we visited here for the first time, having their excellent Sunday brunch ($40)...has it changed? Well, you no longer drive up. There's now a forced shuttle with all the chipper tourists you have to wait for. Mr. Bill drives you up with a 5-minute promotional spiel.
Still, the food is excellent! The terms "distillery" and "buffet brunch" don't usually go together. But every Sunday, hundreds of people make the trek to the High West whiskey distillery in Wanship to partake in some aged sprits and a tasty breakfast spread. My focus here is the Sunday buffet ... the tours, the other elements of the facility are reviewed by others.
If HWD isn't in BFE, it's at least BFE-adjacent. It'll take you a good 45 minutes to get there from SLC and it's even a half-hour from Park City. You'll get off the freeway and then backtrack on the only road to the distillery, the old Lincoln Highway, through a few residential neighborhoods before you get to a gatehouse. Never fret, they'll let you through. In the winter, you'll park and be driven up the snowy, curvy roads; in the summer, you'll slowly (15 mph in this active wildlife area) make your way on curvy hills. After about a mile, you'll arrive at a beautiful facility that looks more like a ranch than a distillery.
Despite the buffet, you won't forget they make whiskey (and vodka). There's a general store with hundreds of amber bottles shimmering in the well-lighted room. There's a tasting room/bar well-placed near the buffet. There are several facility tours available before and after your meal. Of course, they won't mind if you don't partake in their drinks; there's a full bar -- you heard that, a full bar in Utah open on a Sunday -- with a full bar. They make a mean Moscow Mule!
I've never seen a place that is a master of one thing, but doing an exceptional job at an entirely different thing. For example, the popcorn at Les Schwab is awful, but they sure get you some damn good tires. High West makes a damn good 20-year old whiskey aged in an oak barrel ... AND they have some amazing food.
The quality of the buffet is comparable to what you'll find at Sunday brunch at the Grand America, but the mood is much more laid back (I suspect it has to do with all the booze!) There's so much great stuff, you'll weep at the fact that you can't eat it all.
There's a "yogurt station" with high-end muesli and fresh fruit. You'll find buttery, flakey croissants and homemade jams. You'll find a bread pudding that would get the thumbs up even from a discerning British foodie. You'll find aged cheeses and charcuterie (prosciutto, etc.). You'll find a "bagel station" with a variety of bagel flavors, cream cheeses, as well as lox and capers to get your authentic bagel experience on. There's the big, multi-meat sausage (I saw the word "venison" before distracted by other foods). Then the bacon, my good lord, the crispy, large strips of goodness.
And then, what I consider to be the best part: A made-to-order omelette bar. I asked for the works, and it ended up incredibly tasty and perfectly cooked. There's also the glorious Tri-Tip. I usually associate Tri-Tip as being low on flavor and tough enough to be considered meat chewing gum. HWD's Tri-Tip is succulent, easy to cut, and even easier to relent to your desire to have more. It pairs very well with their homemade horseradish.
We, of course, ended our visit at the gift shop and left with a few bottles of Vodka 7000' and Rendezvous Rye. Food, spirits, all still awesome. read more