PARTNER POWER

Visit Cheyenne and Pine Bluffs Distilling

Written by RICH MANNING /// Photos provided by VISIT CHEYENNE

On December 13, 2021, Pine Bluffs Distilling in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming, held a virtual craft cocktail class, where guests would learn how to make a fig old fashioned with their new straight rye whiskey expression through a provided cocktail kit. This wasn’t unusual on the surface. After all, virtual tastings and remote cocktail sessions have become common in the pandemic era. What made it unique was the event’s sponsorship. It was backed by Visit Cheyenne, a convention and visitors bureau (CVB) promoting the southeastern Wyoming city and surrounding Laramie County, including Pine Bluffs.

A CVB promoting a distillery makes plenty of sense, because distillery tourism is a bona fide enterprise. However, Visit Cheyenne sponsoring Pine Bluffs’ virtual cocktail class felt like one of the tightest possible embraces a municipal-related agency can have for an industry some people still see as perpetrators of unholy vice. While it may appear to be a somewhat progressive step in the annals of city–distillery collaboration, neither party involved view it as such. Rather, they consider it a practical tool that’s utilized toward a mutual goal. “Visit Cheyenne tries to promote tourism to the area, and so are we,” said Chad Brown, owner of Pine Bluffs Distilling. “If we come up with ways that might encourage people to come out here and check us out, that’s a win for the community.”

“A spot like Pine Bluffs Distilling creates a sense of place and communal engagement,” explained Jim Walter, vice president of Visit Cheyenne. “Because of that, they’re very important to use them to promote Cheyenne and get people connected with the local Cheyenne experience.”

An Organic Sell

It’s natural for a group promoting Cheyenne to tout whiskey as a selling point. Wyoming is the land of open space and distinct ruggedness, of cowboys both past and present. Visit Cheyenne doesn’t shy away from this frontier spirit: References to trains, boots, rodeos, and the Wild West greet visitors on the website’s home page. Whiskey isn’t mentioned, but words aren’t always needed to understand that whiskey drinking is part of the historic narrative.

This aura of sweeping romance concerning the days of yore lays a foundation for Visit Cheyenne and Pine Bluffs’ partnership, but it’s the framework for a much richer story. In Visit Cheyenne’s case, the city’s frontier soul serves as a bridge that connects its history and Old West reputation with its modern arts, culture, and culinary scene. “Our goal is to make people stop, stay at least a day or two, and realize we’re a cool community,” explained Andi Jaspersen, Visit Cheyenne’s experience and marketing manager. “The best way to do this is to make sure we weave today into yesterday.”

“You mention Cheyenne to people and they will immediately think of the Old West and cowboys,” added Walter. “But Cheyenne

“Visit Cheyenne tries to promote tourism to the area, and so are we. If we come up with ways that might encourage people to come out here and check us out, that’s a win for the community.”

— CHAD BROWN

Owner, Pine Bluffs Distilling

“You mention Cheyenne to people and they will immediately think of the Old West and cowboys. But Cheyenne is also a modern city that’s on the northern range of the Denver metro area. The partnerships that stand out are the ones that create experiences with this in mind.”

— JIM WALTER

Vice President, Visit Cheyenne

is also a modern city that’s on the northern range of the Denver metro area. The partnerships that stand out are the ones that create experiences with this in mind.”

A craft distillery like Pine Bluffs nestles into this pocket remarkably well. The fact that whiskey is involved organically connects the distillery to the region’s past, something that Brown fully acknowledges. “Whiskey is the drink of the West,” he said. “It always has been. Look at the television shows based in this part of the country, like [the AMC show] Hell on Wheels. Everyone on that show drank whiskey. It’s always been the Wyoming way.”

At the same time, the grain-to-glass processes Brown uses to create the one vodka and seven whiskeys in the spirits lineup puts them squarely in modern times. “It’s not the easy way, but it’s the right way,” Brown stated. The best example of this ‘right way’ is Brown’s hyper-focus on locality. He sources his ingredients from a roughly 20-mile radius, a decision that allows him to promote the region’s terroir and how it impacts the whiskey’s flavor. Brown not only sees the distilling process as a unique way to promote Cheyenne and Laramie County to visitors dropping by but also to drum up intrigue in an industry that’s still quite young in Wyoming despite its old whiskey legacy. “Craft distilling is in its infancy here,” he added. “There’s only seven craft distilleries in the state, so there’s a lot of education still to come.” “Craft distilling is in its infancy here. There’s only seven craft distilleries in the state, so there’s a lot of education still to come.”

— CHAD BROWN

Owner, Pine Bluffs Distilling

Building the Partnership

A solid relationship isn’t just produced by mutual goals. Personalities must mesh well. Benefits must be defined. Promoted elements must be worth promoting.

“We know our job is marketing,” Walter said. “As marketers, if we’re going to put lipstick on a pig, so to speak, the best thing to do is to talk to the lipstick maker and the pig farmer.” In Pine Bluffs’ case, talking to the lipstick maker also meant ensuring product quality. “Our number-one priority is to make sure the whiskey’s great,” Walter explained. “We quickly learned that it checks off all the boxes, which makes it an easy sell for us.”

Brown’s passion for advocating Cheyenne’s regional influence further fuels this ease. “Chad stood out to us because he’s so committed to community,” Jaspersen said. “That commitment makes him a great example of what a good business can do for a community.”

According to Brown, the close relationship he’s built with Visit Cheyenne allows him to take deeper dives into the history of Cheyenne and Laramie County. This makes it easier to carry out his distillery’s mission of honoring the frontier spirit of the past while pointing toward the frontiers yet to come. Being a trusted partner has also allowed Brown to come up with a few mutually promotional ideas of his own. “Last year, we rented a party bus and took guests out to visit the farms that grow our grains,” he said. “When we told Visit Cheyenne about it, they loved the idea. They said that we should be doing more things like that.”

The depth of trust shared by Visit Cheyenne and Pine Bluffs Distilling makes an idea like the former sponsoring the latter’s online cocktail class seem like a natural, if not downright logical, move, especially at a time when virtual meetings and online tastings became de rigueur. Whether more events like this occur in a post-pandemic world remains to be seen, but even if that doesn’t happen, the push behind the mission that connects Visit Cheyenne and the distillery will remain as strong as ever. “We want people to come and have a great ‘off the beaten path’ experience,” Brown said. “For us to say that we’re helping bring craft whiskey fans to our community is really exciting.”

Pine Bluffs Distilling is located in Pine Bluffs, Wyoming. For more info call (307) 245-3000 or visit www.pinebluffsdistilling.com.

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