Northern Waters

I've worked with Paul and Susan (Southern Highlander) for years and they've been my consistent source. Easy solution!

Absolutely - do it!

We did a few batches using 1 gallon syrup for every 14 PGs whiskey.

They have definitely gotten harder to insert lately as we still do by hand. I was actually more suspicious of the bottles as Piramal Glass moved from Missouri to India. But hearing this at least confirms I'm not the only one with this issue.

Packaging Logistics is a great company with lots of options. https://packlogic.com/

It's fantastic - give it a try! I'd concur on aging in a used cask but the unaged spirit was fantastic. We've done it with rye as well.

Look up Ink360 out of Southern WI - have been working with them for years and they are great!

80-Gallon Oil Jacketed "Bain Marie" still. 4 Plates plug dephlegmator. Electrical control box included, allowing for two elements with variable control heating plus one "on/off" element. Purchased in 2014 from Affordable Distillery Equipment and used for 5-years before we upgraded to a new facility. Also have a second stainless column we used to use for stripping runs. The union at the bottom of the condenser may need replacing as it is difficult to thread on the parrot properly, but otherwise worked great for us for five years. $5,000 FOB 54548

Anyone else use this unit? Opinions? Thanks!

Looking to buy approximately 120 of the 375 ML Flask glass bottle and closure (5 Cases of 24). If you have a few you would like off your hands please let me know!!! Thanks!!!

We have been making our standard corn mash consisting of 80% corn flour, wheat, and malt for about 6-years. It's real consistent - 200-gallons, starting Brix at 20 and finishes dry in less than 4-days. Temp peaks at about 90*F in 24-hours and gradually drops as the ferment progresses. A couple weeks ago we got some corn from a local farm to try out. Was milled more like cornmeal so a little less fine than normal. Last week in 24-hours temps spiked to 96*F - and with that ferments was complete in about 48-hours. Stripped out with typical yields and flavor of the spirit run was also normal. We mashed again two days ago and the same thing - spiked temps and fermented dry in 48-hours. At first glance seems like a good thing. Any downsides, concerns from that hot and that fast of a ferment? Thanks in advance for any input!

We have used a system called Toast for a little over a year now and like it a lot. We pay about $120/month and paid for some of the hardware at the start as well. Two POS units - both touchscreen with a cash drawer and receipt/ticket printer at each terminal. Back of the house is pretty good too. It's a restaurant system but adapts pretty well to what we do, especially on the cocktail side of things...….. They process the credit cards (it averages 2.9% which is deducted daily) and it deposits the next day. I don't recall that we have any long term contract - probably because we purchased hardware.

I can validate what our legendary Mr. Dunbar said and that our OCD will remain challenged. I called daily and left messages every other day, finally getting a live agent today on the other end. As my experience with TTB help has been, although challenging to get someone on the line, once you do they are VERY well trained and helpful. Her response today was that while TTB is aware of this request, and it exists on their tech side wish list, it is far from a priority. The hanging amendments only display on our individual dashboards and not on their end. Out of sight and out of mind to them. Maybe someday but for now we cannot fix that...…….

I have a message into them as we speak about the same thing. Waiting to hear back but will reply if they do!

We purchased a 250-gallon Mash Tun Stripping Still this winter after working with Paul on our startup equipment 5-years ago. We run it 6-days a week with great results. You can literally pick up the phone and talk to him, as well as his guys that work for him. Best of luck Paul as the biz continues to grow!

I've was taught to use a 2% - 3% solution but I would also be curious to hear what others do, including what the pH reads at that rate. Thanks!

I was dealing with similar issues and ended up shooting them a request via email. Within a day I got a response from someone who was able to let me know which of my ideas were acceptable for use in alcohol production and which ones were not. Be prepared to send them the scientific name of any species but in my one experience I found them to be quick to respond and very helpful. Plus I had their approval in writing!

