After 10 Years, Wyoming Whiskey Is Expanding to International Markets

• Publication year: 2023
• Citation: Vol. 46 No. 6 Pg. 40
• Pages: 40

After 10 Years, Wyoming Whiskey is Expanding to International Markets Vol. 46 No. 6 Pg. 40 Wyoming Bar Journal December 2023

After 10 Years,

is Expanding to International Markets

by Renee Jean

Kate and Brad Mead live on a perfectly splendid Jackson, Wyoming, ranch nestled among the foothills in Spring Gulch crowned by the majestic Grand Tetons in the distance.

The ranch comes complete with a "unicorn" horse—Rowdy was his name, until he got a unicorn rainbow pattern to delight a grandchild. Now the horse is known as Rainbow.

Rainbow is still rowdy, Kate Mead said with a chuckle as she and her husband showed their snow-laden ranch to a group of people there to learn more about the success of Wyoming Whiskey, which is now 10 years old.

Going International

Not only is Wyoming Whiskey releasing an anniversary product to celebrate a decade of producing spirits, it's also talking about a long-term future that includes international sales not just in Canada, but the UK and beyond.

Of course, even perfectly splendid ranches have their problems from time to time, regardless of unicorn horses, and the Mead Ranch is no different.

In fact, Wyoming Whiskey came about after a terrible problem. Brucellosis was confirmed in a neighbor's cattle, and the entire herd had to be destroyed.

The federal government gives ranchers the option to quarantine herds, Brad Mead said.

"But nobody can afford to keep cows for 12 months just feeding and feeding them," he said. "So as a practical matter, you end up destroying the entire herd."

Reprinted with permission from Cowboy State Daily.

Out Of Destruction, Something New

Beautiful things are often wrought unwillingly in the midst of tragedy. But that wasn't something the couple was thinking about at the time.

Instead, they were on focused on preventing what happened to their neighbor from happening to them. To solve that issue, they bought 1,000 acres in Kirby so they could send their cattle away whenever the risk of brucellosis became high, as it does this time of the year.

"I know this is more about the whiskey than the ranch" Brad Mead said. "But the ranch led to the whiskey"

Diversify To Survive

Like most cattle ranchers today, the Meads really needed to diversify their operation to remain profitable.

Kate, for example, had found a niche selling fresh beef at farmers markets. The couple also rent the ranch at times, which makes a good venue for events.

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