American whiskey has been in Rob Sergent’s family blood for generations. Historically, his ancestors would have picked stone fruit (fruits with a stone pit) from their family farm and added the fruit to their moonshine whiskey. As a teething child, Rob remembers the traditional medicine for painful gums was to take a cloth, dip the cloth in sugar and bourbon, and apply this concoction on his gums. Hence, Rob developed a fondness for bourbon from his earliest experiences as a child.
Rob was inspired to share those childhood connections, with a bit more refinement and flavor profile, when he decided to create spirits for Alpine Distilling in Park City.
Alpine’s Lafayette Spiced Bourbon (apricot, primrose, and cinnamon) is a high-quality bourbon, and he notes, “People who don’t like whiskey like our Spiced Bourbon. Everyone loves vanilla, and everyone loves ripe apricots.”
Rob’s wife, Sara, had her first challenge when they decided to start their business. She and Rob wanted to use sunsets at the local Swaner Nature Preserve as an inspirational focal point, copying the colors of the sunset into the flavor of their first spirit, Preserve Liqueur.
“We want to make our spirits a focal point for celebrations and stand out as a social lubricant for these connections,” Sara says. Alpine Distillery was created to capture sharing these connections within the flavor and sensation of their products.
Alpine’s botanical approach, and Rob’s background in apothecary, is apparent in the ingredients he chooses for each brew. Using OU Kosher Certification and pure Summit County mountain spring water in combination with different woods and botanicals, Rob and Sara have created distilled spirits that have won worldwide accolades.
But they are moving past awards to create a unique labeling change with hand-written labels on their private stock whiskies to further the connection between their distillery and their customers’ experience. They are also changing to new embossed and custom labels for their three core spirits: Preserve Liqueur, Alpine Gin, and Lafayette Spiced Bourbon. The new character change took place in January.
Speaking of connection, Alpine’s philanthropy is THE reason for their change. This new persona is now connected with the organization each bottle will benefit. Persistent Vodka is now Utah Olympic Park Vodka. Preserve Liqueur (blood orange, black tea, candied raspberry, lemon balm, and ginger) now benefits Swaner Preserve. “We want to deposit back and celebrate aspects of our community, including Swaner Preserve,” Rob says. “At the end of the day, I really like celebrating the connection. Whether you’re a light drinker like I am, or you socially drink, we like to make spirits to celebrate connections.”
To connect with Alpine, visit their distillery in Silver Creek, or grab your favorite friend and connect at Alpine Pie Bar, Gin Experience & Retail Shop on 350 Main Street in Historic Park City.
