Utah
Wild West booze: 150-year-old bottle unearthed in historic Utah mining town
An archaeological team in Utah has discovered a literal time capsule from the state’s Wild West past: a bottle of alcohol that had been buried for over a century at the historic mining town of Alta.
Local distillers at High West Saloon are now working to identify the mysterious liquid and unlock the secrets it might hold from the frontier days. Archaeologist Ian Wright has been leading the excavation.
“We have found a 150-year-old bottle of alcohol. So we thought, hey, let’s take it to the experts and see if we can find out what exactly is in it,” said Wright.
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The discovery is particularly significant because it’s the only intact bottle of alcohol from this era ever found in Utah, according to Wright.
High West, Utah’s first legal distillery since 1870, seemed like the perfect place to analyze the historic find. According to their director of distilling, Isaac Winter, the company specializes in blending spirits and has deep roots in Utah’s distilling history.
“We started off as a blending house,” said Winter. “We’re always looking for beautiful spirits across the country, across the world sometimes, to create blends that are something more than the sum of their parts.”
When Wright brought the bottle to the distillery, the team was immediately intrigued by its condition.
“It’s in reasonably good shape, I would say, after sitting for 150 years,” Winter said.
The analysis began with careful examination of the bottle’s aroma and color. The team detected a slight vinegar smell from the cork, but they needed to extract some of the liquid to learn more.
“We weren’t sure if it was clear spirit, if it was aged spirit, if it was beer, if it was wine, if it was champagne,” Winter said.
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To preserve the historic bottle, they called in reinforcements from Old Town Cellars, just up the road, who brought a Coravin device that could extract liquid without breaking the cork.
“We’re being very careful with that sample,” Winter explained as they used the specialized tool.
When the liquid finally emerged, it revealed promising characteristics.
“To see the liquid come out and have a color and have a good smell,” Winter said, describing the moment.
Tara Lindley, director of sensory and product development at High West, noted the complex flavors: “First, there was some kind of a, kind of an oxidized fruit note.”
Winter added: “It’s fruity, there’s a little bit of leather, there’s quite a bit of age on it.”
The analysis revealed that yeast was used in the production, leading the team to believe it was likely some type of beer rather than distilled spirits.
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Despite some initial hesitation, Winter decided to taste the 150-year-old beverage.
“I had a little bit of trepidation going into it, but you have to try it,” Winter said. “It didn’t smell like gasoline, didn’t smell like tobacco spit.”
The discovery of what appears to be beer opened up an exciting possibility — the potential to recreate the historic beverage.
The team made the decision to fully uncork the bottle, despite concerns about damaging the antique container.
“It’s an old bottle, it’s a lot of pressure, you don’t want to damage the bottle,” Wright said.
Once opened, they carefully decanted the liquid and filtered it through a coffee filter to separate any sediment.
“Very exciting to see the liquid as it finally came out,” Winter said. “We put it through a coffee filter — very scientific way of separating the bits from the liquid.”
The sediment at the bottom of the bottle could hold the key to recreation.
“The very bottom of the bottle was sort of turbid — it was sort of milky. We’re going to take that back and hopefully plate it out and find some usable yeast on it,” Winter explained.
If they can successfully cultivate the historic yeast, it could allow them to recreate the exact beer that miners were drinking in Alta over a century ago.
“Science is really at the foundation of creating alcohol. That, and art,” Lindley said.
For Wright, the project represents something larger than just analyzing an old bottle.
“This is so cool because it’s taking history — it’s taking it off of an old dusty shelf,” Wright said. “Because history, it belongs to everybody.”
This story was originally published by Spencer Joseph with the Scripps News Group in Salt Lake City.
UTAH COUNTY, May 11, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — Two males, ages 14 and 19, were transported to area hospitals Sunday after the side-by-side they were riding rolled down the side of a mountain.
Utah County Sheriff deputies and Santaquin police responded to the 6:07 p.m. call. Two medical helicopters were called to the scene, in the Pole Canyon area, as was a Department of Public Safety helicopter with a hoist in case it was needed, Sgt. Austin Edwards, Utah County Sheriff‘s Office, told Gephardt Daily.
“Eventually, rescue workers were able to make it to the spot on the hill where the vehicle had come to rest, and they were able to secure the victims, stabilize the victims, and get them back down the hill again to where the helicopters were waiting,” Edwards said.
“The 19-year-old male was transported to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo, and the 14 year old was transported to Primary Children’s in Lehi.”
Both were said to have critical injuries, which were not considered to be life threatening, Edwards said.
