Today we’d like to introduce you to Brendan Coyle.
Hi Brendan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I started my career in the brewing industry in Salt Lake City and quickly fell in love with both the science and the art of fermentation. That passion took me to Edinburgh, Scotland, where I earned a master’s degree in Brewing and Distilling Sciences. After returning to Utah, I joined High West Distillery on day one as Master Distiller. In 2016, the company was acquired by Constellation Brands, and I eventually became Vice President and Master Distiller for their global spirits portfolio.
I’m deeply grateful for those years — the scale, the mentorship, the brands we built. But over time, I realized I wasn’t finished building something from the ground up.
Creating a cidery that connects the raw ingredient to the final glass, in a place I genuinely love, had been on my mind for years. My wife, Carly, felt the same way, so we began planning. In 2019, we had the opportunity to purchase a 20-acre property in Kamas — the right setting for an orchard, production facility, and tasting room. The first few years were spent learning the agricultural side of the business and refining the blend for our debut cider, Dry Cut, which we launched in July 2025.
Dendric Estate is the culmination of everything I’ve learned — but also a return to something more personal and place-driven.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No journey worth taking is a smooth road. If it is, you’re probably not pushing the limits hard enough.
Finding the right property took time. We knew exactly what we were looking for — elevation, exposure, water, space for both agriculture and hospitality — and we were willing to wait until it felt right. When the 20-acre property came along, it checked every box, but that was really just the beginning.
At 6,500 feet, with warm summers and long, deep winters, growing apples is very different than in traditional cider regions. We trialed over 40 different apple varietals to see what would truly thrive in our environment. Some struggled, some surprised us, and ultimately we’ve selected five or six that thrive in our climate and require minimal input from us. Those varietals will form the backbone of the orchard as we continue planting.
Agriculture, as with entrepreneurship, takes a lot of patience and grit. You can’t rush it. You adapt, observe, and adjust – season after season.
As you know, we’re big fans of Dendric Estate. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
We produce dry mountain ciders. Our debut cider, Dry Cut, is a dry, wine-style sparkling cider crafted to be paired with food and versatile in cocktails. We approach cider the way a winery approaches sparkling wine, with hands-on intention from fermentation through bottling. Dendric Estate is a full-production cidery operating at 6,400 feet in the mountains of Utah, where we manage every stage from orchard to glass. Our agriculture is organic with a strong focus on water conservation and reuse within the Weber River Basin. By controlling the full process, we’re able to shape both the quality of the cider and the impact we have on the land.
We are breaking ground soon on a tasting room that will invite people to experience our cider and agriculture in a unique setting. We are launching a direct-to-consumer e-commerce program soon that will allow customers to purchase from our website and have it delivered directly to their door in select states.
How do you define success?
Dendric Estate produces dry mountain ciders, beginning with our debut release, Dry Cut – a dry, wine-style sparkling cider crafted for pairing with food, and versatile enough to use in sparkling cocktails. We focus exclusively on wine-style ciders, approaching them with the same discipline and patience as fine sparkling wine.
In the U.S., cider has largely evolved as a beer alternative: fast-fermented, often sweetened, and packaged like a beer. That isn’t our path. We use traditional winemaking methods, including mixed-culture fermentation, malolactic secondary fermentation, extended aging, and natural carbonation with Champagne yeast – a process that takes nearly a full year from branch to bottle.
We operate at 6,400 feet in the mountains of Utah and manage every step from orchard to glass. Our agriculture is organic, with a strong emphasis on water conservation and reuse within the Weber River Basin. By controlling the entire life of the product, we shape both the quality of the cider and our long-term impact on the land.
We’re breaking ground on a tasting room that will allow guests to experience the orchard and cider together, and we’re launching direct-to-consumer shipping so customers in select states can have our cider delivered to their door.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.dendricestate.com
- Instagram: @dendricestate
