Waterpocket Distillery — Local services in West Valley City

The newest game in town. It's right in front of Kid Curry, so see them both together. Nobody in town is doing more iconoclastic alcohol. Their grand opening was this weekend, and they supplied some great food. It was a joy to meet Alan and Julia Scott. Julia was finishing up some bottling and answer some questions about the stills and distilling process.Alan was doing the tastings. His website does a better job than I saying what he's doing. "We've discovered a rich vein of pre-Prohibition herbal spirits, bitters and LONG LOST liqueurs. We intend to mine these recipes for flavor gold." That's really true. I don't love all of them, but I can appreciate how well done they are.

That said, I love the special release high molasses Rum. I bought all they would sell me. It tastes right to me. There's a lot of rum around town, but they are made with either all cane sugar, or mostly cane sugar. That makes a really clean tasting rum, but removes a lot of character. I'm in love with a place that's making alcohol with a twist.

I also like that they use two labels. Anything with Waterpocket on it is 100% distilled and created in their facility. We have some pretty big names around town that do not do that. They purchase already distilled base and blend/complete/modify it to meet their needs. Alan is completely up front. If he's completing a product, no matter how good it is, and he didn't do 100% of it, he labels it with Robbers Roost. I left with bottles of both labels because the Robbers Roost light whiskey...

Booking a tour & tasting was one of the most interesting and educational experiences I've had in some time! Alan was a wealth of information on the physics, chemistry, biology, and history of what makes their product. He really could teach a Lifelong Learning class if it would take time from making their tasty product.

Four of us took the tour. A perfect size group. I thought it would be interesting, but wouldn't consider myself a huge bitters or liqueurs connoisseur. After learning a little about the process, and seeing the raw ingredients that create the flavors, the tasting was SO much more meaningful and I really enjoyed all of what Waterpocket creates.

Their store has product you can't get from the liquor store.

Appointments advised. Make one....

First, the liquor here is good. Really, really, good. They have very good classics but more importantly, they have unique antique recipes that will blow the mind of anyone who enjoys a good spirit or liquor.

However, that isn’t the only reason to come here. We dropped in and met the owners and they are passionate and ultra-knowledgeable about their craft while being so hospitable. Everything about our visit and tasting was enjoyable and completely unrushed — like we were the only people in the world to test the boozy treats put before us.

Reservations for testing and tours are recommended and can be made online or over the phone. It’s totally worth it to support this fantastic...