Northern Waters Distillery has expanded its operation and is seeking an entry-level distiller to join our team. This is a salaried, full-time position assisting the Lead Distiller in all aspects from production and bottling to cleaning and record-keeping. Specific Responsibilities · Once trained, execute the distillery’s particular methods of milling, mashing, fermentation, distilling, warehousing, record keeping, and cleaning, among other duties. · Log and maintain detailed records of each phase of distilling for compliance and quality control purposes. · Quality control—judging and maintaining acceptable product quality and standards · Assist in product formulation and development · Take pride in maintaining a clean and orderly distillery at all times. · Represent the brand in a respectful and appropriate manner at all times, both on and off the production floor. Requirements · Must be at least 21 years of age. · Has no alcohol-related offenses on record. · No previous experience with distillation is required, but candidate must be passionate and excited to learn about the production of craft spirits. · Bachelor’s or advanced degree in science preferred. · Must be mechanically inclined with the ability to operate machinery such as pumps, stills, etc. · Must have a flexible work schedule to accommodate production schedule. This includes nights and weekends. · Must be able to safely lift objects in excess of 50 pounds. · Appreciates a dynamic daily workload. · Is looking to make a long-term relationship with an employer. · Enthusiasm and positive attitude. · Strong organizational and time management skills. · Effective communication skills. Interested candidates please email resume and cover letter to peter@northernwatersdistillery.com.

The C-70 sells itself as a fairly versatile yeast although this is the only thing I have ever used it for. It definitely is a pretty clean flavor although that is generally what we prefer. Even after two distillations the warm buttery sugar flavor remains so we have been very happy with it so far. Yes, calcium carbonate can get the pH back up. I also find that adding the DAP also bumps the pH too. Another thing to play with! Dunder is what is left over in the still after distilling your rum ferment. It is often referred to as backset in whiskey production, just that dunder is specific to rum. Dunder contributes to the flavor profile and also helps to lower the pH of the wash.

We worked through a lot of similar challenges on a small scale and finally got a pure cane sugar to work and complete in four days. We tried a variety of yeasts and nutrients, and determined that for pure sugar a LOT of nutrient was necessary. Here is our program - you can scale up from there: Heat 25 Gallons Water (5.0 pH) to 125*F Add 75-LBS Sugar Add additional cold water to cool the wash and bring total volume to 40-gallons Hydrate 90 Grams Fermentis SafSpirit C-70 yeast at 100*F for 20-minutes Nutrients - 250 Grams DAP & 250 Grams Fermentis Prop-Aide Pitch at 95* F and hold ferment at 90*F On the second day the pH drops to near 4.0 so we need to adjust it back up to 5.5. Once we get about 1/3 - 1/2 ferment I add additional DAP. For us, so far so good. We have done this with and without dunder with the same results. Good luck!

I use mostly 15-gallon barrels but have filled as little as 5-gallons in a barrel. The head space has proven not to be any problem at all.....

We have played with many experiments of less than full barrels with no downside. Some folks recommend short-filling barrels for various reasons. Unlike beer and wine that may still be fermenting, your spirit is complete, so set it to whatever proof you want and put it in the barrel!

How about running it two times? Strip of a couple ferments first, put those together, and run them as spirit run. It should be a lot cleaner that second time, and without the plates engaged and dephleg off you can probably stay below 80%.

We have done several batches of this and, although we have only release a couple barrels so far, has been my favorite. We used 85% red wheat and 15% malted wheat, both sourced from Briess. Best of luck!

Bluestar - I asked TTB some similar questions about a month ago and below are their responses. I didn't ask you final question directly but from part of my phone conversation with them we can have a designated space that serves as an alternating premise. For example you could have a bottling room that serves both the DSP as well as the winery. So as I interpreted it, part of the DSP could be an alternating premise in which the winery products could pass. Hope that helps a little. What kind of separation is required between the winery and distillery? The separation must be floor to ceiling with no passable access between the two operations Does it need to be a wall and completely separated space with separate entrances? Yes, unless the main entrance is into a common general area with separate access from that area into each operations that is lockable from the operations side. If we were to ferment wine and later distill it, would that have to be transferred to the DSP with the appropriate forms similar to wine transfers between separate entities? Wine can be transferred from the winery to the distillery, wineries for not have to submit transfer in bond paperwork, but both the winery and the distillery will need to notate their daily records of these transfers. Are we able to operate under the same entity? Yes, a single entity can hold multiple permits (both type and location). Is there anything else unusual beyond the regular winery permit requirements? There is nothing unusual about this type of winery application, unless both the DSP and the winery will be sharing the same space and the same equipment. In that case the original winery application would show that they are an alternating proprietor with the DSP as the host and them as the tenant. If this is the case the DSP will also need to amend their permit for the change to an alternating proprietor with the winery.