‘You Taste the Environment’: Brendan Cook Breaks Down His Approach as Wyoming Whiskey Master Blender

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(Photos: Wyoming Whiskey)

Brendan Cook arrived at Wyoming Whiskey in 2023 already armed with a deep appreciation for how climate shapes a spirit — a perspective forged in his background in Scotch and Canadian whisky. In Wyoming, he found an environment that speaks that same language, where high-altitude heat and long, cold winters add dimension to the barrels he works with.

That global background is now influencing one of the most climate-expressive American whiskeys on the market. Cook approaches Wyoming Whiskey with the mindset that every barrel is a dialogue between the mashbill, the rickhouse and the state’s high-altitude extremes.

“Working in Scotch and Canadian whisky gave me a strong appreciation for how a spirit interacts with its environment and its cask,” he told us. “Here, I’m looking closely at how our mashbills respond to the high-altitude climate, the temperature swings and our barrel positions within our rickhouses.”

Those swings are not subtle. Kirby’s summers can push the top racks of the warehouses to 115 degrees, while the lower tiers stay as low as 68. Winters freeze everything into stillness. The contrast between the seasons creates barrels that wind up drastically different even within the same building. For Cook, that variability isn’t a challenge, but a palette that gives him more colors to paint with.

Wyoming Whiskey Master Blender Brendan Cook

“You taste the environment, the grains, the water — it all comes together in a way that feels unmistakably Wyoming,” he said.

As Cook tells it, rapid expansion cycles generate depth and intensity; the winter lull is when the softer, more delicate layers emerge: stone fruit notes, tropical touches rounded sweetness. The end result, he says, feels “integrated and distinctly Wyoming.”

When he joined the blending team, Cook began his work alongside one of American whiskey’s most respected figures: renowned Master Blender Nancy Fraley, a wandering blender who’s worked with brands including Still Austin, Joseph Magnus, Virginia Distillery and Smooth Ambler. Cook says his time with Fraley taught him to emphasize continuity — protecting the distillery’s core character while evolving the range.

“We both see ourselves as stewards of the brand, committed to ensuring that every release reflects the distinct character and sense of place that defines Wyoming Whiskey,” he said.

That sense of stewardship shows up in Cook’s creative process. Each release is an opportunity to explore what he calls “a different pillar of flavor.” The Old Faithful bourbon was built around the visual drama of the famed geyser: stone fruit notes that rise, burst with spice and settle again. For the recent Buffalo Bill bottling, he leaned into the mythos of the frontier, layering in leather and tobacco tones that feel tied to the figure’s legacy.

Looking ahead, Cook said the brand plans to continue experimenting with cask finishes and exploring the ways Wyoming’s environment can shape whiskey. The goal isn’t novelty but authenticity: “Our focus will always be on producing expressions that feel true to Wyoming — whiskeys that couldn’t have come from anywhere else.”