Skip to main content

Wyoming Whiskey is releasing a new whiskey for Grizzly 399

Wyoming Whiskey Queen of the Tetons was made for a special reason

Wyoming Whiskey
Wyoming Whiskey

If you read the label for Wyoming Whiskey’s newest expression, you might wonder who the “Queen of the Tetons” is. Well, that’s kind of a sad story as the aforementioned queen wasn’t a member of some mountainous royal family but a beloved bear called Grizzly 399 that was struck and killed by a car near Grand Teton National Park in October. This whiskey was made to pay tribute to the popular Wyoming icon.

You probably saw headlines about the death of Grizzly 399, as it wasn’t just any bear. A well-known bear in the Yellowstone ecosystem for photographers and tourists, she was a towering seven feet tall and weighed over 400 pounds. At the time of her death, she was twenty-eight years old, having raised at least eighteen cubs.

Recommended Videos

Wyoming Whiskey Queen of the Tetons

Wyoming Whiskey
Wyoming Whiskey

According to the brand, this 99-proof straight bourbon whiskey is known for its nose of honey, berries, and cinnamon. The palate is a mix of white chocolate, red fruit, and brown sugar. The finish is lingering and warming and ends with a mix of spicy ginger and toasted vanilla beans.

In remembrance of Grizzly 399, Wyoming Whiskey is donating $20,000 to the Grand Teton National Park Foundation. The funds will support grizzly bear conservation, education, and research programs. The bottle’s label features an image of Grizzly 399 shot by well-known nature photographer Thomas Mangelson.

“Grizzly 399 earned her title as the Queen of the Tetons by placing her 28 years of life on display,” Wyoming Whiskey co-founder David DeFazio said in a press release. “She was shrewd, which resulted in her resilience. And her resilience captivated us all.”

Where can I buy it?

Whiskey glass
Thomas Park / Unsplash

This is a highly limited-edition release. Less than 720 bottles of this exceptional whiskey are available. It can only be purchased at Wyoming Whiskey’s Jackson Barrel House and select retailers in Wyoming for a suggested retail price of $84.99.

Christopher Osburn
Christopher Osburn is a food and drinks writer located in the Finger Lakes Region of New York. He's been writing professional
Rediscover the bourbon smash, summer’s ultimate refreshing whiskey cocktail
It's time to learn all about the Bourbon Smash
Whiskey Smash

When it comes to summer cocktails, many drinkers tend to put down whiskey in favor of vodka, gin, tequila, and rum. That's a shame. There are countless whiskey-based cocktails ideally suited for warm weather, from the classic Whiskey Highball to the Mint Julep and the refreshing, flavorful Bourbon Smash.

Also known as the Whiskey Smash (if you choose to use a whiskey other than bourbon), this popular warm-weather whiskey drink has been around in some form or another since the mid-to-late 1800s.
Bourbon Smash

Read more
Tequila is the spirit of the summer—these cocktails prove it
Learn about the best tequila-based cocktails for the warmer months
Paloma cocktail

In the pantheon of warm-weather spirits, it’s difficult to beat the appeal of tequila. Sure, gin adds a floral flourish to mixed drinks on hot, humid days, and vodka is a nice, neutral backbone for sunny day cocktails, but nothing beats the agave sweetness of a well-made tequila when it’s mixed into a balanced, flavorful summer cocktail.

In my decades of writing about alcohol, I’ve imbibed my fair share of blanco, reposado, and añejo tequila. I’ve enjoyed it in shots with lime and salt, neat and on the rocks, and mixed into a variety of cocktails. Over the years, I’ve learned that no hot summer day is complete without a layered, complex tequila-based mixed drink.
The best tequila-based cocktails to drink this summer

Read more
Kentucky Owl’s new Batch #13 is the final masterpiece from a bourbon legend
Kentucky Owl

Popular whiskey brand Kentucky Owl recently announced the launch of its newest bourbon, Batch #13. It was blended and crafted by former Master Blender John Rhea. What makes the whiskey more unique is that it was the last bourbon blend created by the Kentucky Bourbon Hall of Fame member before his retirement.
Kentucky Owl Batch #13

Batch #13 consists of a blend of five different bourbons. There’s a mix of younger and wheated whiskeys and more mature and higher rye whiskeys. The blend is roughly between eight and nine years old.

Read more