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As bluefish says, use weight. For your calculation the only volume you should put into alcodens is 750 mL and the only temperature is 60 f (assuming you are TTB) Also, do not bother measuring the temperature of your bulk spirit. With mass that is irrelevant, and it has confused you because you have put that 73.54 f into Alcodens to calculate the 1072 bottles. 1674.8 lbs should have filled only 1066 bottles at 60 f. You have actually filled 14 more bottles than you should. What you have done is filled the bottles with 750 mL of spirit at 73.54 f instead of at 60 f. There will be less than 750 mL in the bottle which is part of the reason you ended up with extra bottles. Also, throw away that measuring cylinder. For one thing it is calibrated at 20c not 60f. (was the 80 proof you measured at 20 c? ) Parallel sided glass cylinders are not sensitive enough to read to fractions of a mL unless they are very skinny. Even so, I still can't see how your measuring cylinder was 11 mL out. Don't do your volume checks with a measuring cylinder, use weight. 750 mL of 80 proof at standard temperature (US) 60f weighs 712.34g. (in air for TTB calculations only) An easy way I use is to stack say 10 cases of empty bottles with caps on your scale. Fill them all then re-weigh. If they are cases of 6 X 750 mL then the lot should weigh 60 X 712.34 = 47.74 Kg (94.226 lbs) more than when they were empty

Hey Mott- We're just starting up...and with a fresh perspective I can say you've asked a bunch of questions only you guys can answer. Simply going down the path and preparing to risk the capital can really help you focus on what you want to do. You'll hear a whole spectrum of advice - start small, start big, only do this or do that! Write a business plan on your top spirit that YOU want to make, and let it go from there. It will help you see what it really costs and how much time it will take before you see a return. If I were in a nice agricultural area, I'd see if I could find a good location with lots of tourist traffic. Check zoning, building codes, fire regulations, local acceptance among stakeholders, etc first. If you can endure that set of special headaches and still want to do it....that's a good test. Visit every distillery you can in a multi state area and talk to them about how they did it. Good luck!

I know other PA distilleries that have done exactly that, but it seems its a gray area. I just called and spoke with the PLCB asking if we can deliver or if we can apply for a licensed Transporter for Hire in order to deliver. The lady I spoke with read from the sheet she has that lists the "rights" of a limited distillery holder, and her sheet specifically states that we are allowed to "remove and deliver" product. She did not think I would need to apply for a licensed Transporter for Hire, but had no specific ruling or code section to back that up and suggested I submit for a legal advisory before trying to apply for the licensed Transporter for Hire..

I haven't spent a whole lot of time reviewing the PA laws, but I suspect it would be easier for us to have setup just north of the border in NY state than in NJ. Most of NJ municipalities have been known to be sticklers when it comes to building, construction, commercial codes. I've toured many distilleries across the US, and based on what I've experienced here, and known from other ventures, they would have never been approved in that manner here. NJ is made up of 565 municipalities, each one run like it's own little political kingdom, with it's own officials and inspectors looking to protect their turf. If you do set up on this side of the river, I suggest you spend time groveling before these kings until you find one sympathetic to your cause, because fighting them afterwards will be costly and time consuming. Sounds a bit harsh, but NJ is just not welcoming to small business, these guys would fall all over themselves to help a billion dollar company set up shop, because it means advancing their careers. Little guy? You are a bother. I've lived in NJ nearly 40 years. Other issue on this side of the river are property taxes, which are going to impact you whether you buy or lease, this is especially the case if you are looking at a triple net lease here in Jersey, be sure to fully burden that rate when comparing to PA. Comparing gross to gross, it's going to be more expensive out here. PA is a control state, NJ is not, understand what it means to do business in both. Not sure if you are planning on being around the 78 or 80 corridors, but I believe there is someone setting up shop in Philipsburg (Nick Piperata). Also, Teton Vodka posted some news about another new startup in the Rockaway area (80 corridor). There are a number of new startups coming to the table. At this pace, NJ is going to lead the country in distilleries per capita in the next 3 years, no foolin. I've also been trying to organize those who I know of into a NJ distillers guild of sorts, but everyone is too busy trying to build a business to do anything about that. Shoot me a message, seems you are close enough to meet up for a beer or two.

My feeling is if you have the money and tools to test the water sooner or later your going to find fish (hehe) I crack myself up. I can see pros and cons to both sides of the coin. My feeling is small batch whiskey is more collector friendly. I also understand that volume helps consumers adjust to your new products. The last thing any small distillery needs is empty shelf space. I think this is a balancing act. if your in the camp that wants to build one thing (GOOD) just remember that innovation is the mother of all new business If your in the camp that wants to build lots of new spirits (GOOD) just remember that brand recognition is the mother of your bottom line.