(Photo – Utah Business Magazine)

About 30 people gathered last week to watch as a huge copper whiskey still was hoisted into the air. It took place at High West Distillery’s new production facility, which is under construction by R&O Construction at the Blue Sky Ranch in Wanship. The still, which looks a bit like a giant copper tea kettle, stands about 25 feet high and weighs roughly 10,000 pounds. Workers used two cranes to lift it and put it in place atop an eight-foot platform. It was the culmination of a journey that began more than 4,500 miles away in Rothes, Scotland, where the still was designed and manufactured over the course of 17 months. That followed a waiting period of about two years. High West owner David Perkins said the company’s current plan is to add three more 1,585-gallon stills over the next few years.

The new facility includes a 19,000 sf building designed to evoke the image of 19th Century mining buildings common in the Park City area. The facility’s roof and exterior walls are made of a metal that is designed to rust over time. The structure was also designed with clerestory windows, which jut above the main roof and can be opened to allow cross breezes into the building to cool it.

Upon completion, visitors can visit the new production facility which will be fitted with a mezzanine allowing visitors to walk above the stills. A visitors’ center and café are also now under construction nearby.