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Ian Newton

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Everything posted by Ian Newton

  1. TLDR the whole thread, but only read the opener. Here at the BWC, we have 3 beautiful cypress tanks from the lamentably-named but high-quality Confederate Stills of Alabama. Paul manufactured and delivered these himself (picture attached of the delivery night). Here are my two cents, and the expression should indicate the value to which you ascribe that which I opine: You don't need a steam wand. We have a ~$150 model from Amazon that works great, but I can't imagine it is more effective than a nice brush. Sterilization or even sanitation don't seem to groove in my mind with open-top fermenters. That said, the biggest harbor of baddies seem to live under their own protective film of goo, and mostly toward the top (where all the O2 is), and this layer was only ever an item of concern while the fermenters were filled with water. Keep them swelled. We had ours for months before the first fermentation, and had to keep them filled with H20. During the summer, this meant weekly draining and refilling to keep the water more or less fresh. The most gross stuff shows up on top. The only time they were dry was when we first took them, and on the first fill they leaked a bit (not much) for a couple days while the cypress swelled. Filling with low pH, biologically active fermentations is way better and stabler than pure, carte blanche water. So get fermenting quickly and you'll never notice any baddies in there. Graded bottom: optional! Ours do not have a graded bottom. We are a couple of more-or-less athletic guys, so when we need to get the last out, we literally deadlift the two fermenter-feet opposite the line-out and put a 2x4 underneath. With 4,000 lbs of something mostly or entirely water inside, it would be possible, but empty this is an easy task, and not a lot to ask. If you had large ones, or were incapable of hoisting them manually, a caring pallet jack placed appropriately would suit. Cheers from the Baltimore Whiskey Company!
  2. We had the same questions, and, for what its worth, 1) we went with the LLC to start, 2) I was convinced after lots of numbers were run in front of me that, given that you're taking solid counsel from your accountant, that you should be able to come out in a wash between most LLC vs. C-Corp scenarios you could have. -Ian Newton Baltimore Whiskey Company LLC
  3. New kids on the block - The Baltimore Whiskey Company. Permit DSP-MD-20010. Date submitted: 12/8/2014 Date Approved: 2/17/2015 Total time elapsed: 71 days. A tilt of the glass, a touch of the cap, a bow at the waist, and even a kissing of the boots of David Dunbar for his help with our app and our bond. After the ardor of the approval process noted in this forum was noted, I will say that we spent more than a little bit of time and effort on the application. Thanks, ADI Forum Participants, for publicizing so many issues. Cheers, Hon!
  4. Just to add some more useless nerdery to the mix and qualify this statement, the elevation change due to being on a mountain doesn't play as much an effect on the pull of gravity as the Earth's non-spherical shape. Since it's more like a ball smushed from the North and South Poles, points at the Equator are a good bit further away from the center of the Earth than points nearer the poles. I think it may even be suggested to have a noticeable enough effect to matter to Olympic high-jump records?
  5. Hey there, young feller! You must be new to this game, but here's at least one reference to some US Code allowing for transfer of wine from Bonded premises to a distilled spirits plant below. Hang in there, kitty, and one day you'll be as cool as me. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/5362
  6. I can only seem to find info about transported tax paid and non-tax paid spirits, but nothing about transporting something like wine, cider, or beer into a distillery. For transporting the spirits, I know there is the TTB form - http://www.ttb.gov/forms/f510016.pdf - as well as a need to pay tax on the spirits. For transporting various wash materials that contain alcohol, are there any hoops to jump? Cheers, hon
  7. The code isn't clear enough for this guy - there appears to be a requirement to both weigh OR measure the flow of bulk spirits through pipes for tax determination, but since we want to get our application right the first time I wanted to be certain. Flow meter OR scale tank Flow meter AND scale tank
  8. I hate to do this....but I would LOVE to know the amount of coverage you have, and what Cincinnati's "turnkey craft-distillery insurance plan" looks like. We are currently working with lenders for an SBA loan, and insurance premium estimates are one of the few figures where we do not yet a solid estimate. I plan to call/write to Cincinnati for a quote or help along the same, but I thought I would take a shot in the dark with you fellas first. Thanks for the thread - at the very least I know where to go first! Cheers, -Ian Newton
  9. Just pushed a lovely, small fermented mash (2 gal H20, just shy of 8 lbs of just-2-row-barley) through the ol' 10L alembic. The beer was about 8% abv. Distilled on-grain. Excited for the spirit run!

  10. Does anyone have experience in getting SBA loans to finance PP&E for a craft distillery? In general, this looks attractive. I have heard from friends in other industries that the loan interest rates are quite low and reasonable. Right now, we plan to send in an application to see what we catch, but I'd love to hear from the spirituous lot of you what experiences (if any) you've had, or if you find that other financing sources are mo' bettah. So that I'm not just asking for free knowledge while being a total waste of space, I'm going to write down some of the high-level I've learned about the loans so far. Also, count on hearing back from me on this after I meet up with our "SBA Loan Guy" (who has not yet impressed me with his awesome master of English): General small business loans - 7(a): - fixed rate and adjustable rate available - can be used for PP&E and operating expenses, so these are pretty flexible - real estate maturity = 25 years; equipment = 10 years; working capital = "up to" 7 years; - rate @ an average of 4.6% and 5.3% annually respectively (this average takes into account servicing fees into the life of the loan) - rate is a negotiated spread put on top of one of three base rates, so no guarantees that ours wouldn't be a higher rate - monthly payments CDC/504 Real Estate & Equipment Loans - must create 1 job / $65,000.00 of loan (or $100,000.00 if we qualify as a manufacturer) - *** DOES PAYING CONSTRUCTION CONTRACTORS COUNT TOWARD JOB CREATION? DO WE QUALIFY AS A MANUFACTURER? *** - The purchase of land, including existing buildings - unlike the general loans, NOT useable for operating expenses/working capital/inventory Microloan program - Up to $50k MISC - distilleries = NAICS code 312140, which must have fewer than 750 employees to be "small" according to the SBA. Sounds like craft distilleries are going to have an easier time outgrowing the distinction of "craft" before they outgrow the SBA category of "small"
  11. Fine work! You think that diner table is up for carrying a bunch of whiskey?
  12. An aspiring commercial distiller from Charm City - Baltimore, MD. Happy to be in the fine company of the distinguished members of the ADI. To many of you, I've gone through a good many of your posts, blogs, books, and certainly your whiskies, brandies, and rums! Anytime you're passing through Baltimore: make the right decision, get in touch, and I'll shuck you a fresh oyster and treat you to some of whatever is going on in my liquor cabinet. Best, -Ian Newton
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