Montanya Distillers’ Karen Hoskin Becomes First Woman to Keynote at ADI

By Chilled Magazine

Hoskin will talk about the importance of coming together as an industry amid tremendous growth.

Karen Hoskin, president and co-founder of Montanya Distillers, will deliver the keynote address at this year’s American Distilling Institute (ADI) Craft Spirits Conference. This marks the first time a woman has been named the keynote since the conference’s inception in 2003.

“ADI has been a consistent source of support and education since I founded Montanya nearly a decade ago. It is an honor to provide the address, especially amid the pivotal growth the industry is experiencing.”
– Karen Hoskin, president and co-founder of Montanya Distillers

Karen Hoskin

Karen Hoskin

Photo by Nathan Bilow

One of the few women shaking up an industry traditionally dominated by men, Hoskin is a passionate advocate for the craft spirits space. In addition to underscoring the importance of collaboration among conference attendees, she plans to focus her speech on the vision of a bold and unified future for craft distilleries.

“It is imperative that we rally together to move our industry forward without losing sight of the bigger picture around us,” said Hoskin. “I care about diversity and inclusion in the workplace, sustainability and the long-term environmental impact of our industry, and exploring big, paradigm-shifting ideas to keep little companies competitive.”

Montanya has seen solid double-digit growth for the ninth year running. The company’s gross profits were up 23 percent in 2016. Montanya grew their inventory of stored barrels of rum by 40%, which will help the distillery grow into the future.

Hoskin, along with her husband Brice, founded Montanya Distillers in 2008 in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. She maintains an active role in the day-to-day production, distillation and bottling, as well as oversees sales, marketing, brand and product development. Today, Montanya is distributed in 40+ states and seven countries and has been recognized both nationally and internationally for superior quality and its green business practices.

The 2017 ADI Craft Spirits Conference and Expo runs April 3rd – 6th, 2017, in Baltimore, MD. Hoskin’s keynote will be live streamed through Facebook. Visit Facebook.com/MontanyaDistillers or Facebook.com/American-Distilling-Institute on April 4th, 2017, at 8:30 a.m. to tune in. For more information about Montanya Distillers, visit MontanyaRum.com.


About Montanya Distillers
Montanya Distillers, located in Crested Butte, Colo., is a craft rum distillery in the heart of the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Its distilling process uses old-world artisan traditions, combining science with art. By using just four natural American ingredients, Montanya has created aged rums that have been awarded 18 Gold and Silver medals in international competitions. These rums reflect both Montanya Distillers’ mountain culture and a new American rum tradition. Montanya produces Platino Light rum, Oro Dark rum, and a brand new, longer-aged, limited-edition rum called The Exclusiva. The company was named the 2013 Craft Distillery of the Year by the American Distilling Institute. Learn more at MontanyaRum.com.

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