Highlander Beer Flat Top Can

Missoula's Highlander Flat Top

The Highlander Beer Flat Top Can was produced by the Missoula Brewing Company (also known during certain eras under the Sick's enterprise) in Missoula, Montana. As one of the flagship regional products of the Big Sky State, this can holds a storied place in mid-century American brewing history.

Background and Cultural Heritage

The Highlander brand traces its lineage back to 1910, when brewery founder Joseph Wagner obtained official permission from the New York Highlanders baseball team (shortly before their renaming to the Yankees) to use the moniker. The brand became a regional staple, achieving widespread cultural fame after being featured in Norman Maclean’s acclaimed novella A River Runs Through It, which describes anglers cooling cans of Highlander directly in the waters of the Blackfoot River.

Label Design and Variations

The can features the prominent Highlander script logo and the brewery's classic advertising slogan, "None Finer - Anywhere".

Rather than a single static design, collectors track several notable production variations across its history. Earlier issues include the mandatory Internal Revenue Tax Paid (IRTP) statement, while post-tax-law editions omit the phrasing. Label finishes also vary, with examples printed in flat enamel colors as well as metallic finishes. Additional variations appear in subtle typography shadowing and manufacturer stamps from both Continental Can Company and the American Can Company.

Following the Missoula brewery's closure in the 1960s, these flat tops stand as quintessential artifacts of independent Montana brewing.