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swb

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    Virgilina, Virginia

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  1. Hi Carol. Yes, the final label will be done this week! Sharon
  2. Hi Mike. We are approximately 1 hour north of Raleigh, NC and the NC Triangle area...... Thanks for the well wishes! Sharon
  3. Hi Mike. We are approximately 2 1/2 hours from Roanoke, Virginia. Sharon
  4. Hello Everyone! We just received our permits! Virgilina Distilling Company is a four sister-owned farm distillery located in Virgilina, VA. We are growing our own heirloom white corn and using our spring water from our farms. We are also experimenting with home-grown sorghum and molasses. Making fine spirits are a family tradition! Our location is in an old copper and gold mining town right on the border of south-central Virginia and northern North Carolina. We should make our first run next week! The ADI and this forum has been a wealth of information. We would like to thank Cheryl Lins of Delaware Phoenix Distillery in Walton, NY and Scott and Becky Harris at Catoctin Creek Distillery in Purcellville, Virginia for helping us along. Our website is under development, and we are on facebook as Virgilina Distilling Company. We are excited to be a part of the American distilling industry, and if any of you are ever down our way, come by and visit! We should be fully operational in November. Sharon Whitt Burkholder Virgilina Distilling Company
  5. Cheryl does a fantastic job with her "Chillin and Distillin" class at her distillery, Delaware Phoenix Distillery in Walton, NY.
  6. Hello All! Just got back from Cheryl's event - it was FANTASTIC!. A great 4-day conference which is relaxed and hands-on, her distillery is on a scale that the attendee can 'wrap their head around' all the aspects of getting a distillery up and running. Cheryl embraces the traditional methods of making spirits. This conference is a great one for both aspiring distillers and for those who are already up and running. I also had the opportunity to meet fascinating colleagues who were willing to share ideas. I wish that this conference had been the first one that I had attended. Great job, Cheryl! Sharon Virgilina Distilling Company
  7. Ralph - and other forum members, The meeting that I attended today was a Business Roundtable requested by President Obama to Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of the USDA. I was told that there will be several more of these meetings across the nation. Attendees of the meeting were all told that all issues would be taken directly to the White House and would be considered with the Agricultural Policies of the Administration.... I had the opportunity to discuss HR 777 at length, and the Deputy Secretary took notes. I also met Dietra Y. Trent, Ph.D., Deputy State Director with the Office of Senator Mark R. Warner who happens to be from my county - Halifax County, VA. She wanted a copy of HR 777 and the proposal, so I gave her a copy. She has sent me an email inquiring if Senator Warner could do anything to help. Below is an excerpt of the email that I sent back to her: It is my understanding that HR 777 is a House bill, and it has been stalled in the Ways and Means Committee. I have been told that a Senate Bill would be beneficial as well. Would Senator Warner be willing to sponsor something similar in the Senate? To date, there are 6 artisan distillers operating in the state, and George Washington's Mount Vernon distillery is one! There are several pending ABC permits of those planning to do so. The USDA has deemed artisan distilled spirits as an agricultural product. These artisan distillers do not realize economies of scale like the large distilleries. A Federal Excise Tax in line with the FET on microbreweries and small wineries will allow the small distiller to grow their businesses, which will generate jobs and agricultural growth. It is not about the alcohol - it is about jobs and agriculture right here in America! If you read this article from the Wine and Spirits Daily, it is a pretty good description of the deal that Diageo (foreign company) got from the Federal Government on their moving their rum plant from Puerto Rico to the Virgin Islands. http://www.winespiri...ily.php?id=1457 Decreasing the FET on artisan distilled spirits amounts to a drop in the bucket compared to this! I would be happy to discuss this in any way with you further. So - would Senator Warner be able to help? Thanks so much for your interest, Sharon Now, I am not a politician, but I did my best! We'll see what happens next and I am keeping my fingers crossed. If there are any Virginia distillers reading this, please contact Diedra Trent in support of Senator Warner sponsoring a similar bill in the Senate.......
  8. Will do, Ralph. I have printed the proposal from Melkon Khosrovian to give to her. Never hurts to glean support for our efforts! Sharon
  9. Welcome back, Ralph. I had the opportunity to attend the ADI conference last year in Louisville. I came to your marketing presentation, which I must say was great. I have been invited just today to attend a forum at the Virginia Farm Bureau on Monday, July 11. Kathleen Merrigan, the Deputy Secretary of the USDA will be there. This may present an opportunity to for me to help educate the USDA on the artisan distilling industry and HR 777, and possibly glean some support from the USDA. I will certainly do my best to get a minute of her time. I have been told that she will be very interested in our little Virginia distillery and for me to bring any issues to this event on Monday. Maybe I could ask her for a letter of support for HR 777. Do any of you fellow ADI forum members there have any ideas or suggestions that I could communicate to her? Ralph - I remember reading one of your posts - if I remember correctly you said something like "our industry is not about alcohol, it's about agriculture." This is certainly true, and one of the points that I wish to make. We promote agriculture in America, which is what the USDA is about. Of course, I have contacted my Congressman and Senator...... Sharon Virgilina Distilling Company
  10. This can be a deal breaker on a local level, especially if the church gets up in arms over a distillery locating so close by. This happened in the county next to me. The link below is to an article about the Meckenburg County, VA Planning Commission's meeting - the church members showed up to protest. (it is the second topic in the article, so read down) http://vancnews.com/articles/2010/01/08/south_hill/news/news09.txt After the protest, the distillery owners decided not to pursue their plans. Sharon
  11. Just check out last year's Diageo fiasco with the North Carolina ABC board, as reported in the Charlotte Observer. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/01/05/1162037/agents-abc-board-liquor-company.html http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/01/05/1162037/agents-abc-board-liquor-company.html# http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/01/14/1179052/nc-liquor-regulator-adds-to-pressure.html# Who's got who in their pocket? These ABC boards are the ones who allow new products to be sold in the state. Sharon Virgilina Distilling Co.
  12. Bluestang50, Not sure about Georgia laws, but in Virginia it is illegal to own a still. So how does one go about legally buying a still and setting up shop? We have to apply for a Virginia State pending permit. Then one can legally purchase a still and set up a distillery. How did I find this out? I contacted the VA Department of ABC. Just a word of caution - in my dealings with state and federal issues, you are held to both, and you would comply with both, including the most stringent. Plus, you want to maintain a working relationship with the state authorities as well as the federal ones. After all, you are locating your business in that state, and your dead in the water without compliance. Don't forget local authorities, either. Contact your state ABC department, get to know your region's agent. You'll discover what you need to know. Best of luck! Sharon Virgilina Distilling Co.
  13. We talked with several large grain producers in our area, and 'paired up' with one who is very willing to help us out. We are hiring him to store our corn in his silos, will deliver set amounts to us at our distillery location as we need it. Once we decided on the smaller silo - or storage equipment- that we'll use at our location, I'll get back with you. Good luck with your plan.
  14. I, too, just sent out three letters to Senators Webb and Warner (D-VA) and Congressman Periello (D-VA). Thanks, Chris Martin, for the sample letter - great example to spice up! Just a thought - with the elections coming up, one may wish to contact the opposing candidates to see their stance on this issue. Sharon
  15. Hi Scott. Thanks so much for offering to do this for forum members. You guys at Catoctin Creek are fine people, and an asset to this industry. I really appreciate your help with our distillery!
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