Montrose High School graduate Wes Panther has accomplished a lot since he left high school, and has now earned an award for his brand of gin, Ancestors Distilling, which is based in Denver.
Ancestors earned the distinction of a Double Gold Medal winner at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, totaling 95 points out of a possible 100 among judges.
Wes talked about what makes this competition special. “This competition is known as one of the most highly prestigious and highly regarded spirit competitions in the world. There’s hundreds and hundreds of entries from around the world.”
The gin which won the award was the Ancestors Classic Gin. It was first released back in 2021, at Phelanie’s in Montrose.
Wes’ story in distilling begins a decade ago.
“I opened a spirits and craft beer bar back in 2014 in Denver, and just got interested from visiting distilleries as a buyer; got interested in the process,” Panther said.
“I wanted to figure out more about the process of spirits, so I ended up traveling; through the south. I picked up my first distilling job making Rum in the Florida keys. I kept moving and I went to South Carolina and I had an apprenticeship there”, he continued.
“I completed the apprenticeship and decided my goal was, instead of staying as an assistant in a distillery, I wanted to start my own. Moved back to Colorado, took over as head distiller at a distillery in Fort Collins, launched my brand while working there, and then moved into Ancestors Distillery, my own place, in 2023.”
Wes talked about his journey up from Montrose High School, and how that shaped his career. “I graduated in the Class of ‘08, I didn’t graduate with honors or anything like that, I was pretty middle of the road. I was kind of the type of person that just wanted to get out of High School. But I made a lot of really great connections with really close friends I still have today, and I feel like honestly their support throughout the years; has probably been the most beneficial of anything.”
In addition to supportive friends from school and beyond, the encouragement of his family has been a pillar. On his family, Wes said “They’ve been huge, my mom has been doing rep work for me on the Western Slope, she has connections with all the people in Montrose that are selling Ancestors. Six or seven different places selling Ancestors products in Montrose. I’ve always gotten great business advice from my dad, and my brother. It’s just been no lack of support by any means.”
Panther also complimented local joints Phelanie’s and Remington’s, which have consistently carried his products. He said that both locations have been “Super supportive of everything. I’ve got several High School friends that still work with Phelanie’s that helped open it, manage it; we’ve done multiple events. Remington’s is featuring a significant amount of our products on their cocktail menu.”
Earning this prestigious score obviously means increased recognition for Wes’ brand. “To get a gold, a double gold, the award program, will post that in multiple different industry news releases and things like that throughout the country, and the world. So that will help gain notoriety, it’s still a very small operation”, he said.
“It’s pretty much just me doing everything. I’m able to put those medals on the bottles; that gives people just an idea that a trusted panel of judges have actually tried it and they’ve really shown their appreciation for it blindly without knowing me. It’s going to help me stand out amongst other products on the shelves”, said Panther.
Though he doesn’t currently live in the area, he talked about the special place Montrose is to him. “Montrose is kind of the town that formed who I am today. It’s crazy seeing how my friends have done things coming out of Montrose, in all different industries. It’s a place where people; really can have an opportunity to thrive.”
“It’s just a unique, beautiful place to be from.”
Panther continues to develop his craft in Denver.
Gunnison Clamp is a freelance contributor for the Montrose Business Times.
