Breckenridge Distillery Continues Collectors Art Series With PX Naranja Cask Finished Whiskey
The third edition of the Breckenridge Distillery Collectors Art Series, Breckenridge Whiskey Finished in PX Naranja Cask, is pictured. (Photo: David Morrow/Whiskey Raiders)
On Wednesday, Colorado’s Breckenridge Distillery announced the third annual release in its Collectors Art Series.
This year’s release, Breckenridge Whiskey Finished in PX Naranja Cask, is a blend of 4- to 6-year-old bourbons finished for 2-3 months in medium-toast casks that previously held 20-year-old PX sherry in which bitter Seville orange peels spent eight months macerating.
Bottled at 98 proof, Breckenridge Whiskey Finished in PX Naranja Cask was released Friday. About 1,200 bottles of the limited-edition whiskey are available available exclusively at the Breckenridge Distillery and the Main Street Tasting Room in Breckenridge, priced at $125 per 750-milliliter bottle.
For each Collectors Art Series release, Breckenridge Distillery commissions a local artist to create a design that is placed on the bottle’s label as well as painted on a mural in the area.
“If you think about the palette of an artist and blending colors to create the ultimate mural, and then the palate of a distiller, or [Breckenridge Distillery founder and CEO Bryan Nolt], for example, to kind of put those flavor profiles together and eventually put out the art of whiskey,” Breckenridge Distillery Marketing Director Jessie Unruh said. “So, that’s really where this concept came from.”
About Sandra Fettingis and Her Mural
Sandra Fettingis’ completed mural, commissioned by Breckenridge Distillery, is pictured in Silverthorne, Colorado. (Photo: Breckenridge Distillery)
For this year’s release, Breckenridge Distillery partnered with Colorado street artist and muralist Sandra Fettingis, known largely for the use of geometric patterns in her artwork.
“Patterning and organizing are akin to meditation, which leads to a sense of harmony, stillness, reflection and inner peace—something I am always seeking in my life and art practice,” Fettingis said in a news release. “That process of finding that moment where those ideas surface and harmonize is what I strive for.”
The mural is bright and effervescent, evoking summery feelings with the use of shades of green, orange, yellow and pink/red.
Breckenridge Distillery posted a video about Fettingis and her mural on the brand’s YouTube channel.
“The color palate itself nods to citrus fruits — bright and light and kind of a fresh feeling,” Fettingis said in the video.
The mural is located at 360 Adams Street in Silverthorne, Colorado, about 12 miles from the Breckenridge Distillery. The town of Breckenridge doesn’t allow murals, and Silverthorne is an art-forward area with tons of murals and sculptures, making it a natural spot for the mural.
Street artist and muralist Sandra Fettingis poses June 15 in front of the in-progress mural in Silverthorne, Colorado. (Photo: David Morrow/Whiskey Raiders)
“Art does bring people together in the form of community, and I feel like whiskey also does the same through gathering of people,” Fettingis added. I feel like there is that connection with art being on the bottle. It’s kind of bringing worlds together. The artist is sharing a piece of themselves with people.”
A Breckenridge Distillery bartender holds a partially empty bottle of Breckenridge Whiskey Finished in PX Naranja Cask. Sandra Fettingis’ design is printed on the inside of the label, so it becomes clearer the emptier the bottle gets. (Photo: David Morrow/Whiskey Raiders)
Tasting Breckenridge Whiskey Finished in PX Naranja Cask
Whiskey Raiders traveled to Breckenridge for an advanced sneak peek of the new whiskey. Click here to read Whiskey Raiders Spirits Critic Jay West’s official review of the 2023 Breckenridge Distillery Collectors Art Series, Breckenridge Whiskey Finished in PX Naranja Cask, and read on for this writer’s first-impression tasting notes.
This year’s Collectors Art Series release is a rich, lovely, dessert-forward pour.
The nose is luxurious, with loads of crème brûlée and graham cracker, plus undertones of sherry, lemon meringue, orange marmalade, brown sugar and candied ginger.
On the palate, this whiskey presents a great viscosity with a slightly dry and tannic mouthfeel. Sherry is present again here, joined by notes of cinnamon rolls, gingerbread, clove, fresh ginger, oak, buttterscotch, honeybuns, orange pith and a touch of ethanol.
The finish is medium to long, leaving behind notes of marshmallow, barrel char, custard, orange bitters, orange pulp, maple, honey and a touch of peppermint.
For lovers of sweetness balanced out by complexity, this whiskey is worth a pickup if you can get your hands on it.
Last year’s Collectors Art Series was a whiskey finished in XO cognac casks featuring art from Denver street artist and muralist Alexandrea Pangburn.
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