chinookpilot77

That looks to be exactly what I'm looking for. Thank you very much for your help!

where are you located please?

I met with an architect today as well as a city building consultant. Both agree that I even though my "use" is technically A-2, due to the tiny size of my tasting room, I'll actually be considered an occupancy code B. This will allow me to avoid sprinklers, AND avoid firewalls between my F1 and B. I have a whopping 1500sqft of awesomeness to work with here, so I'll be fitting 10lbs of sugar in a 5lb bag here pretty soon. hahaI

I'm pretty good at reading regulations...I'm just not sure the "exceptions" in the IBC are common practice or not.

I went to the City of Dallas building inspection office with a floor plan of a space I'd like to lease, to get a ball park estimate of all the things I'd need to make the building code compliant. Some interesting things came up... 1) The inspector I spoke to told me he'd need quantities of all products I'd be storing on site, including malt, corn, and sugar. Should have thought of that, but didn't. He also mentioned only allowing certain quantities per control area...how much sugar/grain are you all storing in one location? I am doing rum, hadn't thought that sugar or molasses storage would be an issue at all. Planned on keeping it in the tasting room area. 2) My space is 2000 sqft. Will be divided into roughly 1/3-2/3...one section will be F-1 or course, the other he said would either be A-2 or B. With B I wont need sprinklers, but I'd only be allowed 735sqft for the tasting room. BUT, I read after our meeting that A-2 has some exceptions where I wont need sprinklers, ie, less than 100 people load, less than 5000sqft, etc. Anyone using that exception as an A-2 with no sprinklers? Before you ask, sprinklers aren't really an option in this location due to cost for the utility work. 3) The space operated as a hair salon and most recently as a smoothie shop until very recently. It only has one bathroom. He told me I'd have to install another bathroom and make them both ADA compliant. If the other two places, esp the smoothie shop, were operating with one restroom, why couldn't I? 4) He mentioned something about dust hazards due to the sugar involved in my process and wanting some report saying the dust was less than 5 microns. This is beginning to sound REALLY fun. All insights appreciated. Thank you.

But thats exactly me question...can I get to Gin, from Rum, without first hitting 190 proof? Do I NEED to hit 190 at some point in this process, or can I go to, say, 170 on the second, vapor infused, spirit run?

I wasnt planning on compounding. I was going to install a gin basket on my pot still...do a stripping run, on my sugar wash, then a spirit run with the botanicals in the basket. Thank you Blue star. Your posts are always very informative.

I've not drank much Gin, or been interested in making Gin as part of my business until I had a few wonderful barrel aged Gins a few nights ago. My business plan and proposed building will be focused primarily on Rum. I will not be making Vodka initially, as I will not have the equipment to do so out of the gate. I do not want to source totes of alcohol from ADM or ultra-pure. The customer base and local "mixologists" in my immediate area are quite educated in distilled spirits and frown on this process. So my question is, is it in compliance to to take a sugar-based spirit, distilled well under 190proof, (ie, Rum), add my juniper, and then call it Gin? I have not read in the BAM or the CFR that it has to come from neutral spirits, just be lead by juniper flavors. However, in the "Distilled Gin" category, it does state that gin is "Distilled from mash". Somehow I doubt that "Juniper Flavored Rum", would sell very well. haha So, I guess my question is how I'd go from Rum, to Gin, and then what category would I be in, ie, Distilled or Re-distilled?

I know I'm playing thread necromancer here, reviving a 3 year old thread...but... The "feedstock" blurb on a Vodka label, ie, "made from grain", "made from potatoes" etc...in the case of Corn Syrup, what would that blurb have to say in accordance with TTB directives? I know of several ethanol producers in Illinois, they make HFCS at the same location, different building. Could the bottle of vodka still state "made from grain" or "made from corn"?

I am fully capable of doing it myself...if local code allowed it!!!

I dont normally drink Gin on a regular basis, but I went to my local drinksmiths today and tried 4 different barrel aged gins, as I was inspired by this thread. All were really good. I was impressed, and will be drinking more aged Gins in the future!

Southernhighlander, sent you a message regarding this still. dbik@yahoo.com or message me here please. Would like some more information about additional options, including oil bath, agitator, etc.

Yep, which is why I go around now to distilleries and dont mention my plans until after the tour is over. I generally ask vague questions, too. Then I buy a bottle of something, you know, because their "time is valuable". ;-)

In Texas, there is a limit to two bottles per customer per month. I was thinking of a POS system that tracked drivers license numbers or something similar. Anyone know of a reasonably priced system that offers such an option? I've heard good things about Square, but didn't know if this was on option with their service. Thank you.

If it makes you feel any better, I recently attended a tasting/tour at a local micro-distillery and asked the owner if I could pick his brain sometime....his face immediately went blank as he went from talking to a customer to a potential rival or something. His words to me were, and I quote "My time is very valuable." While I dont begrudge him for that statement, he did go on to tell me that most start-ups will fail now that the market isn't quite as exclusive, and he would be there to suck up any and all distilleries around him that did fail in what he called "vertical integration". This man is also a veteran and touts it on his brand's homepage. So much for brother's in arms eh? haha If I were you, I'd gladly soak up as much free advice as I could and then filter and sort out what I found as BS or cold hard fact. Its up to you to decide which is which. I think I'd probably make a spreadsheet, AAR style, and look for trends among all your sources. I think, like many here do, that craft distilleries are not competing with one another. I think that craft distilleries are going to create their own sort of micro-tourism just like Napa Valley or the Texas Hill country does with wine (among others) I think Distiller's Row in Portland, OR is a good indicator of that trend. So generally speaking, I think that micro's are better off helping each other than not. That might be why you are seeing some people being free with their knowledge. CW3 Daniel S. Bickett (still serving on active duty)