Breckenridge Distillery’s continued whiskey innovation and craftsmanship will delight your palate with wine cask-finished whiskies.
One of the most highly awarded distilleries in the U.S., the Breckenridge Distillery is proudly a 3x Icons of Whisky and 10x winner of Best American Blended winner at the World Whiskies Awards by Whisky Magazine and a 4x winner of Colorado Distillery of the Year by the New York International Spirits Competition. Innovation is a characteristic of the Breckenridge Distillery, illustrated in the wide array of wine cask finished whiskies.
“Creating and assembling flavors for the perfect mouthfeel is what we do, and there are no parameters we won’t change to make a better whiskey,” says Founder and CEO Bryan Nolt. The Breckenridge Distillery uses a mash bill of corn, rye, and barley, where these grains and yeast undergo a fantastic journey to become whiskey. The ingredients used, the time spent in the barrel, the type of barrel itself, can all have a dramatic effects on a whiskey’s flavor.
With the recipe for Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey perfected, Bryan Nolt and Master Distiller Hans Stafsholt began experimenting with various expressions, often refilling former wine barrels.
Breckenridge Port Cask Finish Whiskey
So, naturally the first wine cask release was a Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey finished in Tawny Port wine barrels to create Breckenridge Distillery’s Port Cask Finish Whiskey, which proceeded to win ‘Best American Blended’ in 2017 and ‘World’s Best Finished Bourbon’ in 2024 at the World Whiskies Awards, before scoring 96 Points (Double Gold) at the New York International Spirits Competition in 2024. From there, distillers needed to decide whether to focus on enhancing subtle neutral fruit, dense sweet fruit, or more eclectic flavors such as walnut. In the Breckenridge Distillery’s case, they decided to balance many of these flavors but pushed the concentrated fruits forward. The Port Cask Finish Whiskey showcases notes of dark fruit such as plum and cherry, which temper the high rye content of the initial spirit.
Port Cask Finish Tasting Notes
Our award-winning Bourbon Whiskey gets some final grooming in 59 gallon Tawny Port casks, adding aroma and flavor of sultana raisin and maple syrup, which round out and soften the naturally spicy finish. Thanks to the superior Tawny Port casks, each batch flaunts a unique expression.
Breckenridge PX Sherry Cask Finish Whiskey
The most decorated finish on Breckenridge Distillery’s lineup, the PX Sherry Cask Finish, was awarded 2018, 2019 & 2021’s Best American Blended by the World Whiskies Awards, followed by winning Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition. The concept came out of Nolt’s obsession for Scotch Whiskies finished in Sherry casks, along with a love for Sherry wine alone. It took years to find the correct cask pairing on this one as he wanted the traditional dryness of sherry to cut through. In the end, they needed the concentrated sugars of the Pedro Ximenez grape to soften the dry edge. The barrels come from an ancient Solera in the Andalusia region of Spain. The PX barrels impart a golden raisin characteristic, followed by a dry white pepper finish.
PX Sherry Cask Finish Tasting Notes
This highly viscous, syrupy, wine is aged in ancient solera barrels for decades before release. Left to bask in these ripe, fruity vessels, our Whiskey emerged with complex layers of fig compote, orange marmalade, and licorice to complement the sweet oak and vanilla character of our world-renowned Bourbon Whiskey.
Breckenridge Cognac Cask Finish Whiskey
Cognac is produced with well-known grapes from regions in France. A fine Cognac is 15 percent petite champagne and 85 percent Grande champagne, typically blended in batches of 300 barrels and aged anywhere from 10-37 years. Breckenridge Distillery imported its barrels and aged its Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey in Cognac barrels for just over two years to-date. The Cognac label features the national flower of France, the iris, and grape blossoms, a nod to the grape’s origin. When the Breckenridge Cognac Cask Finish was released in 2022 as a limited edition, it won Gold at the World Whiskies Awards for Best American Blended Limited Release, Double Gold at the 2023 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and 95 points at the 2023 New York International Spirits Competition. In its first year, the Collectors Art Series Campaign was honored with being named the 2020 Icon of Whisky for Campaign Innovator or the Year. More recently, Breckenridge Cognac Cask Finish Whiskey was released nationally in stores across CO, CA, NY, FL, NJ, and CT.
Cognac Cask Finish Tasting Notes
Sweet red apple, subtle notes of leather, and brandied fruit lead to a delicate balance of brandied fruit and caramel with an over-ripe apple sweetness with bourbon rye spice.
Other Wine Cask Finish Whiskeys from Breckenridge Distillery
Collectors Art Series is getting ready for the next installment on Breckenridge shelves, historically featuring specialty cask finishes like Cognac, PX Naranja, Sauternes finishes. Every year, Collectors Art Series sees the Distillery pair up with local Colorado artists to create both a unique label for the dram, and a mural installment in Denver. This exclusive, award-winning series only comes out once a year, so be sure to visit the Distillery this summer to be the among first to try Series Five! Can you guess what cask finish it will be?
Carboy’s Cabernet Franc Cask Finish Whiskey started as a friendship between two historic spirit producers in Colorado. Carboy Winery sent their freshly dumped Cabernet Franc barrels to Breckenridge Distillery, where they were refilled with Breckenridge Bourbon Whiskey. The 2022 Grand Valley Cabernet Franc was harvested in late September and aged gracefully for 19 months in Hungarian oak casks , softening the wine, and leading to a smooth texture and a perfect balance between fruit and earth tones, offering a completely unique experience for both wine connoisseurs and whiskey aficionados.
Breckenridge Madeira Finish might be back in the future, but when it comes to wine barrels – it can be tricky to find the quality Master Distiller Hans Stafsholt is looking for. In the past, this limited-edition dram saw Breckenridge Bourbon marinated in Madeira casks; rich in flavor without an overpowering sweetness. Madeira Cask Finish went on to win 94 Points at 2020’s New York International Spirits Competition – another testament to the craft of spirits that the Distillery produces.
Breckenridge Rum Cask Finish might not be aged in a wine barrel, but its process certainly mirrors one. Breckenridge Bourbon soaks up the charm of former Breckenridge Distillery Spiced Rum barrels, creating an unstoppable wave of flavor for the imbiber and the perfect summer dram. Available nationally, Rum Cask Finish went on to win 95 Points (Gold) at 2021’s New York International Spirits Competition and Double Gold at the Craft Spirits Competition in 2020. This process additionally inspired the Jamaican Rum Cask Finish Whiskey, which saw imported barrels bring forth tropical fruit notes to the high-rye bourbon.
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