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Showing content with the highest reputation since 03/29/2023 in all areas

  1. Congrats on your new role! That is awesome. Goodness....things I wish I knew earlier...is there a character limit on these posts?? haha. Making whiskey is the fun and romantic part about the business. Selling it is the hard part. It is a hell of a lot easier to scale a distillery than it is distillery sales. Understand your weaknesses and hire people that are better than you. People have been doing this for thousands of years. Good Lord, there aren't hardly any secrets so let people take pictures in your distillery! None of our brands, technicques, tactics, etc haven't been done before. "Unique" ideas you think you have don't make money; proper execution of a plan makes money. Learn how to say "no" and not feel bad about it. If it doesn't feel right for you or your business, use those 2 little letters together. Sometimes it's harder than it sounds. If it doesn't make sense, it proabaly doesn't make cents; and if it doesn't make cents, it doesn't make dollars. Make sure to take care of your house before you take care of someone else's. For God's sake, DON'T LET ANYONE EFF UP THE TTB REPORTING! It really isn't that hard, just +'s and -'s. Dot every i and cross every t as soon as an event happens. It's about attention to detail, not bookkeeping. Don't put it off and fall into the trap of "I'll get that later". The more PGs that go out the door, the bigger the magnifying glass. Make sure that when you delegate that responsibility, you trust, but verify. It's your butt on the line. Make sure there is redundancy in your system...not just the production equipment...people too. Cross-training is super important. If you lose a key person that is the only subject matter expert in your organization, how do you recover? A lesson that I am still learning: your time is your currency and you can't ever make any more of it. Spend it wisely. There are plenty of days you can find a reason to stay at the distillery until the wee hours of the morning. The truth is that the work will still be there when you get back in the morning but those hours won't be. Days go slow and years go fast. People talk about work-life balance and that is unbelieveably hard to find in a new distillery. Make sure you understand where that teeter-totter tips for you, your family, and your company. The point won't be the same for all 3 and it's up to you balance it. Most importantly, and you already know this, it's all about people. It took me far too long to realize that this business is ALL about relationships. I think that's enough for now. Probably time to go grab another glass of bourbon and prophesize a bit more! haha. Congrats again and great post! Making the post alone says a lot about you. Cheers!
    3 points
  2. This is NOT a paid post - I just wanted to let everyone know how much appreciate the way Larry and his team do business. We've used StillDragon equipment ever since we started production in 2016. While you can spend a lot more, we've produced the 2023 Best Small Batch Bourbon <5Yrs at San Francisco on their 4 plate columns mounted on a second-hand jacketed tank. Despite us being one of their smallest (and cheapest) customers they've stood by us with hand holding and advice every step of the way. We're what you might call a "High Maintenance" customer! We haven't even spent that much with them because we get most of our equipment off auction or used. They still make time to quote anything we need, sell us great quality for almost nothing compared to Vendome or Specific, and Larry knows as much about distilling as anyone I've ever met. On Saturday we were doing a mash and we ended up overloading the gearbox on our mash cooker/stripping still, which started shooting out smoking oil. Now Larry had only sold us the gearbox and seal assembly, so this was not a huge purchase, and the sale was 2+ years ago. I called Larry panicking around 11am on a SATURDAY, and he immediately sprang into action to help us figure out what was going on, how we could get this to limp through the mash, and how to get a replacement if needed, which he quoted within 30 minutes after making sure he had the replacement gearbox on the floor. He even provided a procedure for changing it out if we needed to. This overload was OUR FAULT (staff forgot to add Alpha-Amylase), but Larry never once suggested that we were on our own, this was too much trouble, or he'd get back to us Monday. He treated this like a warranty situation until we figured it out, and even then he offered us the parts for an incredibly reasonable replacement price with immediate shipping. If you want to work with a company that stands behind their customers, goes above and beyond, and genuinely makes you feel like you're not out there alone, buy their equipment. They're genuinely interested in long-term relationships with customers. If I'm buying new stuff - it's StillDragon 100%.
