Montanya Distillers' rum was named one of 10 BEST American Craft RUMS by The Spirits Business Magazine on June 16th, 2014.
Click HERE to visit the original article.
FREE THE HONEY - June 13th (EP RELEASE PARTY!) and July 2nd, 6-9pm
Three part harmonies, interchanging instruments with guitar, mandolin, fiddle, bass, etc.
Incredibly TALENTED Trio! Traditional original Honeygrass.
Free The Honey in the Studio 2014
Free The Honey
TYLER HANSEN AND STEPHANIE STEPHENSON,
June 26th and July 3rd, 6-9PM
Guitar, harmonies, original alternative
Tyler Hanson
KATHERINE TAYLOR, Friday July 11th 6-9pm
Acoustic and original bluegrass and traditional music on guitar and vocals.
Katherine Taylor
http://m.powdermag.com/stories/crested-butte-best-ski-town-north-america/
And here are some photos of our new space.
212 Elk Ave in Crested Butte
Okay, we promise, we are not moving buildings for at least another 5 years! But when you see it, you will understand why it was worth the huge project we just undertook. :)
The new Distillery and Tasting Room at 212 Elk Avenue is a truly spectacular space. Here are just a few of its attributes that we love and did not have in the Powerhouse: concrete floors, sprinklers, a crawl space that you might want to live in (one electrician: "you could rent that out to a bunch of ski bums and they would love it!"), Cat5 wired in the walls, an alley, trash and recycling dumpsters out back, windows that get clean when you wash them, insulation, hood systems with warmed makeup air, a fire alarm system that sends you a text message, plumbing from this millennium...the list goes on and on and on. We even have a children's play nook with toys, books and stuffies. It just works. Come check it all out!
We have a new giftstore with tons of cool merchandise like new t-shirts, glassware, flasks, recipe books, bar tools, some of our most popular cocktail housemade ingredients for sale, fancy tonic, ginger beer and other mixers, and more for all your holiday shopping pleasure. You can even custom design a gift basket.
Our new menu features new cocktails (Vesta's Brew, Rum Old Fashioned, The Hot Toddy Shot) and new appetizers (Crab Tostada, Tacos El Pastor, Polenta Red Pepper Stackers, Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers).
We are still open 7 days a week, 11am to last call at 9pm. The stills are not quite fired up yet, hopefully before Christmas. Photos of the Distilling area coming soon. Happy Holidays!!!
Montanya Distillers is excited to announce that we are moving our distillery and tasting room 1/2 a block down the road in Crested Butte. 212 Elk Avenue.
We have managed to score ourselves one of the coolest buildings in Crested Butte. We know that everyone thought our last building was very cool, and so did we. But for a long laundry list of reasons, including our long term growth interests, it doesn't make sense for us to stay there. Mainly, we discovered that this was a building we could never own (too expensive to buy, renovate and maintain) and because it is 150 years old, we dealt with a lot of little challenges daily. Plus the rent was going up steeply (20% with each renewal). It was a fabulous two year run there, but we found ourselves ready for newer construction with all the benefits it brings.
We will continue to have our bays in Riverland, 2 miles down the road, for aging, bottling, shipping and receiving, and we have secured the option to expand into the bay next door when it is time. When we need to expand our distilling operation and add stills, we will do it in Riverland.
The new location can't be beat. We are moving ourselves onto the downtown core block in Crested Butte. The building is a perfect size, with gorgeous indoor and outdoor seating for our tasting room as well as a beautiful bar. It has tons of light streaming in. As the distillers among us will appreciate, it has a high tech fire suppression system, floor drains, concrete floors, an alley behind for truck access, and space on site for a dumpster (none of which we had at 130 Elk Avenue.) This building is also an architectural marvel (we seem to gravitate toward those) by CB architect Andrew Hadley with beautiful exposed beams and high ceilings. :)
We could say so much more, but pictures speak louder. Please visit the blog link above to get a very quick glimpse. The scale is hard to capture with a phone. :) Our lease doesn't start until November 15th, so it doesn't look like Montanya yet - our photographer will come in as soon as it is ready and we will share more photos. We are currently closed to the public and moving out of the Powerhouse by Oct 31st. We ramped up distilling for a period of time in advance of our move to assure that this month of transition won't cause us to get behind on production. We plan to reopen to the public in early December. Meanwhile, our rums are available in Crested Butte at Mountain Spirits, Acme Liquors, The Last Steep, The Wooden Nickel, The Ginger Cafe, The West Side Bistro, and many more local haunts in CB and Gunnison as well. There is a list on our website of all of our retail locations in the state of Colorado, and our distribution info nationwide.
