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Rino Art District director of curation Alexandrea Pangburn saw her Kentucky roots and Colorado lifestyle converge on the label she created for Breckenridge Distillery, which just launched its second annual Collectors Art Series. This is the first label that she has designed. “It’s been really cool to have my Kentucky roots also become my Colorado roots, all tying into a project,” she says. “So it’s definitely been humbling and very surreal.”
About the Artist
Growing up in Lexington, KY, Alexandrea Pangburn cultivated not only a deep love and appreciation for bourbon, but also flora and fauna, which serve as a main source of inspiration in her art. Pangburn’s passion for birds specifically started once she moved to Colorado in 2017 which is featured on the XO Cognac Cask Finish label along with a fox, an ode to Pangburn’s hometown in Lexington and Breckenridge-local alpine flowers.
“Wherever I’m painting, my goal is to make the public more aware of the animals we’re sharing a space with. Over the years my art has shifted into animal conservation and education in order to bring more light and awareness to the local communities,” says Pangburn.
A member of the RiNo Art District team, Pangburn also founded the organization BABE WALLS in 2019 to create a community among women and non-binary artists in the street art field – a space typically dominated by male artists.
48% ABV
Nose: Inviting aromatics of grape with a hint of clove and cinnamon.
Palette: Smooth caramel and dates embody the tongue with a hint of apple butter, cacao, and allspice as it travels all around your palate. Long finish of cinnamon, baking spice, and resounding dry oak.
Colorful Colorado Cocktail
• 2 oz Breckenridge XO Cognac Finished Whiskey
• ¼ oz lemon juice
• 2 tsp honey
• 3 peach slices (skin pealed)
• 4 mint leaves
*Add more honey or citrus to your taste.
Muddle peach slices in a shaker or other vessel, add mint, honey, lemon juice, Breckenridge XO Cognac Finished Whiskey and ice. Shake and stain over ice.
Garnish: mint bouquet, peach slice and edible flower.
What People are Saying
ABOUT SERIES 1
Some combos are fundamental: champagne and strawberries; Starsky and Hutch; peas and carrots. But some pairings are more obtuse, yet inherently natural. For Bryan Nolt, founder and CEO of Breckenridge Distillery, who creates art out of corn, rye and barley, the confluence of bourbon and art was inevitable.
After all, it takes the perfect blend of ingredients, pure Rocky Mountain water and time to create one of most the highly awarded craft bourbons in one of the highest distilleries on the planet.
– Written by Katie Coakley
Some combos are fundamental: champagne and strawberries; Starsky and Hutch; peas and carrots. But some pairings are more obtuse, yet inherently natural. For Bryan Nolt, founder and CEO of Breckenridge Distillery, who creates art out of corn, rye and barley, the confluence of bourbon and art was inevitable.
After all, it takes the perfect blend of ingredients, pure Rocky Mountain water and time to create one of most the highly awarded craft bourbons in one of the highest distilleries on the planet. In 2018, Whisky Magazine awarded Breckenridge Distillery the Icons of Whisky award for Brand Innovator of the Year, exemplifying the creativity and innovation that is inherent in each bottle.
On July 30, 2019, Breckenridge Distillery embarked upon a unique collaboration: its inaugural Collectors Art Series, which illustrates the art of blending whiskey through the art of blending color. Denver-based muralist Thomas “Detour” Evans created a “whiskey barrel mural” on 10 Breckenridge Distillery barrels to illuminate a unique blend of these two crafts for both art and whiskey enthusiasts to enjoy.
“Proper blending is an art, not easily learned, and something I’m sincerely passionate about,” Nolt said. “We wanted to emphasize this connection with another type of art that people could identify with and hopefully pause for a second or two, connect the dots, and really enjoy the art in their dram. Smell and taste are just as powerful as vision, and we think focus helps you to intensify these subtle pleasures.”
Choosing Detour for this first collaboration was almost a foregone conclusion. The eye-catching artist, who is known for his bold, colorful portraits, created a vibrant scene on the barrels that blends the beauty of Breckenridge with his signature portraiture that is both relatable yet inspiring.
“My philosophy with creating art on various platforms is all about trying to compose a piece that lends itself to amplify that platform,” Detour said. “So, for the barrels, creating a composition that has large color blocks, but also relates to the actual subject matter—so, Breckenridge-in-the-mountains type of the thing—and then having a figure, which can give you more of an attachment to it. That is the concept I was going for when creating on this platform/canvas.”
The finished barrel mural was on display to the public at the Breckenridge Distillery through September. The 100% grain-to-bottle whiskey was then released for sale at select Colorado locations in October. Each bottle was adorned with a special label highlighting the collaboration, artwork and the passion behind the Breckenridge Distillery.
“I think the artistry of making and blending whiskey parallels the passion of artists like Detour and the splendor his works deliver,” Nolt said. “This collaboration is simply about evoking those emotions through graffiti and the artistry of whiskey.”
The Detour series is the first in the Breckenridge Distillery Barrel Art Collectors Series. The second iteration of this series, featuring work from another artist, will premier in 2020.
Building the Ultimate Bar Cart
Take a trip to the Breckenridge Distillery—the world’s highest distillery at 9,600 feet—and you’ll find evidence of the owners’ passion for art (and Bill Murray) adorning the walls of the restaurant. But this summer, the award-winning distillery displayed the connection between art and whiskey to a whole new medium: whiskey barrels.
Holiday Gift Guide
Where to Find
THE BOTTLES
Breckenridge Distillery
1925 Airport Road
Breckenridge, CO
Main Street Tasting Room
137 S. Main Street
Breckenridge, CO
THE ART
3560 Chestnut Place
Denver, CO 80216
*You can find the artwork on the backside Number 38 in the alley between Chestnut Place and Delgany.
