Montanya Distillers, LLC

Montanya Distillers is the Crested Butte, Colorado operation that turned a high-altitude Rocky Mountain ski town into one of the most editorially respected rum distilleries in the United States — and the only certified B Corp-designated rum distillery in the world. Founded in 2008 in Silverton, Colorado by Karen Hoskin and her husband Brice, Montanya was built around an explicit thesis: that the historical traditions of mountain-altitude rum production from the volcanic Caribbean and Central/South American producing regions could be authentically transplanted to a Rocky Mountain American distilling operation. In 2011, Hoskin and her partners relocated Montanya from Silverton to Crested Butte (population ~1,500, elevation 8,909 feet), where they felt the local business community would be more receptive to a craft rum operation.

The Montanya production philosophy emphasizes high-altitude maturation, transparent sourcing, and sustainability — the certified B Corp designation requires verifiable social and environmental performance standards that very few spirits producers meet. Hoskin spent the better part of two decades building Montanya into both a successful craft rum brand and a public advocacy platform for women in distilling and for sustainable spirits production. In December 2023, Hoskin announced the sale of Montanya to longtime employees: head distiller Megan Campbell, former head distiller Renée Newton, and Houston-based brand strategist Sean Richards. The transition kept Montanya in operating control of the people who had been making the rum, and Hoskin stepped away from day-to-day operations while remaining an advisor and brand ambassador.

The product range covers Montanya Platino (the unaged 100% pot-distilled white rum), Montanya Oro (the aged rum, stored in American oak for 24+ months), Montanya Exclusiva (the higher-tier aged release, finished in Colorado port-style wine casks), Montanya Valentia (cask-strength release), and a rotating range of limited and seasonal expressions. The Platino in particular has built a substantial following in cocktail-program distribution as a premium daiquiri and mojito base, and the Oro and Exclusiva have earned competition recognition at Spirits International, San Francisco World Spirits, and World Rum Awards levels.

The Crested Butte visitor experience runs through the on-site distillery and the elegant cocktail bar at the main Elk Avenue location. Tours move through the working pot stills, the high-altitude aging warehouse, and the production floor; the cocktail program treats the Montanya range as the working palette for serious rum-forward mixology. The Crested Butte location makes Montanya a natural stop on a Gunnison-area ski or summer trip, with the broader town offering the kind of car-free walkable Main Street tourism atmosphere that pairs well with a distillery visit.