'Named "Distiller of the Year" by Whisky Advocate magazine in 2016, High West Distillery was founded just 10 years earlier in 2006 by David Perkins and his wife, Jane. David, a former biochemist, was inspired to open his own distillery after taking a distillery tour and seeing the parallels between the fermentation and distilling process and his own work in biochemistry. David and his family started their new venture in 2004, relocating to Park City, Utah, where they began distilling in 2007.