    3 points
  3. So I believe I was able to find a solution to the problem I was having. As I was comparing old (good) corks with new (bad) corks, I noticed the old ones felt a bit softer. So I purchased a durometer hardness tester and checked the actual hardness of the stoppers. The new stoppers were measurably harder/stiffer. After Tapi looked into it again they did confirm the material can have different density from the plant, and said we can specifically request a lower density stopper. So we had them run a new batch of lower density stoppers, and so far they seem to be working normally like they used to.
    3 points
  4. I doubt anyone would say anything unless you brought it up. Barrels don't have tri clamps so you're not likely using them in every application anyways. Tri clamps are cheap and terribly convenient and useful though, so I don't why you wouldn't want them in as many places as possible. Avoid a wild hose spaying 100p spirit all over your DSP once and it's payed for itself.
    2 points
  5. Search 1.5" tri clamp butterfly valve internal seal, along with the brand name. Call TCW they are good at answering questions and will find you the right hose.
    2 points
  6. That's the one! Aaron added some awesome equipment to the lot. Cooker, heat exchanger, and centri-sifter look awesome. Not going to lie....thought about buying it back but when I mentioned it to the war department (my wife 😜), I was met with a resounding "eff-you!" 🤣
    2 points
  7. Trying again to post a sketch of my continuous stripping still
    2 points
  8. The Primera AP550 is the one to use: https://www.primera.com/ap550-flat-surface-label-applicator-config.html Sometimes Primera even offers reconditioned units for those who need to economize, but you just need to get on a call list when they become available. Good luck!
    2 points
  9. I have used RangeMe to get into the AAFES system (AAFES requires it). RangeMe is an absolute fucking scam of the worst order. The VA somehow allowed them to be the gatekeeper for veteran-related/certified businesses and the bullshit they pull is absolutely shameful. They want thousands of dollars to 'accommodate' 'introductions' to buyers. Fuck that. That's what your distributor does (when you lean on them). RangeMe is zero value added. They will collect your sensitive personal and business data. You will be absolutely hounded with calls and emails for the privilege. If I wasn't clear before, i am now: I hope they all die in a fire, and whoever empowered these assholes to do what they do for veteran businesses should do so as well.
    2 points
  10. We are in a very different market but and we run 4 stills now 2 from a well known Chinese manufacturer, one euro and one American. I would disagree about the Chinese products we run them flat out 5 days a week and have done for over 3 years and they havent missed a beat and have always been very helpful with parts/ gaskets etc. The best advice I was given before we got in the game was that the still is the least important part of the equation, its what goes into the still thats important.....just my 2 cents:)
    1 point
  11. 1 point
  12. Some photos of equipment that we have completed in the last few weeks.
    1 point
  13. He's just purchasing some now so I won't have a report for a while.
    1 point
  14. Household paraffin wax is food-grade rated, so flavor taint will not happen. The cooper's traditional sealing compound is beeswax, however. First, heat the croze (the groove in the body of the barrel where the head meets) all the way around with a heat gun, then apply molten wax at the intersection of heading and the croze.
    1 point
  15. I understand Apple Brandy to not require oak vessel aging or an age statement. Time in a non-oak vessel (barrel) will not count towards an age statement and the usage of staves requires a label disclosure. DISCLOSURE “COLORED AND FLAVORED WITH WOOD _________” (insert chips, slabs, extracts, etc., as appropriate) is required on labels to indicate treatment with wood · APPLICATION Applies only to whisky and brandy treated – other than through contact with oak containers – with wood: In any manner or form, either directly or indirectly, e.g., chips, slabs, extracts, etc. nAt any point during the production or storage process, up to and including the time of bottling
    1 point
  16. What pressure is the gas line ie: low, medium or high? If it is medium or high pressure you have plenty. If it is low pressure, how far are you from the meter and could you upsize the piping from the meter into your space. I don't know where you are located, but here in Illinois gas is way cheaper.
