Foreshot

If you think an exchange is iffy then get two gift certificates for him. One is for his time to come to your location. It’s his time, and if you were him you would probably appreciate getting something for your time. Get a second one for the cost + tax of the bottle in the store plus a little more. Be as nice as possible (as long as he is also). Before you get to the bottle in question give him the tour of the place (if he wants to), let him see the work that goes into each bottle, and do all the tastings he wants. This will build sympathy and should reduce any negative reviews he posts. Scenario 1: Bottle is fine, but customer doesn’t like the taste Once you’re done with the tour you check the bottle. If it’s fine then give him the “thanks for your time” gift cert. Try to explain as nicely as possible that your product is as it supposed to be, but unfortunately it’s not his style. You could also recommend other versions of your products if he likes them better. Scenario 2: Bottle is fine, go overboard with customer service Same as above but give him both gift certs just as way to push him to not be overly negative in his review if he does any. Scenario 3: Bottle is bad Give him both certs, tell him it unfortunately does happen. Scenario 4: Just give him $$$ Buy one bigger gift certificate and give it to him when he shows up. Don’t bother with the bottle until after he leaves. Do the tour tasting etc. Just be uber nice. Kind of like #2, but it removes any possibility of a confrontation. You will not be able to do this for everyone that doesn’t like your product. But if you treat him well hopefully he will tell his friends that you were very nice and maybe win over some other new customers. This may be a way of getting something positive out of a not so great situation.

If the water was colder and you don't chill filter that's probably it. Cloudiness will occur at under ~46% ABV with colder water. If that's not it then I don't know.

Start here, he explains it well: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCatCieEI4cPNteKXzBomVMQ

I got this yesterday so I haven't read it fully. It's a coffee table size book. Posting this as it would be good for a beginner as it has a lot of scientific info in it - chemical reactions, alcohol production and byproducts, aging, etc. Not thorough enough to to build your career off of but cool enough to have to show people. A lot of nice large photos in it to ogle.

Act 39 really helps out the craft people, I think it will hopefully spark the industry. Did you see this? I don't think it will happen but if it does that would be a huge deal. It probably would effectively kill off the state stores. It's at least a glimmer of hope I could get a better selection of Scotch and other liquors without having to go out of state. http://www.bizjournals.com/pittsburgh/news/2016/09/21/legislator-introduces-bill-to-allow-licensees-to.html

Think about it like this: - How much will it cost to make a gallon vs. buy a gallon vs RO costs per gallon (fixed vs variables [Filters]) ? - How much time will it take to make it vs. go buy water vs. RO production? (setup/production/cleaning) - Does it take away time from other productive activities? (Stolen from EBStauffer) - Can you sustain the activity - will this be short term or will you need/want to change plans in a few months? - Will this defer the some other large cost until when you might have more money? - Could this cause damage to the still? (Stolen from Eric) I don't know the answer but those would be the questions I would ask myself.

Hi Jim - Thanks for the offer! I will take you up on it. I also think that all the local craft guys should have a open dialog. PA is becoming more open with their laws but a lot of more work needs to be done.

Hi all! I have been lurking here for a while. Figured I would sign up formerly and say thanks for all the info I have learned to date. It's been really instructive at realizing how much more I need to think about before I jump in. I'm interested in starting a distillery in the next couple years. I've volunteered at several local ones and have loved it. I've done homebrewing before. I'm also building a nice library of books on the subject. I work at a large manufacturing company during the day. I'm big into Lean and Six Sigma methodologies. I may not be able to help anyone with brewing/distilling advice but I can definitely help out with process change and improvements. Seriously - If you haven't read up on Lean it's incredibly good at helping companies do more in less time. If you aren't familiar with Lean this series of videos does a great job of explaining and showing it in action: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU0OXtC1xSvZsIiLBdQopaA (I have no affiliation with the company, just appreciate the videos) Again, thanks everyone. I hope that I can provide help and value back to you guys as you have already provided me!