Chris Martin

I think it had more to do with estimating remaining volume of bottles on the shelf relative to the prior count (for reporting purposes) -- probably easier as a fraction of a 1L than a fraction of 0.75L, and also easier if you don't have a mix of different sizes? I've talked to a few bartenders who say they prefer the 1L... of course there are plenty of 750mL bottles on hand. But the question is whether it fits on the shelf. If it's too tall, that's obviously a problem, which I've been told is a surprisingly common problem with even major vodka brands that insist on scaling up their 750mL to 1L by getting taller rather than wider for esthetic reasons.

Where's the "facepalm" smiley when you need it?

...and it's easier to take manually inventory on 1L for sales tax reporting.

I have deleted the initial post to protect the poster, but leave the rest of the thread as this is good info for anyone trying to raise money... -Admin Here is something you might find informative: there is currently a prohibition against general solicitation of an investment offering. What you just did (announce to the world that you're looking for investment funding) -- and this is something I have seen others UNWISELY do -- is unfortunately considered "general solicitation". As a result, should you ever find an investor, and that investor gets cold feet down the road, he/she could be entitled to get their money back from you and you may be facing serious civil or even criminal penalties. There are changes in the works in regards to this (see the link below), but the SEC has not ruled on this yet. Regardless, there will very likely be other steps you must first take before announcing to the world that you are raising money and seeking investors. I know, it stinks, but that's the law at this time. Anyway, I do wish the best of luck to you... http://www.lexisnexi...placements.aspx

A little late to the party here, but over the last couple days did a little playing around with some gins. To answer the question, it depends on the drink. Typically, I'll reach for a London Dry style. I'm a big fan of Junipero. I like Bluecoat if for no other reason than (to me) it seems almost identical to Bombay Saphire, another favorite. I recently picked up a bottle of Tru Gin. This one is soooo bizarre, I have trouble calling it a gin, as the juniper is so lost in the other spicy botanicals. Definitely not for the martini. But my business partner came up with one of the most delicious cocktails: basically, dissolve a couple sugar cubes in a double-shot of the gin and drop in a strip of orange rind and lemon rind, pinching them for the oils before dropping them in to the mixture as you would with a martini; shake & serve in a chilled martini glass. The spicy cinnamon & allspice elements work perfectly with the added citrus (particularly the orange) and the added sugar works like it does in an Old Fashioned; what juniper there is still comes through, although very subtly, but serves to "ground" the concoction. Festive and refreshing -- equally suited for a summer afternoon as it is for a Christmas party.

You might also look into this list: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Business+and+Industry-p1+Food+and+beverage+industries In particular, you'll find all sorts of articles and stats from Beverage Dynamics.

Ahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Oh, how I'm going to share that video.

:lol:

P.S. Wow. Clearly we're running out of things to wikipedia now that there are entire pages of erudition dedicated to topics like "leftovers" and "form takeout container" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foam_takeout_container).

As said, the Intent To Use filing is what you want. And even if you don't get up and running as quickly as you think you will, you can also file for an extension of the time to keep the mark. Also as suggested, you can (should) do your own search for potentially competing marks before you file, but here's just one thing to look out for (there are many pitfalls, but here's one): Even though you may not find a similar mark in the same class of goods (spirits), you need to look for similar marks in classes that may be related to spirits. For example, if there is a brewery or winery using a sufficiently similar mark, you may run into a problem with the USPTO. Why? Because even though a brewery or winery is using their mark in a completely different class of goods (beer, or wine -- not spirits), there still may be confusion in the marketplace. For one, beer and wine -- and other beverages -- are commonly found side-by-side with spirits in commerce. So if a consumer sees "Brand X" beer, wine, or even Bloody Mary mix alongside your "Brand X" vodka, there will be a likelihood of confusion. (Anyway, you probably wouldn't want consumers to think your brand is related to those others out there.) Also -- and I have seen the USPTO bring this up! -- because some breweries, wineries and other beverage makers also produce/distribute spirits, the USPTO sees that as a logical possibility that a beer or wine brand may eventually extend into distilled spirits, so they may disallow you from registering a trademark that might inhibit that possibility -- even though you're filing your trademark in a completely different class of goods compared to a winery, brewery or other beverage maker. Obviously there is a big difference in class of goods between t-shirts and distilled spirits, but not such a big difference between spirits and other beverages. And, don't just limit your search to the USPTO's search system or to Google. Even if a registered trademark has expired (inactive), that doesn't mean it isn't still being used in commerce (and thus grounds for the USPTO to turn down your registration application). Anyway, you can file a trademark by yourself, but there are pitfalls a lawyer can help with. If you really really really think you have something totally distinctive, then you're probably ok. But search thoroughly! My 2-cents of non-lawyerly advice.

