Whiskey maker infuses sustainability into branding
By Rebecca Reimers
For shoppers perusing the whiskey selection at The Liquor Store in Jackson, there’s one bottle that certainly will catch their eyes. Not due to a colorful label or unusually shaped bottle, rather it’s the high-quality, reusable, stainless steel Klean Kanteen container that immediately sets Mountaineer Spirits whiskey apart from competitors and says volumes about the company’s values.
“We’re striving to be the Patagonia of whiskey,” Founder Matt Adkins explained as we sat down recently to discuss his company at The Cowork Space, where Adkins is a member.
I quickly learned that Matt’s first love was skiing. He began to carve in “the mighty” Cuyahoga River Valley in Cleveland. As a college student in Colorado, he visited several Western ski resorts but never made the trip to Jackson. Years later he attended a leadership conference held partly at The Cowork Space and immediately was smitten with the area.
After a few days in town, he called his wife. “I told her Jackson is amazing and we should look at houses here,” recounts Adkins. “She knew then that we were definitely going to move here.”
While on a later visit to the area in 2019, the couple attended a Silicon Couloir holiday gathering that featured regional entrepreneurs offering customized creative activities for attendees. It sealed the deal. “It was so inspiring to see all the incredible entrepreneur booths. The ‘anything’s possible’ mindset here makes it unlike any other ski town.”
The couple was able to make the move in 2020 and since has embraced our startup community and all it has to offer. Adkins regularly attends Chance Meetings with his newborn son in tow and is mentored in Silicon Couloir’s TEAMS program. “It’s been really encouraging to meet others in the Silicon Couloir community who have built their own livelihood,” he said. “It makes our startup seem doable.” Like mountain pursuits, service always has been foundational to Adkins’ life. After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy, he opted to join the Army and commanded an infantry company in Afghanistan in the 10th Mountain Division. The “ski soldiers” of the elite light-infantry division specializing in mountain warfare played a critical role in World War II, and the division was reactivated in 1985.
Following his military career, Adkins took advantage of the G.I. Bill to pursue a master’s at the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.While in school, he met his co-founder in 2016, also a former Army veteran who served as a Green Beret in a Special Forces unit in Colorado Springs. The two bonded over their love of mountains and libations, then set out to build a business to create quality spirits for the adventurous. At the time the pandemic was wreaking havoc on global supply chains, so the duo decided to focus on bourbon, which is sourced in the United States.
It’s a whiskey “people want to drink at the campfire, or back at the hut after backcountry skiing or hiking,” Adkins said. The flavor is both spicy and slightly sweet, with a smooth finish. Even for a whiskey novice like me, the easy-drinking quality is apparent.
While in the Army, Adkins gained the ability to manage logistics and complicated operations, skills that he now applies to his business. “I came into this sector with a project management background and am learning how to sell and tell the brand story as we go. There’s a lot to learn building a startup, and we’re fortunate to have Silicon Couloir in our community to help us find the resources needed to grow.”
Adkins knew from the start that a triple bottom line approach to business — a sustainability framework that measures a business’s success in three key areas: profit, people and the planet — would be foundational for Mountaineer Spirits’ operations and branding. Early in his career, he worked at the highest-grossing Patagonia store in the company and saw firsthand that business could be a force for positivity in the world. In addition to embracing evergreen packaging, Mountaineer Spirits is a 1% For the Planet company, with proceeds benefiting the Jackson Hole Land Trust and other Teton-area causes.
“We want to be the brand that aligns with our customers’ values and ethics of community, adventure and open space,” Adkins said.
While Mountaineer Spirits is still a small craft brand, the company is growing rapidly. The product is now available in six states, with a focus on the Rockies. Recently the Wyoming Liquor Division, which acts as the wholesale distributor throughout the state, “fully listed” Mountaineer Spirits by purchasing product that retailers can attain within one to three days.
Having fully embraced the Teton community, Adkins is looking for ways to give back. “I’m always happy to share spirits and good vibes at nonprofit events,” he says with a smile. “We’re also hoping to host a whiskey festival in the coming year. ‘A rising tide lifts all boats’ is our approach to business.”