There are bourbon releases, and then there are bourbon releases that actually mean something. Wyoming Whiskey's latest two bottles fall squarely into the second category — and not just because of what's inside them.
The Kirby, Wyoming-based distillery announced the nationwide release of National Parks No. 5 Straight Bourbon Whiskey: A Tribute to the Tetons, along with the debut of a limited-edition expression called Moran. Together, the two releases represent one of the more thoughtfully constructed drops in recent American whiskey history — a combination of serious craft, genuine conservation work, and the kind of Western heritage that doesn't need to be manufactured for marketing purposes.
A Series With Real Roots
For anyone unfamiliar with Wyoming Whiskey's National Parks Series, a little context goes a long way. This is the fifth release in an annual, limited-edition lineup that has, since its inception, put real money behind the parks it honors. Previous bottles paid tribute to Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Acadia National Parks, with donations going to each park's respective philanthropic partner. The fifth release brings Grand Teton back into focus, this time through a partnership once again with the Grand Teton National Park Foundation.
Image credit: Wyoming Whiskey
The results of that partnership are tangible. Funds generated through the series have helped restore more than 10 miles of the Teton Crest Trail, enabled more than 250 volunteers to log over 17,000 hours in resource stewardship and visitor education, engaged more than 350 Indigenous youth in the park, deepening their connections to ancestral lands, and advanced critical natural resource restoration and wildlife research projects across Grand Teton's iconic landscapes.
Wyoming Whiskey co-founder David DeFazio has been upfront about what drives this commitment. "For those of you who've been following Wyoming Whiskey over the years, you're aware of our ongoing commitment to the preservation of wide-open spaces," DeFazio said in a news release. "The cornerstone of our commitment is the support of our National Parks. Over the last four years, we have made donations to Yellowstone Forever, the Grand Teton National Park Foundation, and Friends of Acadia, the philanthropic partners of each Park. With National Parks No. 5, we feature Grand Teton with a historic image by Thomas Moran titled The Three Tetons. This straight bourbon whiskey is five years old, bottled at 96 proof, and I must say hitting all the right notes with the flavor profile."
Image credit: Wyoming Whiskey
That's not the language of a brand slapping a national park logo on a bottle to move product. The Mead family — whose ranching tradition in Wyoming stretches back to 1890 when Peter Hansen homesteaded in Jackson Hole — has been woven into the fabric of this landscape for generations. In 1996, Brad and Kate Mead took over the family ranch and eventually expanded into Kirby, where the distillery now stands. In 2006, Brad and Kate, alongside DeFazio, founded Wyoming Whiskey with the stated goal of crafting America's next great bourbon right there in Wyoming. When DeFazio says the company was born in the shadow of the Tetons, he means it literally.
"Like most businesses in western Wyoming, we benefit greatly from the Parks and the economy that they create," DeFazio said. "And for me personally, the Parks enhance my life in countless ways. Our National Parks Series honors the Parks and generates funds that allow us to give back financially to them. With National Parks No. 5, we feature the Tetons. Our company was born in the shadow of these mountains. Literally. And the Mead family has a rich history woven into the creation of the Park. As a result, this release is personal to us. Obtaining a bottle of NP5 not only financially benefits Grand Teton National Park, but delivers a taste of Wyoming in every glass. I hope you like it."
What's In the Bottle
National Parks No. 5 is a 5-year-old straight bourbon bottled at 96 proof. Every ingredient is locally sourced, and the whiskey spends its aging years in hand-selected barrels exposed to the kind of extreme temperature swings that the Big Horn Basin is known for — brutal winters, blazing summers, and everything in between. That climate cycling does something to whiskey that a controlled warehouse simply cannot replicate. It pushes the spirit deeper into the wood and pulls it back out again, season after season, building layers that younger or more gently aged bourbons just don't have.
Image credit: Wyoming Whiskey
On the nose, the whiskey opens with baked honey crullers, cinnamon sugar, white icing, and hints of baked orange and almond — a welcoming, dessert-forward profile that draws you in without feeling syrupy or artificial. The palate moves through almond and cherry liqueur, honeyed sweetness, and a hint of vanilla whip. The finish brings warmth in the form of cinnamon spice, rich espresso, creamy milk chocolate, and a subtle touch of leather. It's a well-rounded pour that manages to be both approachable and interesting — a combination that's harder to pull off than it sounds.
