Tyrrell Hibbard has his feet in two worlds.
One foot is up in the Boulder Mountains, where he works as a fifth-generation rancher who tends to yearling cattle, grazing them on a parcel of family ranch land as they prepare for a long, unforgiving winter. The other is planted in Helena, which feels like a big city compared to the land he ranches on the Continental Divide. It’s here that Tyrrell explores his creative side as a craft distiller and expert mixologist. Both feet are deeply rooted in Montana.
Tyrrell oversees the family’s Blosberg unit of ranch land, which is just west of Helena. This particular piece of his family’s holdings was acquired by his grandfather in the 1950s, but Sieben Live Stock Company’s main ranch in the mountains of Central Montana has been in the family for more than a hundred years.
“It’s been in the family for quite a long time. We have quite a bit of history here and that legacy means something,” says Tyrrell.
The family’s passion and mission revolves around these cattle. It’s an all-hands-on-deck effort that sees multiple generations involved with the prosperity of the livestock.
“We spend quite a lot of energy keeping the family in tune with what’s going on, making sure everybody’s on the same page vision- and mission-wise for the ranch and the family company as a whole. A part of that too is involving the younger generation — the sixth generation — into ranch operations and what it means to steward [a] landscape like this,” he says.
This is a responsibility that Tyrrell and his family take seriously, because their work directly impacts Montanans.
“We’re raising food,” he says.
Working most directly with the yearlings, it’s Tyrrell’s responsibility to ensure that the young cattle are properly nourished with enough forage to sustain them throughout the season, before temperatures start to dip. The cattle typically only spend 3-4 months on Tyrrell’s unit before they are transferred to the main ranch for the winter.
The task of raising food is not one without its own set of challenges, and the land where Tyrrell grazes cattle is not for the faint of heart. The nature of the landscape is not traditionally favorable for ranching, with high altitude, steep hillsides, a short growing season, unpredictable summer weather patterns and minimal water creating less than ideal conditions for taking care of the yearlings.
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“Mother Nature is not always on the same page that you are, so that requires a lot of adaptability and fortitude.” - Tyrrell
But, much like the land he takes care of, Tyrrell and his family are tough. This rugged landscape runs through their bloodstream, and they work hard to ensure the cattle receive everything they need before they head down the mountain when the summer’s over.
As the days grow shorter and Tyrrell wraps up his time with the young calves, he steps back into work at Gulch Distillers, a Helena mainstay crafting spirits with Montana-grown grains and fruits.
“It’s an agricultural project of a very different sort,” says Tyrrell.
He started his microdistillery with business partner Steffen Rasile about 10 years ago, creating spirits that pay homage to the agricultural nature of his little corner of Montana. From single malt whisky to herbaceous gin, the distillery features the handcrafted spirits in their perfectly curated drink lineup.
They use their tasting room as a venue to not only showcase the spirits and what you can do with them, but also to embrace the art of mixology and create unique craft cocktails that people won’t be able to find anywhere else.
“The purpose is to share the story of Montana and Montana agriculture with a much wider audience than we ever get out here [on the ranch],” he says.
The lifestyle that Tyrrell lives — both as a rancher and a distiller — has its challenges, and it’s not for everyone, but in its close connection with the land, it’s one that he finds to be extremely full.
“It’s such a real way of being, it’s such a rich way of life. It’s certainly not for everybody, but for those that choose it, I think they find a lot of meaning in it, and I certainly do,” says Tyrrell.
Through both his work in the distillery and with the yearling cattle, he’s able to foster the prosperity of the land that has given him everything, and share the fruits of his and his family’s labor with Montanans and visitors alike.
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