golden

Thanks Goat! I figured that direct sales aren't a great option in NC. I emailed the planning depart. in Wilmington to see if a bar/restaurant attached could serve mixed/single drinks as long as it is clearly separated from the distillery. Im looking at some undeveloped land that I could build pretty much from the ground up.

Good stuff. Interestingly, an article was posted 6 days ago about Wilmington and distilleries and it looks like a distillery called High Tide applied for a change in zoning and it was accepted. http://portcitydaily.com/2015/07/06/new-legislation-city-ordinance-aim-to-jump-start-craft-distillery-businesses-in-wilmington/. Looks like they are planning to do something similar to what I had in mind (Vodka, Gin, Bourbon, Rum vs Vodka, Tequila, Gin). Downtown Wilmington isn't very big so our business would be in pretty direct competition. They also have a pretty good head start as I won't even begin the zoning/application/permit process till next year and from the looks of it they have been going at Wilmington for a couple years. Thanks for the summary of the NC ABC process. I think I get the concept and will review the specifics. I think one of the stronger parts of my business plan is the marketing/advertising section as this is my forte, and I'll be looking for a partner for the finance side of things.

Hmm, interesting information. In response to JustAndy, the import side of things would solely be tequila, with gin being the focus and vodka being a more supplemental product for the distillery. I'm not particularly interested in making a dent in the vodka "game". In response to Lassiter, what I'm concerned with is the length of time between getting approved for operations and achieving actual sales. I haven't really looked in depth at the regulations and don't understand the main concept of how distribution works in NC, but in a general sense it seems more difficult than states that allow direct sales and distribution.

Hello fellow distillers, For the past few months I have been drawing up business plans and have been searching around for some information that I think may be better answered from a personal prospective. As a quick background, I am running an import tequila/gin and vodka distillery. My plan runs on the idea that I probably won't be able to finance much more than a tasting room, and wont be able to rely heavily on foot traffic. Due to a myriad of reasons, my plan to set-up shop has been nailed down to two very different areas, Salem/Corvallis region of Oregon or Wilmington/New Hanover region of North Carolina. I have been reading around about North Carolina's state run liquor stores and have read a few posts indicating the challenge of starting in a state-controlled distribution state. On the positive side, I know that the craft distillery market in NC is nowhere near as saturated as Oregon. In Oregon, I see the opposite problem of having relatively easier distribution but there are many more craft distilleries. Any personal advice from either coast would be much appreciated as I haven't put roots down in either place.