    1 point
  17. First off, Southernhighlander is your guy. They sell the best gear for fair prices and the service for my system has been great. All I can tell you is our journey. I purchased a 250 gal still and ran it as an electric bain-marie as well as mashing in the still. I did that for a few years. Then I purchased a steam boiler and converted the still over to steam and bought a mash-tun. This year we are going to buy a 1000 gallon stripping still and use the 250 for spirit runs. So the 250 was a really good tool for us to grow. Year one we did about 25 barrels (1600 PG) last year we did 200 barrels (12,000 PG) on that same still. Next year with 1000 gal striping still and 250 gal spirit still we should have the capacity to make about 600 barrels. The biggest thing I would have changed is to go steam from the start and buy a bigger boiler than you need now. What I spent to get the electric up to snuff was about half of what a good boiler would have cost. Don't go into a building that does not have gas. I know a couple of other distillers who use propane and the cost is crazy. Happy to chat by phone, but Southernhighlander is about the best vendor I've dealt with at this level.
    1 point
  18. BENDT Distilling Co. is seeking a Distiller to support all aspects of whiskey production. Responsibilities range the entire spirit production process and include assisting in grain selection, fermentation, distillation and barrel aging. The ideal candidate should possess the following profile: Passion for craft whiskey Understanding of equipment used throughout the distillation process - grain mills, mash tun, corn cooker, fermentation tanks, spirit stills, etc. Knowledge of and experience with the fermentation process Understanding of quality controls and assurance measures for beverage packaging Experience with warehousing operations, including forklift operating experience Ability to troubleshoot and resolve mechanical and/or process issues throughout the production process Organized with a meticulous attention to detail Understanding of raw material procurement and inventory management best practices Main responsibilities: Assist with day to day production operations as a member of our production team in alignment with state and federal regulatory requirements and industry best practices Document production activities and quality measures in operation logs and Distillery Management software Assist with production process improvements to achieve higher efficiencies and cost savings Meet quality controls and improve quality assurance measures Assist with research and development initiatives Manage raw material procurement to ensure material continuity and lower procurement cost Qualifications: 2+ years relevant industry experience Strong problem solving skills Be able to lift up-to 60 lb. on a consistent basis and stand for extended periods Work from heights and in confined spaces, with variable temperatures up to 100 degrees Fahrenheit Ability to work multiple shifts as needed for production scheduling, to include second shift as well as occasional weekends Must be 21+ and have reliable transportation to/from the distillery What Bendt Distilling Co. can offer you: An opportunity to work in a fun and fast-growing team within the craft distilled spirits industry Fantastic career development potential, paid time off and available benefits The chance to join a driven and enthusiastic environment with amazing team spirit Job Type: Full-time Salary: From $45,000.00+ per year, based on experience Benefits: 401(k) Dental insurance Employee discount Health insurance Paid time off Vision insurance Experience: Brewing or Distilling: 2 years (Preferred) Work Location: In person Please send resume to jacob@bendtdistillingco.com, or feel free to contact for more information
    1 point
  19. I am not gonna start chasing obscure codes and a lot of it is going to depend on where you are and if they blindly accept IBC/IFC or a hybridized version of them or something else completely but I think ultimately this is going to come down to 1) where you are in the country and 2) the individual spaces rating and overhead clearance. For instance I believe you could stack 6 high in the right place with the right racks (h3 room with XP fixtures) but I think you could probably do 5 or maybe even 6 high in the right room as well, for instance if you had enough clearance to be more than 5/6 feet from a non XP light fixture in an s1 or similar space. End of day the cheapest answer (if you don't get caught) is to do what you want but the best answer which is often cheapest down the line and actually legal is to get a variance to accommodate the storage that you want that best fits the reality of the limitations of the physical space you're in. Very few people on here have dotted their iOS and crossed their ts on ETOH storage compliance, and ultimately they're fine as long as no one ever comes knowing to check, with growth of industry in last few years we are bound to see some failures in facilities pretty soon that will lead to more scrutiny for compliance. I recommend to anyone who will listen, there's only one way to do things and thats the right way the first time.
