How We Started

Shelter Distilling came to fruition naturally. It was the shared vision of a legend in snowboarding with proven business acumen and two of the brightest minds in craft brewing.

It began with a fateful coffee beer collaboration. Matt Hammer turned from professional snowboarding to coffee roasting and opened the popular Black Velvet Coffee in Mammoth Lakes. Jason Senior and Karl Anderson were in the same town, winning awards for their craft beer. They produced one successful coffee beer after another. Not only did they become fast friends, but they realized their talents also extended into the world of distilling.

In 2017, we (meaning Matt, Karl and Jason) opened the doors to Shelter Distilling in Mammoth Lakes, California.

Our Vision

Adventure brought us together as friends, snowboarding in Mammoth Lakes. But our business partnership was formed out of a shared appreciation for great spirits.

We have seen how one-of-a-kind spirits can evoke the same thrill as a day on the mountain. We find adventure in the moments all around us: in the smell of handpicked pine and the first sip of an agave cocktail that is entirely California-grown. It's not just a vision for how we run our business, but how we live our lives.

And we all still snowboard.