While it’s a pretty well known fact that I love beer, I also love whisky and, by association, its American cousin: bourbon. I’m always up for a learning experience and when I heard that Breckenridge Distillery was hosting a bourbon bottling party, I signed up as fast as my little fingers could type.
A bit of background: Breckenridge Distillery opened a few years ago in Breckenridge and is the highest distillery in the country at 9600′ above sea level. But, all altitude-based boasting aside, these guys make really good bourbon. It’s so good that Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey is distributed all over the country and is growing so fast that they’re in the process of expanding the production.
As a result, sometimes they need a bit of help bottling all of this goodness. Hence, the bottling parties.
It’s simple and brilliant.
Here’s the rundown:
- Ask for volunteers.
- Promise beer and pizza in return for about four – five hours of work.
- Crank up the music and supply the volunteers with said beer as they sanitize bottles, fill them with bourbon, pop a cork in the bottle, affix a sealing sticker, stick them in a box and load the boxes onto pallets.
- Reward them with a shot of bourbon when each pallet is completed.
- Do this until three or more pallets are finished.
- Order pizza for dinner. Lots of pizza.
- Give them a bottle of their chosen spirit (Breckenridge Distillery also makes vodka, homemade bitters and an un-casked bourbon that you can age for as long as you like) to take home as a thank you.
There you have it. It’s a party and, as I will attest, everyone works and doesn’t seem to mind the manual labor. I think the shots help.
If you go:
The Distillery is located at 1925 Airport Rd in Breckenridge, CO. You can just drop in for a tour on the hour and half hour, Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. The last tour starts at 5:30 p.m.
Or, stop into the Tasting Room in downtown Breckenridge. Located across from the Visitor’s Center at the Riverwalk in Breckenridge, the Tasting room offers samples and has a gift shop. They’re open from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday; 11 a.m. – 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. on Sundays.
To sign up for the inside scoop on new products, events and the bottling parties, get on the list here.
Katie on the Map 
Katie, Katie, Katie…..livin’ the dream.
Awesome volunteer job. That’s what I’m looking for!
Come on out, Nancy! You’d love it!
Bottling party, that sounds like so much fun! Just out of curiosity, what makes this bourbon different from a Kentucky bourbon?
Well, the fact that it’s distilled in Colorado, rather than Kentucky, is a big one. 🙂 The water that the Breckenridge Distillery uses is from the Rocky Mountains, so that’s a difference, but as far as making it different than Kentucky bourbon as a whole, just the location is a factor. Bourbon is distinctly American–you’ll never find Canadian bourbon or Scottish bourbon. Each distillery has its own trade secrets that make it unique so it’s worth trying a lot to see what you like!