WILL YOUNG
Head Distiller/ Owner
Having lived all around the US, Will moved to the Bitterroot Valley as soon as he could. He still loves to hike the canyons and fish the rivers that he first experienced during his summer vacations as a kid. Will is excited to bring a distillery and craft cocktail bar to Hamilton and hopes to express his love of the valley through every bottle.
HILLARY SARGENT
Mixologist
Hillary is a holistic nutritionist and herbalist, reconnecting folks with nature through herbal skincare, bitters, teas, and food. Hillary is a mom, wife, owner of Two Poppies Apothecary, and former world traveller. She has moved a lot and has played many roles…ski patroller, horseback guide, concierge, house manager, cleaning lady, just to name a few. In her free time you can find her with basket in hand and child on her back in search of ripe plant life, in the kitchen coming up with something hopefully good, or nose deep in a new course of study. She loves the kindness of the people in the Bitterroot and is happy to be a part of creating the tastes of Westslope Distillery.
CHRIS LOPEZ
Mixologist
Born and raised in the beautiful central coast of California, Chris came to Hamilton, summer of 2016 to visit his sister for a two week vacation and decided to make the bitterroot valley his new home.
With 30 plus years in the food and beverage industry, Chris has made his way to Westlope Distillery where he takes pride in serving local spirits and making handcrafted cocktails for the Hamilton community.
Kathie Messer
Assistant Distiller
After many years of service as a pharmacist and recently retired, Kathie is looking forward to something new (entirely new!). She is excited to help provide fine spirits for all to savor in the beautiful tasting room of Westslope Distillery. She is especially eager to learn the nuances of distilling and to put her Chemistry and Microbiology background “back to work”. Kathie enjoys living and playing in the Bitterroot Valley (especially golfing, sadly resulting in a less tended garden), hiking, cooking and traveling (aka golf trips) with her husband Ron in their Sprinter van.
Milan House
Distilling Apprentice
Milan House, a Montana Native and versatile keyboardist, is equally comfortable playing in an elegant jazz club as he is backing up a country band at a rodeo. A graduate of the University of Montana with a degree in Jazz Studies, Milan has performed with a variety of top musicians and is the pianist in local bands Joan Zen and CORK & SPARK. Milan is thrilled to be working with Kathie and Will to make Westslope Distillery's unique spirits. He's a lover of the great outdoors of Montana enjoying skiing, hiking, and fishing.