Feel free to spread the word. We will undoubtedly overlook letting many people know directly, and for that we apologize in advance.
We seem to be no stranger to moving our faciities as we change and grow. We need to be nimble and for now, that means packing up and moving when the need arises. On October 19th, we will serve up our last cocktails and distill our last batch of rum at the Powerhouse, our current Tasting Room and Distilling space in downtown Crested Butte. We will be closed for a brief time while we move and until we can reopen in our NEW SPACE! We will announce all of the cool details of our destination building here in Crested Butte (we are NOT leaving town, promise) in the next week. Don't worry! Meanwhile, stay tuned!
Click on the covers to open the articles in PDF format, or visit our media page!
Shawn James and the ShapeshiftersJULY HIGHLIGHTS!!!!!
SHAWN JAMES AND THE SHAPESHIFTERS - July 26th & 27th
We are so excited and honored to have Shawn James back with his full 4 man band from Fayetteville, AK on July 26 & 27 for a two night gig at Montanya from 6-9 pm. If you make room for only one thing on your July calendar, let it be this. He reminds me of Greg Brown or Tom Waites yet with a much bigger sound. These guys simply ooze talent and we will one day say we knew them when...before it all went big. Check out www.shawnjamesmusic.com to watch videos and learn more.
MARK BERENSON - July 13
Mark is a talented guitarist and singer on 12 string, 6 string, and baritone guitar. He brings us a combination of folk, traditionals, blues, and bluegrass. www.markberensonmusic.com
ERIN AND THE PROJECT - July 20 & 21
Erin and the Project
Featuring the dyadic cyclone that is Erin Ezekiel (vocals/keys), and Paul Ezekiel (drums/percussion), Erin & The Project creates a hypnotic sound. A blend of soul, blues, jazz, r&b, and rock genres forming a category referred to as “soul-ternative”. They compile lyrics that peer into positive thinking and retrospectives, while integrating soulful vocals, melodic piano, and strong rhythms throughout. http://www.reverbnation.com/erinandtheproject
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 8, 2013
Montanya Distillers of Crested Butte, Colorado was named 2013 Craft Distiller of the Year at the 10th Anniversary Conference of the American Distilling Institute, which concluded its four day conference last week in Denver. The conference boasted record-breaking attendance by over 900 people from all over the USA, representing 200+ current American distilleries and a number of hopeful start-ups.
This award, called the “Bubble Cap Award”, is presented to one American distilling company that most exemplifies the values of the Institute and its distiller training programs - excellence in process and products, transparency regarding methods, overall authenticity of approach, and promising company growth. Montanya Distillers is the second Colorado craft Distillery to receive the award, and the first woman-owned company ever to be honored.
Montanya Distillers President Karen Hoskin says, “This award was a great honor for us because it was conferred among our peers in the industry. We still think of ourselves as very young and inexperienced, as students rather than teachers of the trade. We have so much to learn. But this year at ADI, we found ourselves transitioning into a new role as an older, more experienced Distillery. I hope we can live up to it!” Montanya’s Oro rum also received a silver medal at the conference, the highest medal awarded in its category.
Montanya Distillers expanded its distribution into six new markets in 2012 and early 2013 - Texas, Nevada, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana and Kansas. This brings the availability of their Oro and Platino rums to 38 US states, including California, Arizona, and Massachusetts. Montanya is also newly shipping its rums to Europe and other overseas markets.
