Luv2Learn

On 12/16/2017 at 3:17 PM, whiskeytango said:

How is it not legal? Im organic certified, i get inspected yearly and best i can tell no one is tossing me in jail.    So your saying a there is no difference between an organic certified candy bar and a regular candy bar? 

I think what they are saying is the end product is the same, whether you use organic or not.  We are trying to decide whether to use Organic Potatoes and really it seems to have no difference in the end product.  However, the consumer does not know this - it seems only distillers know this.  This holds true with Corn (Gluten free) - most people dont realize it is all gluten free in the end, but people that dont eat Gluten, want something that says "Gluten Free".  Marketing is going to have a TON of how booze is perceived and purchased.

I am just unsure as to if going Organic means more profit......

On 12/20/2017 at 10:00 PM, Winnie the Pooh said:

Any updates?

We got a little delayed due to our shop not having 3 phase electric.  We ended up going with 3 phase motors, and using a converter to single phase.  Our shipment will not be going out until 1/26 now (about 3.5 weeks late) however this was a fluke.  We are suppose to be receiving shipment in Alaska by mid February.  I will keep everyone posted; so far happy with my decision.

I have decided to use DYE and have put my deposit down.  They were on top of every question I had and provided references for me to call.  Every reference had the same hesitation as me, but in the end loved working with them.  They all got their equipment ON TIME, with no issues.  One reference said they needed a part and DYE sent it overnight through DHL.  Their customer service seems to be excellent.  I will post more once I get my equipment.  I am in Alaska so I will not be receiving until December.

On 6/23/2017 at 1:04 PM, Robert Miller said:

BigRed,

We can help!  We have a stock bottle similar to the Reyka bottle - see attached photo.  Let me know the capacity, order quantity, zip code and I will provide a quote. Also, we are experts in high quality, low quantity custom glass bottles. Our offering is:

Why buy a stock bottle when you can have your very own custom bottle? We offer custom design glass bottles. We decorate using Embossing, Spray Painting, Acid Etch Frosting, Silk Screen Printing, and Multi Color Decaling. Making your own custom bottle allows you to differentiate your product/brand on shelf enabling a unique design, shape and the ability to emboss your company name, logo, or design into the package.  Also, you are only 6 weeks from a reorder and do not need to worry about a distributor having your package in inventory.

PRELIMINARY PRICE QUOTE

Order Quantity = about 12,000 pieces fitting a 20 foot container (depending on bottle shape)

Mold Cost = $2,000

750ml Super Flint Bottle Price = $0.90 Ex-works our China factory (you can arrange the transport if you like)

DDU Transport Price to your warehouse via ocean shipment = 0.25 ($3.000 total)

Total Price = 1.15 DDU delivered to your 44077 warehouse

 SCHEDULE IS 12 WEEKS

1 week = bottle drawing

3 weeks = unit mold and sample the bottle

3 weeks = production molds and schedule production

1 weeks = run production

4 weeks = ocean ship to the USA

 THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

1- Provide the ship to address, quantity, bottle shape, capacity, neck finish and decoration details

2- We provide a price quote.

3- If the price quote is acceptable, issue a PO

4- We make the engineering drawing for your approval

5- When the engineering drawing is approved, we make the mold and sample the bottle

6- When the bottle samples are approved, we schedule and run production

7- Bottles are packed into corrugated master cartons with internal dividers, palletized, strapped, and stretch wrapped

8- A MIL105e quality inspection is performed before anything ships

We are all about making good things happen. Given the chance, I will deliver the quality glass bottles you require. I want this order. Send me the details of your custom bottle. Please call me to discuss. Robert K. Miller, T561.818.8977

I will give you a ring tomorrow to discuss bottles.  This is an old post, but am in need of new bottles for a distillery in Anchorage, AK.

Anyone care to share their pros and cons of using flakes versus real potatoes?  Everything that I read states that potatoes are made up of so much water, that the flakes are the way to go.  Being in Alaska, I also feel that storage and consistency is important.  I would love to keep it Alaskan potatoes but unless some farmer starts offering flakes up here, it really just isn't feasible.  Anyone have good recommendations for Potato Flake manufacturers?  I would also like to use more Glacier Water and if the flakes are dried, then it give us the opportunity of using more of the glacier water.

You are totally right, and I apologize if I made it seem you were the same. I have deleted my comment so I don't confuse anyone.  Thanks for clarifying.  I hear you are awesome Paul!  

I ordered a 250 gal still with a 16 plate column, 250 gal mash tun, 4 250 gallon fermentors, 3 storage tanks, 2 mixing tanks, alcohol transfer pump, and another pump because I am using potatoes. I contacted over 5 chinese manufacturers and Melissa was on top of call backs/emails and proved herself to be reliable.  I also called 3 references from other distillers and they all made me feel comfortable using them.  Ill let you know once I receive my equipment how it has gone!

