jeffw

I run a solera where the first new oak barrels are all replaced but the next two layers only get halfway emptied (for my bourbon). For a classification that requires new oak dumping and not reusing the first cask (at least for the first layer of the solera) would always be a required step.

I think the answer would depend on what you are making. You could definitely have 2 or more for anything I can think of, but if you want bourbon, for instance, it needs a new barrel so a 1 layered solera would not work.

For a franchise state that might not be so bad then. Some states you can leave the state for a couple/few years to get out of your agreement which seems more reasonable than agreeing to give them 3 years gross.

COLA = certificate of label approval. You do not need a lawyer. At 55 gallons for making single malt it will be more of a hobby, but a cheap way to start and mess around.

Impossible to answer because it depends where you are and where you are shipping. That said, $15 sounds crazy high and $5 much more reasonable. I think they have a tendency to inflate this number too. I have heard $4.5 from my only out of state distributor. At the end of the day, your FOB is what it is. You can move it to hit certain price targets in the area you are entering but I have gotten the question a few times what is your FOB in your local market.

Floor drain...

Yes, still throw it all in, it doesn't matter if it is a stripping run or spirit run.

Great question to which I do not know the answer. I went from 55 gallon drums to 500 gallon and 1100 gallon fermenters. The 500 gallon+ definitely need some temp control (in my opinion though some people get by without it). I never fermented at 250 gallon so I don't really know. I would think you could get immersion heat exchanger to keep the temp down and I would think that it would not get to cool on you especially if you are using a "highly aggressive" yeast. Doing two strips in a day should not be a big deal. I regularly do 4 in a day without too much trouble (not a short day though). My thought on the poly is that it is worth testing since the tote is so cheap, if you don't like it then you can get your stainless. Good luck.

I would agree with everything you say dhdunbar, but when the TTB tells me to jump, I say how high.

If you are planning on stainless get 2000L. But I would consider the poly totes. Jeff

I would consider using poly totes as your fermenter's (probably could post a want to buy on ADI and get some pretty quickly at reasonable prices) and a 2000L mash cooker. I don't know about temperature control for these as I use jacketed tanks but it is a nice affordable option.

TCW

Do you sell only full containers or can one just buy 3-4 barrels?

The TTB gave me a list of reports to fill out with my basic permit and that was one. Just put zero for everything.

Back to something that sounds crazy, you are saying that big whiskey vents off the low boilers into the atmosphere? I would think the EPA would go down there and shut everyone down if that is the case. Not to mention the crazy fire hazard.

Not sure I understand Mash's comment (NGS is not whiskey...). Ultra Pure has a pretty wide selection.

How big a correction did your traceable ones have? I have gotten some NIST hydrometers and thermometers and they had no correction to them (not to say they were perfect but the way I read it is it had a proof deviation but was within tolerance and the correction was listed a 0.00). I kind of think even with NIST and corrections it is pretty damn hard to compete with the TTB's 26K machine...

I would say that trying to use 1 fermenter might be a little bit aggressive. You could double size your fermenter but think about how you plan to use them. I have a double sized fermenter but really wish I had just stuck with the same size as my mash cooker. In the winter when the tap temp is cool I can get to mashes done in a day to fill the fermenter, but in the summer the crash cooling takes a little long and my day becomes too long for a double mash. If you run two shifts this is irrelevant. You can add the next day as your mash hits vorlauf, but make sure you cooling jacket goes low enough to have enough surface area to keep you mash cool between day one and 2. You can drop the temp of your fermentation lower to make sure you don't get too hot before the next mash is added, but again, in the summer this can get painful. This is assuming no chiller. At 300 gallons you might be able to get by with macro bins or something of that nature and save money there. Not sure how your temp control works in the size range. When I started I was using 55 gallon drums which never got too hot, but when I jumped in size I was amazed how the mash would heat up. Mash cookers are not real expensive so you could get a bigger one, but realize you are going to need a pretty big boiler to run a 1200 gallon mash cooker and still (probably at least 40 bhp). Good luck.

I had heard from a distiller that switched to agitation from not doing it before and they saw a 15-20% bump in yield. That is pretty damn dramatic. I would also think that it makes it easier at that point to feed into a continuous system (which they were using) because the mash would be more uniform.

Pirimal

heat your building...

There is not self distribution of spirits in Illinois. The ILCC seemed to indicate this might be an area to work on with regulators but even if something happens on that, I would think it is a couple years down the road.

Leftturn, Have you tried adding it back? I figure the yield has been high enough I have never been real tempted to do so, but when I do whiskey and add heads and tails to the next batch it definitely does double the heads and tails cut (though obviously I get some more in the product). Anyone every tried redistilling the gin run heads and tails?

We don't use sugar because then it wouldn't be whiskey...

That looks like an Artisan still. I guess you could ask Steve if you are looking to buy it from him. If it is someone who just copied his design I imagine he isn't interested in helping you out. Since I don't see "Artisan Still Design" stamped on the autodesk plan, then I guess it was someone stealing the design so I don't think we can help you.