“The cause of the rollover is still under investigation, so we don’t have that information available just yet.”
Photos: Utah County Sheriff
In what has a chance to be one of the most important nights in Jazz history, the Utah Jazz jumped in the NBA Lottery to the #2 spot for the upcoming NBA draft.
Here are the final results, which show all the movement.
Aside from it being a massive night for the Wizards, Jazz, Grizzlies, and Bulls, it was a devastating night for a few teams, but no one more than the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers, in their trade for Ivica Zubac, had a stipulation on their pick that if the pick was top-4 they kept it. But if it fell below 4, they would give it to the Clippers which is exactly what happened. Now, the Clippers, who are without Zubac, find themselves with a #5 pick to build around.
For the Jazz this is a culmination of four years of rebuilding that ends with an extremely satisfying end. Utah will now have one of the tier-1 players from this draft: AJ Dybantsa or Darryn Peterson. The player Utah drafts will be one of their cornerstone pieces and will have the chance to not only play, but be a part of a team that will be competing for the playoffs this season.
The Utah Jazz now have a Sinister Six core: Darryn Peterson (If AJ Dybantsa goes #1), Keyonte George, Ace Bailey, Lauri Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Walker Kessler (if he signs). It’s quite the core with a mix of youth and veterans in their prime. With this group, the Jazz will have a chance to be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. Yes, the Thunder and Spurs are going to be difficult to beat, but Utah has the mix of talent, coaching, and depth that could absolutely do the trick.
Now the Utah Jazz look forward to the NBA Draft that be on June 23rd. Let the posturing begin!!
PROVO — An organization that has been a beacon of hope for Utah children and families just got a big upgrade in Provo.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County on Friday held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its newest facility, marking the start of a new chapter in providing support for those who need it the most.
The new Kent B. Nelson Clubhouse, 131 N. Olympic Blvd., replaces the organization’s former Provo clubhouse, which had been in operation for more than 50 years. Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County leaders said they had outgrown the aging facility and needed a larger, more modern space to support more community members.
“This new clubhouse is more than a building — it’s a central place where we can coordinate programs, support our staff, and amplify our impact across the region,” said David Bayles, CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County, in a statement.
The organization’s mission was something the late former Utah County Commissioner Tom Sakievich was passionate about. His wife Marji and daughter Emily Sakievich attended Friday’s grand opening ceremony just as if he would’ve wanted to.
“He loved this project, and it meant the world to him,” Emily Sakievich told KSL. “This was actually one of the last places he went before he passed. (He) and my mom stopped by to just see how progress was going; he would be so excited to see this come together.”
The former commissioner died last December at the age of 72. Tom Sakievich resigned from the seat in September 2024 after being diagnosed with glioblastoma brain cancer.
Emily Sakievich said her father was a big supporter of helping children in the Boys & Girls Clubs feel supported while he was in office.
“He would have all of them come to his office and talk about how government works and how they can be a part of it someday,” she said.
The new 20,000 square-foot facility expands on resources and programs offered at its previous site for community youth and families experiencing hardships.
The clubhouse will provide safe, engaging, and educational programs in a modernized building fit to serve more than 14,000 Utah children and teens.
A variety of programs including after-school, summer activities and STEM learning will be offered at the new facility. Other resources include internet safety programs, mental health support, nutrition initiatives, and housing assistance for families experiencing homelessness.
“We’ve been able to increase the capacity so much and add preschool and other things; we can even benefit more families — and we can benefit them for a longer period of time, from younger to older, where there are no gaps.” Provo City Council Chair Katrice MacKay told KSL. “So I’m really excited. It’s a fantastic thing for the city and for our residents.”
Leaders of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Utah County say the new $6 million Provo clubhouse was designed as a welcoming space where children and teens can explore new interests, build life skills, and receive mentorship from caring staff.
“The Boys & Girls Clubs have been a cornerstone of youth development in Utah County for decades,” said Janet Frank, board president, in a statement “This new clubhouse strengthens that mission, allowing the organization to extend its reach and impact across the entire region.”
Friday’s event took place while children who attend the Boys & Girls Clubs were in school, so another ceremony for kids and their families is planned for the end of the month.
“The Boys & Girls Club is for every kid out there,” Bayles said. “We want to accomplish what every parent wants for their kids — we want them to have a safe place to learn and grow, to be successful in school, to build social skills and to go on and be great members of society.”
The Key Takeaways for this article were generated with the assistance of large language models and reviewed by our editorial team. The article, itself, is solely human-written.
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