"There is no question that one of the things that makes Montanya Distillers unique is the presence of women working at all levels of the company. It is not just me,” says President and company founder Karen Hoskin, “its our female employees making fermentations, driving pallets on the forklift, distilling rum, bottling rum, creating fun national events, running payroll, and defining the company. That is kind of new in this industry...and fresh...and fun. It makes us look really different from our peers, both in design and in execution. And as we know, being unique and having a fresh story is a big part of growing a brand."
Montanya Distillers in Crested Butte (home of Crested Butte Mountain Resort ski area) is open to the public daily year round for distillery tours, tastings, cocktails, and appetizers from 11am to last call at 9pm. They produce their rums on site from scratch on two Portugese Alembic copper pot stills and offer daily tours. For more information, visit montanyarum.com or call Karen Hoskin, Owner and President at 970-799-3206 ext 1. For ADI, visit distilling.com or contact Virginia Miller at virginia@distilling.com.
Assistant Distiller Jacqueline Mearman readying the stills for the day’s run.
There is nothing quite like drinking a beautiful rum cocktail after a long day of adventuring on snow next to a warm still with excellent live music serenading you. That is what Montanya Distillers has in store for you this March. Join us for an exceptional apres ski line up of talented musicians this month.
ALL shows are 5-8pm unless otherwise noted, free and open to all ages. For more information, visit our venue page on REVERBNATION.
Lizzy Plotkin of The New FolkFeb 8th: The New Folk (Authentic Folk, Celtic, 3-part Harmony)February 10th: Empty Bottle Blues Band 6:30pm-9pm (Blues)
February 15th: Bruce Hayes (Celtgrass, Americana, Folk, R&B)
February 16th and 17th: Johnny Kongo Allstar Show (Americana, Country, Rockabilly, Roots) 6-9pm
February 22nd: Slanted Jack (Funk, Experimental, Progressive Rock)
February 23rd: Tony Rosario (Americana, Blues)
March 1st: Erin and the Project (Alternative)
March 6th: Shawn James from Fayetteville, Arkansas (Blues/Soul)
March 16th: The Red Lady Ball Goes Moulin Rouge at Montanya!!! Gypsy Jazz Social Club, Aerial Dancers, Stilt Walkers, Dancers. Benefit for HCCA. Tickets available in advance from HCCA.
March 22nd and 23rd: Project Groove with Miss Emily (Jazz, Blues, R&B)
Miss Emily
Aerial Dancers of the Crested Butte Dance Collective will be at The Red Lady Ball!
Shawn James 
Johnny Kongo Allstar Show
DESCRIPTIONS
February 15th: BRUCE HAYES (Celtgrass, Americana, Folk, R&B)
Description: Bruce Hayes is a one man maniac band. He plays Rhythm & Celtgrass music, a fusion of musical styles that combines acoustic and electric instrumentation with elements of Rock, Bluegrass, Celtic, and R&B music. Collaborating with The String Cheese Incident and Acoustic Junction, Hayes helped define the acoustic jam band sound. He continues this tradition performing original songs and arrangements on Mandolin, Guitar, Dobro, foot board and his latest creation, the Stratobassto.
February 16th and 17th: JOHNNY KONGO ALLSTAR SHOW (Americana, Country, Rockabilly, Roots) 6-9pm
Description: Johnny Kongo is the singer songwriter, frontman and Standing Bass player for the Johnny Kongo Allstar Show, a trip of talented Roots, Rockabilly and Country musicians of Johnny's choosing. They never fail to rouse the house and keep the energy high.
February 23rd: TONY ROSARIO (Americana, Blues)
Description: Tony Rosario’s career of over 25 years in the music industry includes stints working and recording with platinum-selling group Firefall and with Chuck Pyle, Polygram Records, MCA/Crosswind Publishing, Reel One Publishing, and recording artist Michael Johnson. He is highly acclaimed as a blues multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, recording artist, performer, producer, and teacher. He has appeared in concert with such artists as Gov't Mule, John Cowan, Shawn Colvin, Richie Furay, Robert Earl Keen, Guy Clark, New Grass Revival, and Delbert McClinton. "I've wandered a bit. My old guitar has been my constant companion and confidante for as long as I can remember. Old ghosts live inside her wooden shell and when the night is right she sings to me and whispers great tales of love and loss - of heroes and friends. Like a warm breeze I will roll your way from time to time with a new story from an old confidante. This train has no destination , it's just meant to roll.
