High Mark Distillery & Barrel House
Reno, Nevada 
Handcrafted legacy-inspired spirits with unique experiences
High Mark Distillery sits on a strip in Reno – no, not a strip mall, an actual strip of land that stretches out to the horizon of the desert, and that’s a joke. The place was born out of Alaska, a land where the weather kills you in your sleep and the only sensible drink is something you can get yourself. The founder, a man who’s somehow managed to marry an appetite for adventure and the discipline of a lab rat, brought that Alaskan grit to Nevada, turning a desert outback into a micro-distillery that refuses to be bland.
Every spirit they produce carries a narrative: whether it’s a bourbon that’s as bold as a mule in a rainstorm or a vodka that tastes like “I’m not going to put a cliché in here.” There are fourteen distinct releases, a vodka line that will have you questioning what you thought you knew about purity, and a tasting room that offers a bar that’s less “wine-bar” and more “experience bar” – the kind of bar where the bartender will make you laugh and, maybe, leave with a bit more money in your pocket.
The highlight, really, is their ‘build-your-barrel’ programme. You pick the mash, the wood, the proof, and end up with a bottle that feels like a personal achievement. They also have a barrel club – a sort of loyalty scheme for the bored-out and the whiskey-savvy, letting you customise the finish of your own whisky. Guides who are willing to talk, and actually show you the difference between a good mash and a mediocre one.
If you want a place that tells stories louder than the last row of a car engine rev, High Mark is the destination. They don’t try to dress themselves up; they’re just good at making good drink, and if you don’t enjoy it – well, that’s on you, not them.