    1 point
  20. You could use it as a base for most any kind of "distilled spirits specialty" product. Think cocktails/RTDs, seltzers, liqueurs, amaro, aquavit, bitters. You can also use it as a base for Distilled Gin (but not Compound Gin, which requires neutral > 190). Finally you can bottle it as-is and it'll fall under Distilled Spirits Specialty with a Statement of Composition - something like "Spirits Distilled from Sweet Potato".
    1 point
  21. For smaller folks: we use this one: https://www.premier1supplies.com/detail.php?prod_id=49688 No issues with anything we've put in it - corn - etc. It goes well with corn, with everything else it's fast. It'll do 50lbs of corn in 10 minutes or less. It does make some dust. It's a minor pain to set up as the safety pressure sensor locks are temperamental. Just be careful with the feed. Start it closed then slowly open the feed. It will not start with grain in the chamber. We use the 2.5mm screen. We get really good conversion with it.
    1 point
  22. This is an interesting little read. https://www.mcbrayerlegacyspirits.com/2021/04/02/the-letter-behind-the-legacy-how-we-discovered-our-mash-bill/
    1 point
  23. The odds of you finding a vendome for sale used smaller than 500 gallons is minuscule at best unless you scour this site and every other avenue daily for the next 18 months. I have seen 3 Vendome pots come up for sale in the last 12 months only one of them was under 500 gallons. Vendome didn't invent the still, they've just been phenomenal metal workers for ages. They produce a very specific honed and amazing set of machines but even the cheapest spray cans make art worth millions, you don't always need to paint with a horsehair brush.
    1 point
  24. I purchased my hammer mill through Pellet Masters http://www.pelletmasters.com/products/#hammermill I have the #198 5.3 Hp single phase. it has a fan built in and the unit has worked great for me. I ferment and distill on the grain. I mill all my grains: corn, wheat, rye, barley, oats, millet. etc down to the consistency of flour as I have no need to lauter and my equipment is not set up to lauter.
    1 point
  25. As I seasoned brewer, but novice distiller, I have seen dozens of systems in place for grain handling, I would suggest the following.... Pneumatic - Less "damage" to the material being transported (more important with lautering barley mashes). Noisy and typically costly. Can be dusty if used with fine ground material, but not always. Usually works with few issues and minimal maintenance. Usually a better solution for larger operations. Screw Auger - A bit more damage to the material, but economical and relatively easy to install. Can have issues moving all of the finely ground materials depending on the elevations, etc. Not bad on maintenance, but can bind/buckle if not installed properly. Usually a good compromise for most operations. Cable/Chain Disc - Less damage to the material, but a bit bulkier/more complex to install. It moves most all material cleanly due to a cellular/peristaltic type design. Can be finicky on alignments and maintenance, sometimes. Works great for in-line additions of materials (blending). A relatively cheap option may be a "gran suction machine" from China....Its basically a small screw auger with a fixed or flexible transport tube. Another DIY solution could be a leaf blower with PVC fittings - "corn blower". Standard disclaimer, don't forget that grain dust is extremely flammable/explosive, and is just as dangerous as high proof spirits. Some may feel differently on this one - For mills, the previous is true. Hammer mills are better for corn, and probably rye and wheat kernels as well, compared to barley - however - this is primarily due to their ability to pulverize and expose the starch for better hydration/enzymatic action. IF you are planning to use exogenous enzymes to help starch conversion, I would suggest a hammer mill offers only the smallest advantage. The design of the hammer mill usually makes it a bit more reliable over long term (commercial-type) usage, where the knurled rollers on a roller mill will need re-worked over a period of time. Either machine is subject to bearings/motors/no grease/etc. Roller mills used to be a more economical option, but the market has leveled some.