March 1st: ERIN AND THE PROJECT (Alternative)
Description: Featuring the dyadic cyclone that is Erin Ezekiel (vocals/keys) and Paul Ezekiel (drums/percussion), Erin & The Project creates a hypnotic indie/soul-ternative sound, fulfilling a genre all its own, with their sound being described as refreshing, inspiring, and soulful by listeners worldwide. They compile lyrics that dive into positive consciousness and mysticism, while integrating soulful vocals, melodic piano, and strong rhythms throughout. After great success with the release of their debut, self-titled album, they caught the attention of world renowned engineer/mixer, Oz Fritz (Grammy Award winner: Tom Waits “Mule Variations”), who produced their most recent album release, "Birthday".
March 6th: SHAWN JAMES from Fayetteville, Arkansas (Blues/Soul)
Description: Born in 1986 in the south side of Chicago, Shawn James had a hardworking, kind mother and a gambling, abusive, drunk father. He grew up singing in church and was drawn to the emotional and ethereal power that music has over people. It was there that he found his escape and learned how to harness his unique, soulful voice. Shawn now lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas playing a raw, haunting mix of Blues, Folk, and Soul music and is on tour from Fayetteville, Arkansas promoting his new album The Wolf.
March 16th: THE RED LADY BALL Goes Moulin Rouge at Montanya!!! Gypsy Jazz Social Club, Aerial Dancers, Stilt Walkers, Dancers. Benefit for HCCA. Tickets available in advance from HCCA.
March 22nd and 23rd: PROJECT GROOVE WITH MISS EMILY (Jazz, Blues, R&B)
Description: Miss Emily is a little bit of everything. She got her start in church and has studied classically to develop into a versatile, passionate performer in the traditions of Etta James, Aretha Franklin, and Ella Fitzgerald. Miss Em does it all, but her first love is funk and soul.
DISTILLING, WEBSITE ADDITIONS, BOTTLING, and MUSIC!
It has been an exciting year at Montanya Distillers. Not only did we grow 58.5% overall in 2012, but we also managed to put away more Oro and Platino rum than ever before into aging stock. We began a Montanya Añejo rum which will be longer-aged than any rum we have aged/bottled before. We are not sure when it will be ready, but we'll let everyone know if and when we plan to bottle it.
We continue to enhance our distilling process for efficiency and quality. Most recently, Brice Hoskin created a new heat exchange process by which we are able to use the spent wash from our stills to warm our fresh fermentations prior to distillation. This means we use less heat to reach the temperatures needed to distill. If you have visited our distillery, you will also have noticed the extent to which our stills, which run 6 days a week, provide heat for our Tasting Room and fermenters. Just another way we are preserving natural resources every day at Montanya by capturing the heat in our process.
We have added two new webpages to our website: "BOOKING MONTANYA" is about how to reserve Montanya's Tasting Room and Distillery for special events, music, fundraisers, etc. We get a ton of requests for weddings and private parties, and this page helps to clarify what kinds of events are well suited to our space (and which are not). The "UPCOMING EVENTS" page is about our 2013 national events schedule. Check out where Karen and staff will be this year and what cool events we will be participating in here in CB and around the USA.
We continue to pull in wonderful community members to help us on our bottling line! Most recently, we have welcomed our friends Michael and Jen Brody of the Crested Butte Film Festival. Not only are they a total blast, but they are fantastic help too!
We have a lot of great apres ski music coming up at Montanya in CB in February and March! The New Folk, Johnny Kongo Allstar Show, The Empty Bottle Blues Band, Bruce Hayes, Tony Rosario and more! We'll keep you posted on Facebook and on tis blog as the final schedule comes together. Join us!
2012 was a great year for the media finding Montanya Distillers and telling our story - from cocktails to rum distilling to our fantastic historic building.
In our ongoing efforts to keep you updated about where to find Montanya Rums around the United States, we keep adding info to the Distribution page of our website. We have recently added two 8 page PDF forms which list all of the liquor stores, bars and restaurants in Colorado that carry Montanya rums. This was updated 1/10/13 since we get so many requests by email. We welcome your inquiries and are happy to help you track down a bottle. If we have distribution in your state, your liquor store can contact our distributor through a sales rep and place an order.
