When Karen Hoskin Isn’t Making Rum, She’s Ripping Around The Mountains Of Crested Butte
Photo courtesy of Montanya Distillers
It started on a beach. When Montanya Rum founder Karen Hoskin was 21, she had her first taste of rum, and that started a 30-year obsession. She had just finished living with a Hindu family in Goa, India, where she had been following strict guidelines with no alcohol. But, a bartender on a beach in Goa introduced her to Old Monk, an aged Indian dark rum. From there, she set out to learn everything there was to know about rum and its history as a high elevation spirit.
Today, Montanya Distillers ships rum to 44 states and seven countries. But, it wasn’t a straightforward climb to the top. In an industry that’s dominated by men, Hoskin was questioned and not taken seriously many times. For that reason, it’s important for Hoskin to employ women. In 2019, Montanya became the first distillery to receive investment from the Focus on Female Founders Venture Fund at Constellation Brands. “We’ve got women doing everything from driving the forklift to bottling and serving,” Hoskin shares.
LIFE IN THE MOUNTAINS
Keeping with the history of the high-elevation spirit, Crested Butte sits at nearly 9,000 feet. To most, it’s an outdoor playground, and that’s true for Hoskin, too. When she’s not making rum or running the business, she’s playing in the mountains.
“In the summer and fall, I mainly hike and trail run, and I love to camp in my tiny teardrop camper even just a few miles from the house if work is busy,” Hoskin says.
In the winter, it’s all about backcountry and skate skiing. “One of my favorite backcountry tours is an early skin up the flank of Red Lady Peak (also called Mt. Emmons) and a descent through the trees along Red Coon Glades or Red Lady Glades in some new powder. Not so much at dawn, more like a reasonable 10 a.m.”
For someone who works and plays so hard, Hoskin isn’t afraid to relax. She’s an avid reader and loves to hang out with her two sons, who are 21 and 23.
ALWAYS RUM SEASON
Photo courtesy of Karen Hoskin
All of Montanya Rum is certified gluten-free, using water from a snowmelt-fed aquifer that runs below the bottling facility. They use sugarcane grown in Louisiana “by families we know personally and love greatly,” Hoskin adds. And, who are paid fairly.
By far the cocktail Montanya sells the most is the Maharaja, made with their Oro rum, housemade chai spice, simple syrup, lime, fresh ginger and cardamom — just the right amount of heat and sweet.
While rum sometimes has a reputation as a tropical spirit, Hoskin assures visitors that it very much belongs in the mountains. And, whether it’s trail running, mountain biking or ski season, Montanya pairs well with any post-mountain adventure.
Originally published in the Spring 2022 of Spoke+Blossom.