At $74.99 with complimentary nationwide shipping through Wyoming Whiskey's website, it sits at a price point that feels appropriate for what it delivers, especially considering that the purchase directly supports Grand Teton National Park.
The Label Is Worth a Closer Look
Every bottle of National Parks No. 5 carries a reproduction of The Three Tetons, an 1895 oil painting by British-American artist Thomas Moran. Moran was one of the defining painters of the American West, and this particular work captures the Grand Teton Range as few images ever have — snow-covered peaks in the distance, a hazy blue sky broken by wisps of light-filled clouds, a glimmering stream in the foreground, and the dark vertical lines of tall pine trees framing the whole scene. It's the kind of painting that makes a person want to go somewhere.
Image credit: Wyoming Whiskey
The original canvas is now part of the White House art collection and has hung in the Oval Office across multiple presidencies. Having that image on a bourbon bottle is not a gimmick. It's a genuinely significant piece of American art, and it fits the bottle it's on.
Enter Moran
If National Parks No. 5 is the accessible anchor of this release, Moran is the centerpiece. Wyoming Whiskey introduced the expression as a limited-edition 10-year-old bourbon, bottled at 110 proof, with an SRP of $500. It honors two things simultaneously: Thomas Moran the artist, whose landscape paintings played a documented role in inspiring conservation efforts across the American West, and Mt. Moran, the 12,610-foot peak that dominates the northern end of the Teton Range and rises dramatically above Jackson Lake.
Image credit: Wyoming Whiskey
The label carries an image of Mt. Moran — its profile as it lifts above Jackson Lake is one of the more recognizable silhouettes in the American West, distinct from the main Teton peaks that most people picture when they think of Wyoming.
The tasting notes for Moran read like a trail that keeps changing on you in the best possible way. The nose opens with soft waves of red fruits, backed by creamy white chocolate and a subtle mineral note that reportedly evokes the rugged stone of the mountain itself. Hints of stone fruit add a lighter brightness that keeps it from feeling heavy.
On the palate, things get more complex. Vibrant notes of baked citrus peel and rich blackberry jam come through alongside creamy warmth, while other layers reveal cinnamon apple, raisin, and chewy toffee. Cherry and lemon tart add a bright contrast that keeps the sweetness honest. The finish is long — described as reminiscent of a warm slice of fruit pie — with oak spice and zesty citrus candy rounding things out.
At 10 years old and 110 proof, this is a bourbon that was built to be sat with. It's not something to rush through, and it wasn't designed to be. Much like the mountain it's named after, it rewards patience and attention.
The Company Behind the Bottles
Wyoming Whiskey bills itself as Wyoming's first legal distillery, and its identity is tied up in that distinction in a way that feels genuine rather than promotional. The operation is based in Kirby, which is not exactly a major destination on anyone's travel itinerary — it's a small town in the Big Horn Basin, and that remoteness is part of what shapes the product. The whiskey is made from local non-GMO grains, water pulled from deep limestone aquifers, and aged through five Wyoming summers in the extreme climate of the Basin.
That combination — place, process, and the people who've lived there for generations — is what separates Wyoming Whiskey from a lot of what's currently flooding the bourbon market. It's not a lifestyle brand that built backward from a label design. It's a distillery that started with a family, a landscape, and a genuine intention to make something worth drinking.
Where to Get Them
National Parks No. 5 is available now at select retailers across the country and can be ordered directly through Wyoming Whiskey's website with complimentary nationwide shipping. At $74.99, it's a reasonable ask for a thoughtfully made, 5-year straight bourbon with a conservation story behind it that actually holds up to scrutiny.
Moran is a different situation. It became available at select Wyoming retailers in late February 2026, with broader national availability — both in stores and online — expected in the spring of 2026. At $500, it's going to find a specific kind of buyer: someone who appreciates what a decade of Wyoming aging does to a high-proof bourbon, and who understands they're also acquiring a small piece of something that connects American art, American wilderness, and American whiskey in a way that rarely comes together this cleanly.
Both bottles are the kind of thing worth knowing about — one to open and enjoy this season, and one to track down before it disappears entirely.