The next several weeks will bring a ton of great Apres Ski music to Montanya Distillers' Tasting Room in Crested Butte. After you have sampled the incredible powder or partaken of a perfect backcountry day, come on over for a rum cocktail (hot, cold, strong, you name it, we make it!) and a bit of great music. You can have a listen at their website links below.
HERE IS THE LINEUP IN ORDER OF APPEARANCE:
LACEY BLACK: DECEMBER 20th from 5-8pm
Lacey hails from Durango, Colorado and is a solo performer/pianist/singer/songwriter who can play just about every instrument she picks up and enjoys most genres of music from ragtime to folk. She is one of the most sought-after pianists in the southwest.
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JOHNNY KONGO ALLSTAR SHOW DECEMBER 23rd from 5-8pm
Johnny Kongo has 12+ years of performing and playing experience, and he rolls thick when it comes to bass. Either up-right or electric, expect the fat tone and energy only achieved by those that truly love the instrument. Kongo has started The Johnny Kongo All-Star Show (J*K ASS), focusing on Roots, Rock, and Honky-Tonk with contemporary sounds while still holding the value and energy of roots styles. JKASS guest stars musicians of different styles and genres from around the Denver music scene; Working to unite the many flavors and tastes of Colorado's diverse music platform. The first appearance of JKASS was for the Crested Butte Avalanche Center fundraiser this month and we loved them so much we invited them back!
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BRUCE HAYES DECEMBER 28th from 5-8pm
Bruce plays Rhythm & Celtgrass music, a fusion of musical styles that combines acoustic and electric instrumentation with elements of Rock, Bluegrass, Celtic, and R&B music. Collaborating with The String Cheese Incident and Acoustic Junction, Hayes helped define the acoustic jam band sound. He continues this tradition performing original songs and arrangements on Mandolin, Guitar, Dobro, foot board and his latest creation, the Stratobassto.
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MARK BERENSON DECEMBER 29th from 5-8pm
Mark comes to CB from Grand Junction for this performance. He plays 6 string and 12 string guitar, along with a number of other sytles of guitar, and sings original as well as popular songs from the Folk, Traditional, Blues and Ragtime genres. He is an experienced performer.
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TONY ROSARIO December 31st from 5-9pm
"I've wandered a bit. My old guitar has been my constant companion and confidante for as long as I can remember. Old ghosts live inside her wooden shell and when the night is right she sings to me and whispers great tales of love and loss - of heroes and friends. Like a warm breeze I will roll your way from time to time with a new story from an old confidante. This train has no destination , it's just meant to roll." Combining folk, Americana and country with a rock and roll style and a slide guitar! American Songwriter Magazine calls him a "performer not to miss"!
SNOW SNOW SNOW! In honor of the snow falling in Crested Butte, Montantanya is hosting a Local's Appreciation Happy Hour today (Friday November 9th) and tomorrow (Saturday, November 10th) from 5-7pm, BUY ONE GET ONE FREE on cocktails (not bottle sales-sorry). Join us for snow happiness!
AND of course Our Anniversary Bash - a Pirate Party on November 17th from 7-10pm. Celebrating 4 years running rum and 1 year at the historic Powerhouse! Cocktail steals all night, pirate alter egos emerging for all our staff and hopefully our guests too, free appetizers, and a sneak peak at our new winter menu! Little Ruffians (kids) welcome from 7-8. Maybe even a little fire breathing! Come on down all y'all Pirates and Privateers!
Obama getting a personal invitation to party with the Pirates at Montanya!
November 17th, 7-10pm, Pirate Anniversary Party!
AND
Wigging Out at Montanya on Halloween!
Come by Montanya between 6pm and 8:30pm on Halloween in a WIG (or halloween costume) and get an ADDITIONAL $1 off your cocktail!!!!! Add that to our off-season drink specials in effect and we are talking about your favorite Montanya Rum cocktail for only $3-$5! A great start to a fun night out on the town!
