High West commits $1M to Protect the West

Since 2007, High West has donated over $1M to nonprofits. Photo: High West Distillery.

PARK CITY, Utah — High West, the Park City-based whiskey distillery, announces its Protect the West initiative, a $1 million commitment over the next three years to protect the land and its inhabitants.

The announcement coincides with the national release of High West’s seasonal Campfire blend of scotch, bourbon, and whiskey with a complex flavor profile. In honor of Campfire, the first donation will benefit the Wildland Firefighter Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the brave few who run towards the fire, including the wildfires increasingly plaguing the West.

As part of the Protect the West initiative, High West will partner with organizations whose conservation efforts fall into three focus areas: the fight against wildfires, protecting winters, and wildland preservation.

“Now is not the time for us to sit on the sidelines. Our home in the West and everything we love about it is in more and more danger every year,” said Daniel Schear, general manager of High West. “We’re building on our past work with this $1 million commitment to protect the West, and we are excited to work with those who are also passionate about saving this beautiful part of the world we call home.”

The $150,000 inaugural donation will be split between three organizations. Future donations will be announced over the course of the next three years as High West continues to identify and support organizations striving to ‘Protect the West.’

• Wildland Firefighter Foundation, dedicated to helping the families of firefighters killed in the line of duty and to assist injured firefighters and their families.
• Protect Our Winters, a community of athletes, scientists, creatives, and business leaders advancing non-partisan policies to protect our outdoor playgrounds from climate change.
• American Prairie, creating the largest nature reserve in the contiguous United States by purchasing critical habitat that connects a vast network of existing public lands for wildlife conservation and public access.

In recognition of the Campfire release, High West is donating $50,000 to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation and matching consumer donations up to an additional $50,000.

The American West is burning more quickly than it has in a decade, and over three million acres of U.S. land – almost the size of Connecticut – have burned so far this year. The donation to the Wildland Firefighter Foundation will directly benefit the families of fallen and injured firefighters, honoring those who tirelessly work to protect our lands.

High West has donated more than $1M to nonprofits since 2007, with the majority of those funds going toward organizations protecting the West and its inhabitants.