    1 point
  26. By the Irish Liquor Lawyer: https://irishliquorlawyer.com/liquor-industry-insights/is-blocking-dtc-shipping-really-the-solution/ There must be a New York shipping bill floating around the horizon, because there are letters coming out against direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping in full force. Robert’s Kent, who was General Counsel of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy under Joe Biden, wrote a piece about the dangers of DTC manufacturing shipping. What we don’t know, since it is not disclosed, is if he wrote this as a concerned disinterested third-party, or is hired by someone. But since he has written on addiction issues before and served in government roles on important issues related to substance abuse, I think he is sincerely in the right place. I want to address some of his points he makes, because I believe his editorial piece in the Times Union, may have missed the mark. Mr. Kent claims that direct shipping is a dangerous idea and poses a threat to public health and breaks down protections to prevent underage drinking. The truth is out-of-state wine manufacturers have shipped into New York for nearly twenty years and there is no evidence to support these claims on the dangers of alcohol shipping. He goes onto state that because 1 in 6 persons report excessive alcohol use, we should not expand access to alcohol in New York. Does this mean he believes we should maintain a moratorium on brick-and-mortar licenses and not open businesses serving alcohol in New York, or does he believe only DTC shipping alone creates this problem? Remember it is easier to access readily available alcohol at bars, restaurants, and grocery stores, instead of waiting numerous days for your alcohol shipment to arrive. Mr. Kent goes onto claim that shipping alcohol creates an unregulated and unsupervised channel for more alcohol. The opposite is true, wineries shipping into New York require a permit to ship and are required to provide the State of New York with monthly reports on wine shipments. If distiller shipping is legalized, they would follow the same process. Not legalizing DTC shipping will create more of a black market, legalizing it will create less of a black market. That is true for about anything in life. Next, Mr. Kent claims that a Massachusetts study supports the position that shipping alcohol makes it easier for minors to obtain alcohol. In this study 40% of the time there was no adult signature obtained and there were zero request for age verification. What is not mentioned is that none of the individuals whom product was delivered to were minors and a majority were over thirty-five years old. Studies show that minors aren’t purchasing alcohol online, according to the VinoShipper study only .15% of all attempted purchases were made by minors. Why, because to purchase, they would need to use their parents’ credit card, hope their parents don’t notice, and then hope they are home at shipping time and hope the driver doesn’t ask for id. There are many easier ways to get alcohol. Finally, Mr. Kent provides the soft alternative of local delivery and under his viewpoint, local delivery negates the need for DTC shipping and is a safer alternative. He does not recognize why people engage in DTC with manufacturers. The reason being is because they can’t get the product through the three-tier system in their own state. If a New York resident visits a small batch winery or distillery in a far-off state chances are that product is not available in the New York three-tier system. So, Mr. Kent’s alternative option argument fails to satisfy consumer demand. As for local delivery, what are the safeguards against underage access, do the retailers need to provide records and proof to the state that they positively age verified someone? I would believe the record keeping and reporting requirements are less stringent for local delivery than shipping and hence lead to more risk of the type which concerns Mr. Kent. In concluding, since Granholm the New York market has been open to winery shipping, the truth is wine shipping is safe and great for the marketplace. What has worked for the marketplace should be expanded and not restricted. Distillers should have the right to expand their marketplace and consumers should have the right to greater access. Mr. Kent’s heart maybe in the right place, I just disagree with his conclusions and how he gets there. Let’s reform the alcohol space by eliminating the bad and expanding the good, if we all can agree on that, we will have a blessed and happy new year!
    1 point
  27. Hey Al, do you have any of the butyric left? Here's a really cool experiment... take like 50l of some high proof alcohol (higher the better), add like 3ml of if butyric, and slowly (carefully) add a few drops of sulfuric, and give her a stir.... keep doing that until it goes from smelling like blue cheese to fruit. Eventually it'll start to smell like a nondescript fruit candy.... it's crazy!
