●THE AMARO ATLAS

RECORD breckenridge-distillery-breckenridge-bitter · EVIDENCE GRADE B · UNCLAIMED · LAST VERIFIED 2026-07-05

Breckenridge Distillery

Breckenridge · United States · 39.482, -106.038

REGION: north americaTRADITION: World amaroEST. 2008WEBSITE ↗

ZONE 01 — VERIFIED FACTS

ABV
36% ABV (72 proof)A·1
Price (producer site)
$28.99A·1
Producer description
"Hand-harvested alpine herbs mingle with ancient bitter roots and spicy dried fruits"A·1
Award
Best in Show, 2014 New York World Wine and Spirits CompetitionA·1
Distillery founding
Founded 2008; a founder surnamed Nolt is quoted on the company's about page (full name/title not confirmed this pass)A·7
Location
1925 Airport Road, Breckenridge, Colorado 80424; marketed as the 'World's Highest Distillery' (specific altitude figure not confirmed this pass)A·7
Product range context
Range also includes Aquavit, spiced rum, tequila (Casa Breck) and a non-alcoholic 'Mock One' line alongside bourbon, vodka and gin; Breckenridge Bitter is not the sole non-standard-spirit productA·2

ZONE 02 — AI-COLLATED SUMMARY

AI-ASSISTED · FROM GRADED PUBLIC SOURCES

Breckenridge Bitter is a 36% ABV aperitif bitter made by Breckenridge Distillery, a craft distillery in Breckenridge, Colorado founded in 2008 and marketed as the world's highest distillery. It is built from hand-harvested alpine herbs, unnamed bittering roots and spiced dried fruit for a bittersweet, aromatic profile, and won Best in Show at the 2014 New York World Wine and Spirits Competition. Specific claims from earlier research describing it as 'Italian aperitif style' and naming gentian and genepi as bittering agents could not be reconfirmed against the live producer site or secondary sources during this verification pass and have been downgraded accordingly.

AI-collated from the graded sources below; operator review pending. Botanical specificity and style-framing claims were downgraded this pass after failing re-verification — see source s1 note.

ZONE 03 — PRODUCER-SUBMITTED NOTES

This record is unclaimed. This space opens to the producer when they claim it. Producer claiming is coming soon.

PRODUCTS ON RECORD

Breckenridge Bitter

36% ABV · 750ML

BOTTLE IMAGE
ADDED BY THE PRODUCER

SUBCATEGORY aperitivoRING coreTRADITION World amaroSELF-IDENTIFIED “Aperitif bitter”

A spirit-based aperitif bitter from Breckenridge Distillery in the Colorado Rockies. Hand-harvested alpine herbs are combined with unspecified bittering roots and spicy dried fruits, producing a bittersweet, aromatic liqueur bottled at 36% ABV. Won Best in Show at the 2014 New York World Wine and Spirits Competition. The producer markets it as an aperitif bitter; earlier research associated it with an 'Italian aperitif style' framing and named gentian and genepi as bittering agents, but neither claim could be reconfirmed on the live producer page or any secondary source during this verification pass, so both are now treated as unconfirmed.

BOTANICAL MATRIX — 5 GRADED EDGES

  • Gentian · unconfirmed bittering agent (previously flagged as principal; no current source names it)A·1
  • Rocky Mountain genepi (genepy) · unconfirmed bittering agent, alpine wormwood (previously flagged as principal; no current source names it)A·1
  • Alpine herbs (unspecified, hand-harvested) · aromatic baseA·1
  • Bittering roots (unspecified) · bitterness baseA·1
  • Dried fruits (unspecified, spiced) · sweetness/spice balanceA·1

DESCRIPTORS

  • bittersweet ▮▮▮▮▮A·1
  • aromatic ▮▮▮▮▮A·1
  • alpine/herbal ▮▮▮▮▮A·1
  • old-world/spiced ▮▮▮▮▮C·6

SERVES

Breckenridge Bitter Spritz

producer
  • · Breckenridge Bitter
  • · Soda water or prosecco
  • · Ice
  • · Citrus garnish

Build over ice and top with soda or sparkling wine, garnish with citrus, in keeping with the brand's aperitif-bitter positioning.A·1

On the rocks

canonical
  • · Breckenridge Bitter
  • · Ice

Serve neat over ice as an aperitif, per the producer's stated aperitif-bitter positioning.A·1

ZONE 04 — COMMUNITY TASTING NOTES

RESERVED — community notes open in V2 with moderation and bias handling. The contributions ledger is already recording.

