Dented Brick® Distillery
Celebrating 10 Years in 2026
Flying Under the Radar
In 2026, Dented Brick® Distillery proudly celebrates a decade of craft, grit, and growth -10 years since we first opened our doors in Salt Lake City. From day one, our mission has been simple: create exceptional spirits without compromise. At the heart of everything we do is the one ingredient that truly sets us apart: our proprietary artesian well water. Water isn’t just part of the process – it is the process. Ours flows clean and pure from Rocky Mountain snowmelt, naturally filtered, chemical-free, and bacteria-free. It’s the perfect foundation for crafting spirits that are as smooth as they are distinctive. The idea for Dented Brick® began with a simple piece of advice I heard years ago from an old Kentucky moonshiner:
“It starts with the water.”
That advice shaped everything. It guided the search for the perfect location, the design of our distillery, and the commitment to doing things the right way – every time.
Ten years later, that philosophy still drives us. And we’re just getting started.
Water is the Most Important Ingredient
To build a world class distillery in Utah, we needed a property with accress to the best water available. Our search led us to what felt like a gift from heaven – and mother nature: a property with an artesian well. The water flows clean and pure from the snowmelt of the Rocky Mountains providing the perfect foundation for our spirits. We later discovered that this land once belonged to the Utah pioneer distillery Hugh Moon. This historic connection semed like fate.
The snowmelt runoff from the Rocky Mountains flows gently through the earth to our artesian well, naturally shedding impurities and gathering the minerals that give our spirits their unique and unparalleled flavor. This year’s snow is next year’s whiskey!
Our Inspiration
Like Kentucky, Utah boasts a rich distilling heritage. One of its early pioneers was Hugh Moon, whose family were the first overseas converts to Mormonism. They emigrated from Liverpool, England, in 1840 and settled in Utah. According to Moon’s handwritten journal, he began distilling whiskey in Salt Lake City to meet local demand. His whiskey business was so successful that he and his brother purchased an entire city block, where they built their family homes. Other notable early Utah distillers included L.W. Hardy and George Baddley.
In a remarkable twist of history, we discovered that Hugh Moon once owned the very land where Dented Brick® Distillery now stands. Purchased in 1856 with proceeds from his distilling enterprise, Moon’s farm produced sugar cane, rye, and other grains for his whiskey, continuing Utah’s deep-rooted tradition of craft spirits—a tradition we proudly carry forward today.
What's in the Name ?
Dented Brick® Distillery takes its name from the fascinating history of the land it occupies. The property’s artesian well was originally discovered by a skilled water witcher, whose son—an accomplished well driller—was tragically killed in a dramatic gunfight on the site. The shootout left bullet dents in the bricks of his home. When building the distillery, we incorporated some of these original “dented bricks” into the construction, giving rise to the name Dented Brick®.