    1 point
  28. Potential solutions for water impacting esterification efficiency like in a retort still would be to use a column in 100% reflux with sulfuric acid as the catalyst. The higher concentration of alcohol as you ascend the column preserves the esters, which will be trapped in the upper stages of the column (assuming you have sufficient plates and hold up volume). Did a few really fun experiments with Dow Amberlyst 15 esterification catalyst, packing a small column in reflux with slow takeoff.
    1 point
  29. I hear ya. I'll give it a go and post how things turn out. Appreciate all teh advice! the "right to left" factor of the equasion might indeed be an issue. after some adjustmetns. I'm at about 80ml Butyric per 5 gal (X2).
    1 point
  30. Typically It is much easier to only move things to the processing side of things when you are wanting to bottle it. There isn't the same provisions as there are in the storage report for distinguishing the differences between what's there in the bulk or bottled section. Pretty much the way I was taught to do them is, anything you make goes in "production", stuff that's just hanging out in the distillery in bulk form goes into storage, and bottled and tax withdrawn shows up on processing. Its clear that 3 different people generated these forms at 3 different times, they really need to update them. All of the pertinent information could easily be compiled on 1 report sheet.
    1 point
  31. On the hobby side I've used butyric acid from Amazon (search butyric acid high purity compound), with great success. (I don't know if this would pass in the pro world) It stunk for sure, but I didn't think it was as bad as everyone said. Definitely smelly gym clothes and blue cheese, but it was a tolerable funk that didn't linger that long... this very well could be the acid I sourced. Following the Cousins process for a 1000 g/hl AA ester load you need 10% acid in your final thumper/retort, just going off some old chromatography tests I've seen butyric acid esters are at the highest 3% of the total, so I just stuck with that percentage... the good news is you dont need much. For my test, I only wanted around 500 g/hl AA esters, so I cut the percentages down by half and it worked. I definitely got pineapple and young banana esters where I had never gotten them before.
    1 point
  32. The option exists to ferment these bacterially using pure cultures of acids producing bacteria like Propionibacterium Shermanii, Clostridium Butyricum, and other Lactobacilli. Shermanii is what is used to give Swiss cheese its holes. Butyricum is butyric producing strain that does not produce botulinum toxin, often used in probiotic supplements in other countries. Lacto needs no introduction. I personally felt these were the 3 'safe' options that could easily be dosed into a fermentation. In terms of sourcing acids. Lactic is obviously the easiest, Propionic would be second, as it's used as a food preservative, Butyric probably third, as it's not necessarily used as a flavoring or additive. Propionic and Buytric stink to high heaven. God forbid you spill some. Get it on your clothes or shoes, just throw them in the garbage, you will not get the smell out, or you will ruin your clothes washer (and everything else in it). Even opening their container is going to have people looking around for vomit and rotten, spoiled food. This is often why glass containers of butyric acid are often used by activists and rioters as stink bombs.
    1 point
  33. Figured out the issue. The internal tight spaces of the bubbler cups were retaining gunk and spilling it out after cleaning when the plates were drying (even after a thorough wash). Disassembling the plates and acid washing the parts did the trick.
    1 point
  34. https://www.reuters.com/business/retail-consumer/dont-shake-or-stir-drinks-firms-push-bottled-cocktails-holidays-2023-12-23/ Some good insights there.
    1 point
  35. Below are some three dimensional drawings of one of our 2500 gallon systems complete with still, mash tun and fermenters. This still will put out 75 gallons of white dog per hour. We have sold several of these 2500 gallon systems with the oldest being in operation for over 3 years now. This customer ordered four complete systems that will put out over 300 gallons of white dog per hour. Pics of the completed systems coming in January.
    1 point
  36. If you don't mind used Ill send you a box of whatever sized fittings you need cheaper than new. If you want to buy new Paul or TCW will have your best pricing.
