Montanya Rum Distillery Celebrates 15 yrs. WOW!
In 2023, Montanya Distillers will have been in business for 15 years. They produce craft rum and are a Certified B Corporation®. What started as a tiny, family-run firm today exports to seven nations in the UK and Europe and sells rum all across the US.
The first distillery (from 2008 to 2011) was located in a 100-year-old, 800 square foot structure on Blair Street in Silverton. The fermentations occurred in the basement (on the dirt floor), the distillation and tastings occurred on the main floor, and the maturing and bottling took place in the upper floors. You can image the heavy lifting of cases, raw ingredients, and the pumps moving fermentations and distilled spirits between floors that the Hoskins and their young kids had to do back in the day. Skiers and hikers would cram into the Tasting Room for double White Room drinks. It was an exciting journey.
Karen and her three enterprises benefited greatly from the relocation to Crested Butte that she and her family made in 2011. Montanya Distillers currently operates out of over 10,000 square feet across two counties. After a difficult few years of expansion and epidemic, the firm is ready for continuing growth.
For a distillery that was founded and is still run by a woman, surviving for 15 years is quite an accomplishment. Many difficulties and setbacks have been encountered. According to Hoskin, “access to capital,” rivalry from larger organizations, and the lack of a well-known celebrity to promote the company are just a few of the numerous obstacles. Also, even when we started, rum was really unconventional, especially American mountain rum. Hoskin has grown output tenfold despite significant challenges.
Throughout the year, Montanya will offer a number of anniversary-themed limited edition products, such as glasses, caps, and t-shirts. In addition, this summer (exclusively at the tasting room) they will release their first-ever rum liqueur, which will be bursting with flavors like vanilla, clove, orange, and lemon.