I seem to recall The Macallan Cask Strength having a similarly dark color, also Highland Park 25... Sounds interesting if you're an Islay lover. Let us know your thoughts when it arrives and you get a chance to taste it!! As for the price, for a 10-year rare, well-rated bottling, it doesn't seem too out of wack. That is, if you're "The 1%".

I agree with Cheryl, Beam is certainly not dumb!! Given the big upswing in Irish whiskey sales, this news doesn't surprise me. I wonder if the EU would even let Pernod-Ricard buy Cooley, since they already own most of the big non-Cooley brands as it is... Jameson, Paddy and Powers. P.S. As long they keep up production on Connemara, it's all good. Me likey...

True... I can think of at least one better alternative, Scott. All good points... thanks...

This is an interesting discussion! But if a bar can buy a few cases of NGS (Everclear), charcoal filter it, infuse it, and sell it by the glass to their customers at a high profit margin, wouldn't they be less interested in stocking your concoctions? But then again, why would they need to go that far? They know what they're in business for -- to be a popular bar, not a producer. Given the capabilities I described above, that should suit their purposes just fine, and with better profit margins and less oversight/regulation too! I wonder if we're going to start seeing "infusion bars" open up... places that offer nothing but their own "home made" infusions. After all, if there is a growing market for new and unique tastes, that should work out to be a lucrative niche. Am I missing the point here? As much as I am actually in favor of bars offering their own infusions, doesn't it seem like DSPs are given the short end of the stick here? If you're not a bar and you want to sell infused spirits, you must be licensed. If you're licensed, you can't give tastings (in California). You also can't own a bar. You can't even accept investment from a bar owner. You can't sell directly to bars or to consumers -- you need a middleman distributor to mark up your price. And if you are a licensed producer of infused spirits, now some bars can/will do without your product, since they can openly produce and sell it themselves. I understand the economic value of encouraging growth of on-premise sales, but am I wrong here?

Same problems here -- only with the Gin forum it seems. To restate the problems: When I click on the name of the forum (Gin), no topics show up and I get this message: "No topics were found. This is either because there are no topics in this forum, or the topics are older than the current age cut-off. " Whatever this current age cutoff is, it can't be more than a day! When I click on the most recent topic in the Gin forum, I get the same message as ViolentBlue: "[#10340] You do not have permission to view this topic."

Dave, I think you ought to submit. You'll definitely win a gold for originality.

Pete, that's really impressive. I think you may have a winner there. How scalable is it? As for other large-scale operations, I really love the idea of the algae bioreactor at Glenturret (literally, green!)... using the waste water and CO2. I also love the anerobic treatment of stillage-to-biogas production at Makers Mark. Of course, these can only recapture some of the energy output of the distillery, but go a long way to reduce emissions/waste. Sounds pretty "green" to me, on a large scale. I'd love to hear what others around here are doing. I'm planning to make "going green" a major feature of my (future) distillery.

Count me in...

I'm not yet an artisan making vodka, but will be! Can I chime in as a consumer? IMHO, I think it's time to update the rules. By default, vodka should be eminently mixable with minimal influence over the mixer. But something like Hanger One is a pretty good example of a vodka with very subtle qualities that don't conflict with a mixer. Tito's has a hint of character too. Farther out on the spectrum is something like Napa Vodka (which I think is amazing) with a very distinct and powerful nose... it makes a very unique and delicious vodka martini, but it wouldn't be my first choice for some mixed drinks. Or take Dry Fly, which to me has a very distinct "wheaty" quality. I think the general trend is towards "more" (in pretty much all spirit categories) rather than "more refined"... we went through that already. The field is so crowded, it only seems logical that distinction is the name of the game. Of course, a "distinction niche" can still be found in refinement as well. I just think the rules are outdated in today's marketplace. My 2 cents...

Do you mind me asking: where did you come up with this? I too would like to see some other input...

Welcome back!!! Your insights and work on behalf of all of us are deeply admired. Thank you.

Todd -- man, this is good info. Thanks for your insights -- and thanks to everyone else... this is valuable education!!

Lactic Acid Bacteria.

Makes sense... thanks for that John.

Thanks for the info, J'ESP.