Alpine Distilling earns first gold medal in Park City green program

Alpine Distilling became the first business to earn a gold medal in the Park City Green Business Program, a milestone that gives the distillery a new local bragging right and puts a measurable benchmark on sustainability in Summit County’s business market.

The program awards bronze, silver and gold certifications to businesses in Park City and Summit County, tying those tiers to local net-zero carbon and zero waste goals. In practice, that turns environmental performance into a business asset: certified companies can gain visibility in the Park City Chamber and Visitors Bureau directory, recognition from city and county leaders, entry into the Green Business Network and consideration for Green Business of the Year honors.

For Alpine, the medal reflects work built into the facility itself. The distillery says its production plant was designed around low-pressure steam systems, heat recovery technology, LED lighting and natural barrel-aging methods. Its boiler uses a heat-recovery loop that captures energy from returning steam for hot water used in cleaning and general use, and Alpine says that system saves 25% to 40% compared with a separate secondary hot-water setup.

That kind of efficiency matters beyond optics. Lower energy use can trim operating costs over time, while waste-reduction measures can make a small production business more resilient in a resort market where customers increasingly expect sustainability as part of the brand. Alpine says one still can run about 85 gallons in roughly 90 minutes using the same boiler and steam system, and the company expects to lower electricity use to 6 kilowatt-hours per gallon by the end of 2026 as its botanical spirits and vodka business shifts.

The distillery’s green-business profile also shows a broader operational playbook. Alpine said it sent spent grains to Wasatch Recovery, which turns compost into methane for renewable energy, and retrofitted buildings with low-flush toilets, faucet aerators and a water-reuse system. Those changes give the gold medal substance and help explain why the program’s first top-tier award went to a company with a long paper trail of efficiency upgrades.

Alpine’s recognition also follows several years of public awards, including the Green Business Innovation Award from Utah Business and Rocky Mountain Power in 2024, Recycle Utah’s Business of the Year award in 2022 and Utah Green Business Awards in 2021 and 2024. Recycle Utah says the green business effort was built with Summit County, Park City Municipal, Park City Community Foundation and the Park City Chamber of Commerce and Visitor’s Bureau, a sign that the region is trying to make sustainability part of its economic identity, not just its civic image.

For other Park City businesses, Alpine now sets the standard. In a town where tourism, hospitality and premium branding shape competition, the first gold medal says the next advantage may come from proving environmental performance as clearly as price, service or location.