I ended up deciding to use DYE.  I spoke to several people (all who have had their equipment over 3 years) and they have loved it - some have already ordered more.  I will keep everyone posted on my experience.  DYE seems to ONLY do brewery and distilling equipment so hopefully I will not have the issues that you mentioned above.  For anyone else wondering - my rep is Melissa and she is truly amazing.

THANK YOU so much for all your replies.  This definitely helps.

I found these new age barrels from Squarrel Barrel (http://www.squarrelbarrels.com/aging.html) and am curious as to if you use this product and it only needs to age for a few months instead of years - how can this work with the TTB? 

On 5/5/2015 at 0:05 AM, jerrysun2014 said:

I went to DYE factory at the end of last year with my clients. Here are some points which I find out.

1. They use thick copper materials which make sure that copper will not be out of shape when and after welding, since copper is more softer than ss304.
2. I do really like the design of their bubble caps, all are copper and even the screws, the bubble caps are very easy to take off from the bubble cap plates, easy to clean, and no dead corners.
3. The down comers are also not welded to the plates, again no dead corners.
4. BEAUTIFUL VALVES, all valves used on the stills are stainless steel handles, looks really high quality and beautiful.
5. They have their own thinking about the equipment, they told me when I was in their factory why they suggest to use ss flange since the spirits will not contact it, what they want to do is to make sure that the liquid and vapor contact copper as much as possible with a reasonable price. They do think for the customers!
6. What I’m thinking about the kettles under the columns is that they will recycle the cooling water from the dephs and condenser to do cleaning; you see there is a CIP manifold connected to the all parts. And it can save space.

If you purchased from them - are you happy 2 years later?  If not, who did you end up purchasing from?

Mind me asking how big and what it ended up costing?  I have not gotten quotes from any Canadian companies yet, however being in Alaska - I should definitely look into it!

4 hours ago, whiskeytango said:

Another bump for Dave.  He handled our first DSP and will handle our move when we need that done. 

 

As far as the state.  It all depends. Some let you do stuff ahead of time some don't.  Whatever they say goes.  

I have contacted Dave.  Did you use use pay the hourly or the full fee?  I am thinking I can fill the application out quicker, and then have him approve it but not sure the easiest here.  Thanks for the referral!  What was the TTB running on time frame when you applied and how quickly did yours go through?

I also noticed through the online tutorial it stated all construction had to be finished prior to applying.  I was going to use the "waiting" time to do all our construction.  It is mostly done, but painting, decorating, and a few minor construction pieces.  I am assuming all construction that needs to be shown on diagrams must be finished or did you have your whole facility done once you applied?

THANKS AGAIN to everyone - I feel like I have a whole advisory board!  

I am finally ready to file with the TTB for permits.  My state (Alaska) has said I can not do anything on the local level to be ready until I get the final approval with the TTB.  Is this correct? I have ready a very good post where someone states that you should get everything done at the local/state level FIRST.  Has anyone had to go to their state after?

I have also been researching companies for bottling and equipment.  I have seen tons of compliments on US companies and have settled on Paul at Distillery-Equipment.com should I go US.  I have also been looking into several Chinese manufacturers.  However, the Chinese companies seem to take forever to get back to me and that worries me a bit.  Have anyone had any good experiences with a Chinese manufacturer for their equipment?

The company I found for bottling is Rockwood Glass - does anyone here have any experience with them?  I tried to do a search in the forum to see if I could view any discussion with their name but did not see a feature to do this.  I have no problem putting in the time reading the forums (I cant count the hours in so far).  Thought I would see if I got lucky with a response.

Software - I have read several posts on the software and I initially thought I would go with Stillhouse, but after reading people that had used Stillhouse AND Whiskey Systems; I got the overall feeling that Whiskey Systems was just as good but less money - if this is incorrect, can someone correct me?  

Marketing - Where have you found your best ROI has been when trying to tell your town you exist.  What local marketing worked best?  Where do you think you lost the most money?  Has anyone tried Groupon as a way of getting people in; if so which catch worked best ($5 tasting, $10 tour + free tasting, etc?).  

What sells the best besides the booze? Cups, shot glasses, sweatshirts, t-shirts, hats, etc.?  Not sure what to be pre-pared for here.

In my state, I can only be open from 9a till 8p; what are the best operating hours in your town?  I was thinking a short day 4p-8p for the tasting room (except weekends 11a-8p).  We will always have our master distiller there, so if someone walked in - he could technically still help them.  Are we cutting ourselves short on the hours?  I am just thinking if they REALLY want to check it out, they would come later......I also don't want to kill myself from sitting around all day, when I could be out visiting bars, restaurants, and stores.

I was recommended by another distiller to pay for a lawyer to help with the TTB, but when speaking to another distiller a week ago he said he felt that his process was much faster because he was able to get back to the TTB immediately.  He thought having a lawyer handle everything could actually delay some things.  Overall thoughts?

A big thanks to everyone that has posted on here; the community is amazing.  I love that everyone shares and they have built such a strong group of educated people.  I thoroughly enjoy learning from everyone here.  I cant wait to one day be posting and sharing my success for the future.