FinishedRye

Ok, so it seems bottling/labeling is pretty low cost, at somewhere between $0.50 to $1.00. Bottle shape is very standard, so no retooling of equipment. How much should one pay a distiller to proof down 10 barrels? And how labor intensive is this process at the end of the day and does it really require much skill? Thanks everyone so far for the comments, this is helpful, and I am a neophyte on this aspect of things. Thanks for being patient.

We are looking to outsource these steps for our first initial product runs, so the scope of this question would be assuming someone else does these steps for us.

We have whiskey distillate in barrels and are seeking 3rd party help with proofing and bottling/labeling. How much should we budget per bottle or per 52 gallon barrel for these types of services? Assuming barrel proofing. Bottling into standard 750ml glass. All thoughts/comments immensely helpful and appreciated!

We are examining the DSP application and are wondering if we have to order equipment in ADVANCE of submitting the permit... It seems strange to be forced to supply order slips or serial numbers for equipment for a business in advance of even having approval to operate this type of business. What happens to people who buy brand new equipment but never get a permit approved? Are they just hosed? In any case, would love to hear people's understandings of this aspect of the permit application and if there are workarounds that TTB will allow.

What are the basic costs involved of wax closure? Generally speaking...

I'd love to hear how much people are spending on their glass for 750ml bottles. Please feel free to post: Bottle Cost Cap/Cork Cost Label Cost Shipping Cost In my research on the subject I'm seeing prices vary like crazy. What's a reasonable floor estimate for glass of acceptable quality and consistency? Ali Baba has some crazy low prices from Asian suppliers but I suspect the quality isn't quite there to justify ordering for the absolute cheapest. I just don't know what a "reasonable" floor cost would be for non-custom 750ML glass. All thoughts and insights greatly appreciated!

Pardon my extreme ignorance, I am drinking from a fire hose trying to learn the basics here... Part of our hypothetical business model is to purchase full barrels of distillate for blending and aging on site at our facility. We were told by a distillate supplier that people either ship 53 gallon barrels loose or palletized. That would be approximately 80 loose barrels per truck load, or 48 barrels per truck load if palletized on 51x53 oversized pallets. So here are my newbie questions: How much weight is 80 loose barrels? How much weight is 48 barrels on 51 x 53 pallets? Why would one palletize vs. not? (My assumption is that palletized would make for easier unloading and stacking...but I simply don't know) I ask all of these because I'm trying to input figures into my COGS calculation and would REALLY appreciate some insight or resources. Oh, forgot to mention, the supplier of distillate doesn't arrange shipping. That's going to be our responsibility which is why I'm asking. They are 800 miles away, all within the continental United States.

Really detailed and useful response. Do you have any cursory thoughts about if a distillery seeks to sell or grant equity to someone who owns a major distributorship?

Question: Are there limitations on who in the 3-tier system has equity ownership of a startup Distillery?

David, What are some of the ones that you'd recommend looking into?

Where would one find good information on the various methods to finishing an aged whiskey (once removed from original white oak) by further aging/finishing in other types of casks? I.E., aging/finishing in port, sherry, rum casks etc... If sourcing barrels used by makers of these other spirits, how soon after they have been used should barrels be repurposed for this reason?

Hi Indy, MGP said they would sell us as low as 30 bbl. What others exist besides Ultrapure?

I've requested a price sheet of all of their currently available products with pricing breakpoints on volume and was told by one of their reps that this doesn't exist. Seems strange to me, so I'd appreciate any information from those who have dealt with them or know of general negiotiating boundaries with them. This is specifically in the realm of whiskey distalates, but any and all info is welcomed!!