Good morning,
Some of your assumptions are a little off, but in general the approach you're thinking of taking has some merit in this industry. This approach is "Start a Brand, make sure it actually sells and makes money, and THEN build out a distillery to continue operations once I'm cash positive".
On the whole, this approach has just about the same ratio of success/failure as any new business, but does have a lower CAPEX expenditure and thereby a smaller amount of money to potentially lose.
However, the big issue is the sales. If you're intending to keep your day job, this model might take off some of the production work, but here are the things that will still occupy your time:
Processing and Bottling operations: You'll be dumping, proofing barrels for bottling. Running a bottling line. Following all the CFR guidelines for Proof and Fill Checks, record keeping etc.
You'll still have to have a DSP: Even if you're not distilling, in order to store barrels, fill and label bottles, etc, you'll still have to get a DSP and follow all of the record keeping and just day-to-day work of running a DSP...even one without a mash/ferment/still operation.
Sales: 50% of your time should be spent on sales....as if you're FTE. So...keep your day job, run a non-distilling DSP, and set aside 20 hours a week to call on accounts to buy your products.
Please don't read this as pooping in your punchbowl. I want you to open and make a lot of booze and join our community of distillers. You just may want to revisit some of your core assumptions. Quick new mantra....."You're opening a marketing company that happens to make hooch". Or mantra 2, "Concentrate on selling the 2nd bottle, selling the first is easy".
Good Luck,
McKee