    1 point
  37. I've worked with Paul and Susan (Southern Highlander) for years and they've been my consistent source. Easy solution!
    1 point
  38. Jason Parker referenced this in his "How a Barrel Works" presentation at ADI 2023 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/352442235_Sources_of_variation_in_bourbon_whiskey_barrels_a_review
    1 point
  39. Immediately upon macerating wormwood vaudevillian people of the night come out as a cacophony of disjointed instruments to Jazz at me like a shot of Malort betwixt propositions of sexual transactions
    1 point
  40. 1) Set up the board game, and start playing 2) For the next 8-12 hours go clean your house, move 50# sacks around, fix your various broken appliances, and measure the density of various liquids and put them into bottles. Occasionally dick around on the internet. 3) Keep detailed records of everything you do for the Government. If the Government gets angry, it will suspend your game. 4) Occasionally check on the game board. If something goes wrong, it explodes and burns your house down. 5) When the game ends, clean up the gameboard and have a drink.
    1 point
  41. I would imagine the easiest way to produce gin in a continuous still would be to take your final alcohol as vapor, as close as possible to your intended final proof, and pass that through a carter-head style vapor extraction process before condensing.. That said, I don't know of many people doing this today, if at all. I've experimented with this process myself, and have found that the ratio of water/ethanol in the vapor feed to the carter head is absolutely critical in getting the right flavor profile for extraction. Passing azeotropic ethanol vapor through botanicals will not yield an ideal extraction - meaning one that is comparable to traditional batch distillation - water vapor is CRITICAL. My approach was to vaporize a combination of two liquid streams - one of ethanol and one of ro/di water, and pass that through a reloadable basket. I used metering pumps to control liquid flow rates to be able to dial in exactly the vapor abv concentration desired. Spend enough time running gin on a batch rig and you'll start to get a good sense of flavor profile over time, which is partially *influenced* by the change in vapor abv through the run. It's also not necessarily a "continuous" process, as you will likely need to reload botanicals multiple times through the run, based on the volume of your carter head/basket. All that said, the approach can create very small footprint gin machine capable of an astronomical production rate.
    1 point
  42. Man, you guys are TOUCHY. The alcohol part is easy peasy, it's hard finding: Platinum to filter vodka through. Diamonds to filter vodka through. An iceberg to melt down to proof the vodka with. Thinking about sending a team of explorers to the north pole to core drill for ice to be used to dilute the vodka. Or maybe some hidden spring in the depths of the Amazon, rumored to be the real fountain of youth. (Note: Not the actual jungle in South America, I'm talking about just buying some bottled water on Amazon.com). Jesus, maybe do both, and filter it through chakra stones, and have a reiki master infuse it with positive energy. And you are calling small producers who redistill GNS charlatans? You've actually seen the market, no?
