Ever since High West Distillery opened its doors in 2007 to offer its blended Double Rye, Bourbon, and whiskeys, its founders have seen firsthand the impacts of climate change on both their hometown of Park City, Utah, and the West at large. More frequent and severe wildfires. Extreme heat. Severe drought. Warmer winters with less snow. Reduced wildlife habitat. The land they love was in trouble.
In August 2021, was preparing to relaunch Campfire, its popular smoky-profiled whiskey. Shortly before the limited release hit shelves, a malfunctioning car sparked a brush fire in a Wasatch canyon outside of Park City. As employees watched 5,000 families flee their homes to escape the Parleys Canyon Fire—the latest in a long list of wildfires they’d witnessed threaten inhabitants, wildlife, and land across the West—they knew they had to change their plans. Instead of launching Campfire as planned, High West partnered with the nonprofit Wildland Firefighter Foundation to turn the news into a wildfire safety campaign: “Don’t light a campfire. Drink one instead.” That was only the beginning.
In 2022, the year after its successful partnership with the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, High West announced a major new commitment: The brand would donate $1 million over three years to three nonprofits that shared its conservation values. The initiative, called , is a passion project for a team that lives, works, and plays in the West and a tangible show of their dedication to protecting the future of this diverse region.
In 2023, Olympic gold medalist joined the High West team as an ambassador, lending his voice to the Protect the West campaign.
“I was lucky enough to grow up exploring so many incredible places in the West, learning to snowboard, skateboard, and even mountain bike there,” White says. “It’s so important to me that people have the same opportunities I once had, which is why I really connected to High West’s Protect the West initiative. Not only is it my favorite whiskey, but High West is committed to preserving the same home I grew up exploring, and I want to do whatever I can to ensure generations to come can experience the land.”
High West’s Protect the West initiative partners with nonprofits that align with the brand’s focus areas: wildfires, conserving wild lands, and protecting winter.
is dedicated to supporting the families of wildland firefighters killed in the line of duty and assisting injured firefighters and their families. The group’s mental health program also connects firefighters with professional resources to help deal with their highly stressful and dangerous job.
is in the process of creating the largest nature preserve in the lower 48, with a goal of creating a 3.2 million–acre reserve. The nonprofit is acquiring slices of crucial habitat to help connect existing public lands in north-central Montana, restoring America’s vast shortgrass prairie and providing a home for everything from bison and pronghorn antelope to grizzly bears, black-footed ferrets, and sage grouse. Hikers, campers, anglers, and hunters are also welcome to explore these newly accessible lands.
High West’s third partner,, aims to advance nonpartisan solutions to tackle the climate crisis. POW organizes the outdoor community of athletes, creators, and brand partners to elect climate champions and push for smart climate policy. “Winter out West is where it all began for me, training and competing in Utah and even landing the Double McTwist at Park City Mountain for the first time,” White says. “That’s why High West’s support of Protect Our Winters, an organization founded by my friend and snowboarding legend Jeremy Jones, really resonated with me. POW has done an amazing job mobilizing the snow sports community on climate.”
High West’s support is proving vital for its nonprofit partners. “Since 2022, High West has been an invaluable partner of the Protect Our Winters , supercharging climate action and advocacy across the Outdoor State,” says Maria Gonzalez, vice president of development for Protect Our Winters. “High West has helped empower the Outdoor State to take action to protect public lands and fueled essential training and educational resources for .”
Every action, from big-picture moves like voting and advocating to everyday decisions about which products to buy, matters in the fight against climate change. That’s exactly what drew White to Protect the West. “What we’re trying to do is convey a sense of urgency,” he says. “The West is undeniably beautiful, with countless opportunities for adventure, but if we don’t commit to protecting these places now, we will lose them. Protect the West is simple—it’s about driving education and awareness to protect the places we love to live, work, and play. We hope people will feel empowered and inspired to support the cause.”
And if sipping a premium whiskey is part of supporting the cause, so much the better. Join High West Distillery in Protecting the West.
Utah’s first legal distillery since 1870, High West has a passion for crafting delicious and distinctive whiskeys all in the context of our home, the American West. High West offers an outstanding collection of highly rated whiskeys in all 50 U.S. states and internationally. For more information, visit .