ZONE 05 — ASTERLEY EDITORIAL NOTE

A North American craft example of the amaro form: not Italian-made, and the producer's own copy stops at 'aperitif bitter' rather than any explicit 'Italian aperitif style' claim, which this record previously over-stated. Alpine botanicals are sourced from the Colorado Rockies, but the specific species (gentian, genepi) named in earlier research could not be reconfirmed on the current producer page and are flagged rumoured pending a source that names them explicitly.

COMMON QUESTIONS

Where is Breckenridge Distillery made?
Breckenridge Distillery is made in Breckenridge, United States, and was founded in 2008.
What style of amaro is Breckenridge Distillery?
On The Amaro Atlas, Breckenridge Bitter is recorded in the core ring, aperitivo subcategory, within the World amaro tradition. The producer describes it as "Aperitif bitter".

SOURCES — A–D GRADED (7)

  1. [1]ABreckenridge Bitter — product page · Breckenridge Distillery · producer-official · accessed 2026-07-05Producer-official product page, re-fetched directly this pass. Confirms 36% ABV / 72 proof, $28.99 price, description 'hand-harvested alpine herbs mingle with ancient bitter roots and spicy dried fruits', Best in Show 2014 New York World Wine and Spirits Competition. Re-fetch found NO mention of 'Italian aperitif style' framing and NO naming of gentian or genepi; these claims from prior research could not be reconfirmed and have been downgraded to rumoured/removed.
  2. [2]ABreckenridge Distillery — Spirits/Products listing · Breckenridge Distillery · producer-official · accessed 2026-07-05Producer product catalogue, re-fetched directly this pass. Confirms Breckenridge Bitter is in the current range at $28.99. CORRECTION: the range also includes Aquavit, spiced rum, tequila (Casa Breck), and a non-alcoholic 'Mock One' line, in addition to bourbon/whiskey, vodka and gin — the prior draft's claim that bitter/bourbon/vodka/gin were the only categories is incorrect and has been removed.
  3. [3]BBreckenridge Bitter · Distiller.com · database · accessed 2026-07-05Secondary spirits database listing corroborating product identity. Direct re-fetch during this pass returned HTTP 403 (blocked); retained as a corroborating source from prior verified discovery research, not independently reconfirmed this pass.
  4. [4]CBreckenridge Bitter, Amaro · Craft Competition · press · accessed 2026-07-05Competition/press listing, re-fetched directly this pass. Confirms 'aperitif bitters, amaro' categorisation and the same generic ingredient description (alpine herbs, bitter roots, dried fruits) as the producer page. Does not name gentian, genepi, or 'Italian aperitif style'.
  5. [5]CBreckenridge Distillery Bitter · Wooden Cork · database · accessed 2026-07-05Retailer/database listing corroborating product identity and category. Not independently re-fetched this pass; retained from prior research.
  6. [6]CBreckenridge Bitter Liqueur · Suds and Spirits · press · accessed 2026-07-05Independent review, re-fetched directly this pass. Confirms the 2014 Best in Show award and 'exquisite aperitif bitters' tasting description; lists price at $33.99 (retailer variance from producer's $28.99). Does not name gentian, genepi, or 'Italian aperitif style'.
  7. [7]AAbout Us · Breckenridge Distillery · producer-official · accessed 2026-07-05Producer-official company page, re-fetched via alternate URL this pass (original store.breckenridgedistillery.com/pages/about-us returned HTTP 402 and could not be re-verified at that path). Confirms founding in 2008, a founder named 'Nolt' quoted on quality philosophy (full name/title not given on this page), address 1925 Airport Road, Breckenridge, Colorado 80424, and 'World's Highest Distillery' positioning (no specific altitude figure given on this page; the 2,926m figure from the prior draft could not be reconfirmed this pass and has been omitted pending a source that states it explicitly).

A producer-official / regulatory · B reputable published · C secondary · D community/unverified