Sips & Sites & Bites

There’s something about the American West that just feels bigger than life … wide skies, rugged mountains, and the kind of scenery that makes you stop and stare. It’s exactly that spirit of wide-open spaces that inspired the folks at Wyoming Whiskey to launch their National Parks Series a few years back. Now, the distillery is back with its latest chapter: National Parks No. 5 Straight Bourbon Whiskey: A Tribute to the Tetons.

If you’ve been following this series, you already know the idea. Each release celebrates one of America’s treasured parks while helping support the organizations that protect them. Previous bottles paid tribute to Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, and Acadia National Park. For this fifth installment, Wyoming Whiskey once again teamed up with the Grand Teton National Park Foundation to highlight the breathtaking Tetons.

For co-founder David DeFazio, the connection runs deep.

“Over the last four years we’ve made donations to the philanthropic partners of these parks,” DeFazio explains. “With National Parks No. 5, we feature Grand Teton. Our company was born in the shadow of these mountains, literally, so this one is personal.”

A Bourbon Inspired by the Tetons

National Parks No. 5 is a five-year-old straight bourbon bottled at 96 proof. Like all Wyoming Whiskey releases, it’s made with locally sourced grains and aged through the intense seasonal swings of Wyoming’s Big Horn Basin. Those hot summers and frigid winters do their magic on the barrels, creating a whiskey that feels both rich and rugged.

The flavor profile leans dessert-like, but with a frontier edge. The nose opens with baked honey crullers dusted in cinnamon sugar, along with hints of orange and almond. On the palate, you’ll find almond and cherry liqueur layered with honeyed sweetness and a touch of vanilla whip. The finish brings it home with warming cinnamon spice, espresso, creamy milk chocolate, and a faint note of leather.

In other words, it’s the kind of bourbon that would feel right at home around a campfire under the Tetons.

A Label With Some History

The bottle’s artwork is just as interesting as the whiskey inside. The label features The Three Tetons, an 1895 oil painting by celebrated Western landscape artist Thomas Moran. The piece captures the snow-capped Teton range rising over a pine-lined valley and a shimmering stream.

Moran’s work played a major role in shaping early conservation efforts in the American West. Today, the original painting resides in the White House art collection and has even appeared in the Oval Office during several presidential administrations.

That legacy of conservation helped inspire more than just the label.

Meet “Moran,” a New Limited-Edition Bourbon

Alongside National Parks No. 5, Wyoming Whiskey is debuting Moran, a limited 10-year-old bourbon that honors both the artist and the towering peak of Mount Moran, which rises above Jackson Lake in the northern Tetons.

This older expression is bottled at a robust 110 proof and delivers a more layered flavor journey. Expect notes of baked citrus peel, blackberry jam, cinnamon apple, raisin, and chewy toffee, with flashes of cherry and lemon tart for brightness. The finish is long and comforting—think warm fruit pie with oak spice and citrus candy.

It’s priced accordingly, with an SRP of $500, making it a collector’s bottle for serious fans of the distillery.

Bourbon That Gives Back

Beyond the whiskey itself, the National Parks Series is about supporting the places that inspired it. Through its partnerships with park foundations, Wyoming Whiskey has helped fund projects like restoring more than 10 miles of the Teton Crest Trail, supporting wildlife research and habitat restoration, and engaging Indigenous youth in educational programs connected to their ancestral lands.

DeFazio sums it up simply: the parks enrich life in Wyoming, and this series is one way to give something back.

For bourbon lovers, though, there’s another bonus: a glass of National Parks No. 5 delivers a little taste of Wyoming’s wild beauty … no hiking boots required.