Spend a few minutes talking with Breckenridge Distillery master distiller Jordan Via, and odds are you’ll quickly find yourself talking about water. Specifically, the water the distillery uses to produce its spirits that comes from Breckenridge, Colo.’s municipal water supply, which is essentially fresh snowmelt.
“The water is so great up here,” he says. “It has everything necessary for natural fermentation.”
That may not sound sexy, but it is one of the main benefits of distilling at 9,600 feet in the middle of the Rocky Mountains, says Via. The water is markedly different from the water he used at his previous job at Stillwater Spirits in Petaluma, Calif., where, as at many distilleries, he had to use reverse osmosis and add in minerals to ensure a healthy fermentation.
At Breckenridge, he doesn’t have to do much, just strip the water of the chlorine that the town adds and adjust the pH. And that minimal handling, along with the water’s natural character, gives the distillery’s spirits — like its bourbon and vodka — a clean, rich mouth-feel.
That mouth-feel is one aspect of Breckenridge’s bourbon that stands out. But what really distinguishes its bourbon is the large amount of rye it uses in its mash bill.
To be considered a bourbon, a whiskey has to be 51 percent corn, but the other 49 percent is up to the distiller and most use between 20 and 30 percent rye or wheat.
But Breckenridge uses 37.6 percent rye, which gives the whiskey a sharp, spicy nose with distinct cinnamon and minty notes. The bourbon is sweet and spicy, sort of like Red Hots candy, with hints of vanilla and oak.
The bourbon is young. The label says the liquid inside the bottle is at least 2 years old — Via says that after its first releases it has always been at least 3 years old — but it isn’t lacking character, which is why it received one of only three gold medals awarded at the 2011 International Wine and Spirits Competition in the United Kingdom.
Had the distillery used less rye or aged the bourbon longer, the spirit would probably taste a little more mature and balanced, says Via. But it also wouldn’t be as distinct or interesting.
“It’s got an edge to it,” he says. “But we like that.”