Karen Hoskin can be described as a serial entrepreneur, having started a number of businesses over the years.  She is perhaps best known for Montanya Distillers, however, which produces craft rum right here in Crested Butte.  The tasting room, located in the heart of Crested Butte on Elk Avenue across the street from the post office, has become one of Crested Butte’s go-to visits for small plates and a delicious rum cocktail (or two!).  In this podcast episode, Karen and I discussed her business endeavors, the process of making rum in the Colorado mountains, and making the move from Silverton, where Montanya’s originally started. 

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This last weekend at the Hotel New Yorker, children young and young at heart experienced something similar at The Big Chocolate Show.

The hotel’s ballroom and mezzanine hosted about 50 different chocolate and related vendors, most of which were sampling their wares.

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written by
Wayne Curtis

published
October 24, 2018

How spirits brands are honing their marketing strategies for a new generation of consumers

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BY TSH OXENREIDER

Simple

Work: A Rum Distiller | 160

Karen Hoskin is a rum distiller: that’s pretty cool, right? But here's what’s especially interesting about Karen: She’s a woman in a field where's simply not a lot of women, she had no experience making rum (or any sort of liquor, really) when she began, and... a rum distiller in Colorado? That’s an unusual place for making rum.

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Crested Butte is one of the coolest ski towns of Colorado. Off the beaten track, a colorful heritage town with a rocking Main Street filled with locals on cruiser bikes in the snow and some of the best ski terrain in the USA.

What’s not to love?

Zach Pickett fell in love with the town over five years ago and hasn’t left since. He loves it so much he ended up working for Crested Butte Mountain Resort. This is his Insider Guide.

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Ten years ago this month in the tiny Colorado town of Silverton, in an 800-square-foot stone building that played host to a brothel 100 year prior, Karen and Brice Hoskin hatched an idea to start a craft rum distillery called Montanya Distillers.

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DENVER – While Colorado might be best known for its beer, the state’s pristine water has helped launch dozens of distilleries in the Rocky Mountains.

Distillers range from large commercial operations like Stranahan’s to family-owned stills tucked into industrial parks. Styles range from whiskey and bourbon to rye, moonshine, gin, vodka and rum, and most distillers offer tours and tastings. While some of the distilleries simply offer small tastes of their products, many have turned their tasting rooms into full-fledged bars offering handcrafted cocktails.

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Last month, Hearts & Trails Spirits Festival kicked off the Colorado Spirits Trail. The event will be an annual affair to celebrate an industry that has seen tremendous growth not only in Colorado but nationwide.

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Rum isn’t often associated with the Rocky Mountains, but the Crested Butte, Colorado-based Montanya Distillers is taking a pass at changing that. Led by owner and distiller Karen Hoskin, Montanya produces three rums—a silver rum, a dark rum, and a limited edition expression that is finished in port barrels. All are made with sugarcane from a family-owned mill in Louisiana.

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I was introduced to the craft beer movement in college where I spent more than a few hours throwing back pints at Boundary Bay Brewery in Bellingham while attending Western Washington University in the late 1990s. To say it’s been fun to watch the industry grow is an understatement. It’s been outstanding!

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While people have been distilling alcohol for hundreds of years, the industry is constantly evolving.

Lately, more females have been taking leadership roles in founding forward-thinking distilleries that push the boundaries of spirit-making.

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