Turning Adversity into Innovation with Breckenridge Distillery Founder Bryan Nolt

There’s a doctor behind one of America’s best distilleries.

Photos courtesy of Breckenridge Distillery

When you think of Breckenridge, you may think of slopes, skiing, and the beauty that is the Rockies. But, it’s also a spirits paradise. Breckenridge Distillery is a culmination of the past and the present—an exhilarating blend of Colorado’s wild mining history, natural wonders, and opportunity for sustainable spirit innovation.

“When you hold the bottle in your hand and then you put your nose it and drink it, the struggle and the heart of this place becomes a terroir, for lack of a better term,” says Bryan Nolt, Founder and CEO of Breckenridge.

Yet, Nolt wasn’t always knees-deep in the distillery. Before Breckenridge, Nolt was a doctor working 120-hour weeks—with an unrelenting passion for whiskey.

“All I wanted to do was open a little whiskey distillery in the mountains and make what I loved and what I wanted to drink,” says Nolt.

Soon, he let his love of whiskey guide him to take a major leap— starting his distillery in the middle of the Rocky Mountains.

“I remember the first day we started distilling in Breckenridge and everything was so different because of the altitude. It makes a huge difference,” says Nolt.

The distillery became a masterclass in Mother Nature’s natural efficiency, revealing how altitude can be a key to spirit sustainability—from lower boiling points to atmospheric pressure.

Still, Nolt reminds us that nothing is perfect. In a town 9600 feet up, you are in the hands of Mother Nature, especially her winter friend—the snow. Also, the lack of humidity is tough on barrels and the overall whiskey aging process.

Still, Nolt sees every piece as part of the poetry in each bottle.

“I think the struggle makes the product better. Sort of like, the struggle of a good wine vine to grow and make a good wine,” says Nolt.

Nolt has turned adversities into innovations, showing the spirits world that quality and sustainability are achievable goals, through less branding and more action.

“To me our identity is quality. It’s just about respecting people,” adds Nolt.

For Nolt, respecting people goes from the grain to the glass sitting on the bar. In a rough climate for the spirits industry, Breckenridge is firm about how spirits are an art that brings people together, and bartenders are the curators.

“As a doctor, you see people and you want to help them,” says Nolt.

“If you look at different professions, I think bartending has had a very critical role in the history of helping people. If you’re a bartender, I guess you’re kind of a psychiatrist, in a way.”

With Breckenridge miles above us, there’s no doubt their vision is also miles ahead. We can learn a little something from them. And with their slew of exciting SKUs, you can never get bored either. From their kaleidoscopic award-winning whiskey line-up to rum to bitters, Breckenridge keeps the creativity going—one bottle at a time.

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