Bios & Photos

Bios for Karen Hoskin

American Rum and Craft Distilling

Karen Hoskin is known as a vanguard of the rebirth of American Rum. When she started Colorado’s craft distillery Montanya Distillers in 2008, few people knew there was a strong American rum tradition or mountain rum tradition. Craft cocktails were not yet a major US trend and rum was considered the wild west of spirits. Karen helped change those perceptions while steering the distillery to double-digit growth every year. In 2019 Karen began building a distribution footprint worldwide. She continues to have a strong hand in inspiring the US market to respect and love American Rum, embrace craft cocktails, put rum into the best cocktails, and understand the mountain rum tradition. She is a respected speaker and industry leader on all aspects of distilling science, distilling business, mixology, bar and restaurant business and sustainability.

Sustainable Business Growth

Since 2008, Karen Hoskin has steered the craft rum distillery Montanya Distillers to make award-winning rums and produce double-digit annual growth. Today, she mentors up and coming distillery owners on how to generate sustainable growth, prepare for and secure capital investment, and maintain commitments to environmental sustainability and social responsibility through growth. Karen is well known as a vanguard of the rebirth of American Rum, and a respected speaker on all aspects of business management.

Environmental Sustainability and Zero Waste Living

For more than a decade, Karen Hoskin has been operating the environmentally sustainable businesses Montanya Distillers, a craft rum distillery, bar, and restaurant, and Zoetica, a lifestyle product line for zero-waste living. From sugarcane sourcing to carbon offsetting and waste reduction, she has helped create new standards in sustainability in a distilling industry often known for its lack of environmental awareness. Karen understands the daily commitment it takes to live the ideals of the triple bottom line—people, environment, and profit—and inspires audiences to manage the environmental impacts of their companies, all day every day. Through Zoetica, she also empowers people to take control of their plastic use and single-use trash, reducing the flow of garbage to landfills and reclaiming the power of the individual to make a difference.

Empowering Women in Craft Distilling

When Karen began the craft rum distillery Montanya Distillers in 2008, she was one of the only women in a male-dominated industry. As a distiller and a distillery owner, she had to work more than twice as hard as her male peers to gain respect, buy materials, sell her products and be safe from sexual harassment. Karen also experienced firsthand the reality that female-owned businesses have a much harder time securing funding from banks, investors and venture capital firms. Despite the barriers, Karen built a company that produces double-digit growth annually. Today, she remains committed to mentoring and providing opportunities for women in distilling. She is also the founder of The Women’s Distillery Guild, which is now part of Women of the Vine and Spirits (WOTVS).