    1 point
  43. You guys are made of money to be using $12 a pound citric or gallons of Heinz 57. Damn, you probably even use the more expensive squeeze bottle versions too. Meanwhile, the rest of us are stuffing our pockets full at Burger King. I phone up my local chemical supply and walk out with a 50 pound bag of FCC/USP Grade Citric Acid for about $60. No sales tax on that either. Mash Acidification - Check Still Copper Rejuvenation - Check Tricking your 5 year daughter to stick her finger in and taste it - Priceless
    1 point
  44. While much of what Joseph says is, and always was, true (operating capital management, marketing 101), I don't buy the bubble argument for one second. People have been saying the same thing about craft brewing for 20 years. It's still growing in volume nearly 13% year on year. Spirits are just getting started. Millennials re-wrote the markets for craft beer and wine, and they're about to do the same for spirits. They don't have the age statement bias of their parents. They're not afraid of trying new things (would you or I have ever tried a cinnamon whiskey - bleah!) They also crave experiences. So, putting capital into your location and tasting room may be FAR wiser than into name-brand copper in your stillhouse. There's also the international markets that are clamoring to experience US craft spirits. Know what an ounce of Stranahan's goes for in NL? 25€ The tired old shelf space argument never ceases to crack me up. Do you honestly mean to tell me your local liquor store had 10-12 beer coolers back in the 80s? Liquor stores are in the business of selling booze. If there's a market, THEY'LL MAKE SPACE. There's this absurdly tiny liquor store on my way home from work. Not even 500 sq ft. They are incredibly convenient though. I stopped in looking for my go-to beer (Trumer Pils) about a year ago. Of course they didn't carry it. I just mentioned to the owner that I was looking for Trumer. He said "I'll have it here next Tuesday". Now he didn't know me from Adam, but you know what? He somehow made space. Trumer Pils is always there and I pick up a six every week. 250 types of brown spirits? LOL. Have a look at the wine isle and imagine yourself in THAT market. Oh, and they're thriving. Sure, there will be some craft distillery closures. The days of "if I make it, they will come" are over. For every closure though, there will be 2+ more opening. And some of those will actually have a clue about marketing. FFS, High West just cashed out for $160M, selling whiskey they didn't even make!
    1 point
  45. Yes. But... We must always guard against the danger of getting lost in the romanticism of nostalgia. We can respect the old ways and be thankful that we have the ability to stand on the shoulders of giants, but that doesn't mean that we should not push the limits, leveraging new technologies and new techniques, to create new, unique, and better products than our elders had before us. Just because they are the old ways, do not mean that they are the best ways. Don't mistake my words, I'm not saying that a new way is better because it's new, or that an old way isn't the best way. Just like our elders had the responsibility of growing and enriching their craft, so do we. If it means an old way must go, it must go. I believe the old artisans would approve. I'm sure I'm not the only one who reads this article as being condescending. I'm sure it wasn't written to come off as condescending, but it is nonetheless. I admit, it's nice to look back on the good old days. Everything was better back then, wasn't it? Men were men, honesty was a virtue, and someone's word actually meant something. Having studied neuroscience and cognitive psychology for many years, with a focus on emotion, memory, and cognitive bias, I can't help but read these kinds of nostalgic pieces and imagine how much of that retrospection was clouded by biases and flaws (or omissions) in our memories. There is a well known cognitive bias called Rosy Retrospection. Despite the cute name, it's the basis for those feelings of romantic nostalgia we have for the past. However, it also means that perhaps the past was not how we remember. I still remember the taste of the champagne that I sipped after toasting with my wife at our wedding reception, or the taste of that whiskey me and the boys sipped when getting the news that there was a little one on the way, god it was so good. The reality of it is, the good old days weren't. I'm not complaining that our brains have a propensity to fade unpleasant memories, and retain (and even embellish) the good ones. Life would be awful otherwise, wouldn't it? But, the old stories come together, and history is written with these biases. So when we look back, we need to understand that the negatives were probably omitted, and the positives are certainly more positive than they were. So, now we get to the truth, let's be realistic here. Commercial producers, even small ones, have been producing awful spirits for as long as people have been drinking them. You would be remiss to simply assume just because some producer produced something seventy five years ago, it was absolutely fantastic, magical, unparalleled in quality and without compare. Because, you know what, most of it was probably pretty bad. Craft was probably the last thing in many of their minds. Losing a batch to a raging bacterial infection meant your kids going hungry, so they produced it anyway. I've tasted lots of very old product, you know, the kind with fancy scores and reviews, when people fawn over names, and was amazed that after dozens of years your could still taste the fact that they didn't bother to take much of a heads cut, hell, any cut at all. The raw distillate was probably so god awful that it needed 25 years on oak just to be remotely drinkable. What I don't understand is, why make these overly broad, sweeping assumptions about the new breed of craft producers? Yet at the same time paying some kind of religious homage to those who came before? Frankly, neither deserve it.
    1 point
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