WIndsor Street Distilling Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 I'm an ex-sales wine and liquor salesperson currently building a distillery in Atlanta. In the current state of so many distilleries coming on line, how difficult is it going to be for me to find a master distiller? How's the talent pool looking out there. I'm budgeting in some dollars for me to go and take the classes, but I'll be completely devoid of experience, plus I want to spend my time on marketing and brand management. What's it looking like out there and what should I budget to pay someone? Andrew Norman WIndsor Street Distillery Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glisade Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 Finding adequate help is a common complaint, at least here in TN, when the distiller's guild members meet. Most distilleries I know are operated by the owners themselves until they can grow enough to hire someone or find someone worth hiring. You should learn as much as you can whether you work in production or not. That way you'll know if someone is actually good or just full of BS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huffy2k Posted March 25, 2018 Share Posted March 25, 2018 I think the owner/distiller model is the way to go personally. It tends to guarantee consistency across your products because the owner is not going anywhere looking for a big raise! Have seen several distilleries go through numerous distillers and it really affects the consistency of their products imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustAndy Posted March 26, 2018 Share Posted March 26, 2018 Depending on your size/goals/products etc, you'll find a much deeper talent pool looking at brewers or winemakers and hiring a consultant to train them on the distilling side. If you don't have any production experience, you should also be hiring distilling expertise well before you being building/equipping your distillery. The 'turnkey' packages that some still manufacturers tout in my experience have included a lot of unnecessary or inappropriate equipment which inexperienced owners don't know enough to push back on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captnKB Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 an old saying for you. Good talent aint cheap and cheap talent aint good. If this is your first time getting into distilling definitely hire a consultant with design / build out experience to help you avoid the numerous pitfalls that can be avoided by someone with experience. To answer your question: a good master distiller will be hard to come by for less than 50K + benefits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MG Thermal Consulting Posted March 28, 2018 Share Posted March 28, 2018 I have put several potential distillers with production questions, onto a consultant I have worked with on brewery and distillery start-ups. But the same goes for having someone in place with experience! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksollinger Posted August 12, 2018 Share Posted August 12, 2018 Andrew. If you have time to talk about your project I'd like to chat with you. Working on my distillery end game. -Kelly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rookie Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Do any of you know of creditable distillery consultants in Ohio? I'm a completely unexperienced novice getting into this game and would like to have a consultant at my side to work on recipes, operations etc. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thatch Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 2 hours ago, Rookie said: Do any of you know of creditable distillery consultants in Ohio? Never could find one when I looked but the folks on this forum and simply searching the forum were invaluable. You might want to tell us the type of equipment you have along with your location in Ohio, what type of spirits you wish to make and if you have been granted your DSP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MG Thermal Consulting Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Paul over MB Roland Distillery in Pembroke, KY runs an operation school every year. I don't know where you are in OH, but he may help you on that end. You can contact me if you need budgeting on the cooling system, if you intend on purchasing one. Mike G 678-773-2794 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thatch Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 16 minutes ago, MG Thermal Consulting said: Paul over MB Roland Distillery in Pembroke, KY runs an operation school every year. I think this is over with. I sent two of our folks to what was supposed to be the "last" class. Also sent another person to iStills class which was quite comprehensive but mostly focused on iStill equipment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MG Thermal Consulting Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 Oh, I haven't talked to Paul in quite a while. I know a guy in KY but he does mainly big jobs using Vendome equipment, other guy I know is near NYC so wouldn't be able to travel to help you, but knows a ton about breweries and distilleries who can help with individual problems. Sorry to lead you off track with Paul. Thanks, Thatch, saved him a phone call! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captnKB Posted June 8, 2019 Share Posted June 8, 2019 @Rookie I run an affordable distillery consulting service. Distillery NOW. I would be able to help you out with all aspects of your distillery. Check out the website or send me an email and lets talk. https://distillerynow.wixsite.com/spirits Distillerynow@gmail.com Cheers, ---Kris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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