chinookpilot77

BlueStar, when you refer to your state, are you talking IL or MI? Thank you!

Beautiful bottle! I just got a price quote on several of your other bottles. looks like I'm going to have to do it again. thank you!

Got it. Bottom line, I am just looking for numbers to use for my business plan that I can assure are the optimal level of wash ABV so as to have the maximum production with minimal off flavors. I realize this is yeast dependent. 14% is in line with other figures I have read.

Thanks all! I have the contact information of several banks now in the area I'd like to do the start up. I am just using one of them as a sounding board at the moment. Hopefully he can give me industry specific guidance as to what exactly should be included in today's market. I have at least 25% to put down, and with a 75% backing from the SBA, it means the bank is taking little, if any risk at all. To me this is a no brainer, but maybe I'm missing something.

This process will be used for rum only. A dark, white and spiced would be ideal.

Mash, are you a member of steelsoldiers.com by any chance? I built one heck of a deuce and half a couple years ago. ;-)

I have watched several youtube videos of various craft distillers and how they go about producing their wash. I've seen very black strap/ huge amounts of white sugar washes. I've seen all table grade molasses washes...and everything in between. My question isn't so much about ingredients, but as to what ABV you are shooting for. I realize this is yeast dependent to a great degree, but I have seen a video from a New England distiller saying they use ale yeast and go to 5-6% to guys like (I think it was dogfish head, not sure) pushing it up to 17-19%. I realize with yeast stress comes off flavors and fusels, but for business plan purposes (the phase I'm in now) I have been using 10% ABV washes as my planning, but if I could push that to 15%, it would increase my theoretical production by 50%. (15% chosen for illustration purposes) So, whats a good number to shoot for, say, using EC-118 or something in the same family. I can't afford the time or the space to use an ale yeast, I already know that!

Thanks for all the great responses everyone, I really appreciate it. I was a little discouraged yesterday after reading yet another email from her. TL5612, she was poo poo the idea of basically any start up right now, selling it like its virtually impossible right now, regardless of BP or down payment. Denver, all of my issues are compounded by the fact that I am stationed in Korea right now, so even making phone calls to the states is a nightmare to catch people during business hours. I know there are a couple micro's in the area, I'll reach out to them and see. Paul, you and I have talked before, a few years back when I was in Germany and just getting interested in all of this. I read an article about you in the Army times back in 2005 or 2007, one of the two. (I know I was in Iraq when I read the article.) I have tracked your progress from a distance, and as a former soldier yourself, I've always wished you the best of success, even if you didn't know it. I have driven by your distillery twice from AL to IL and it was always late by the time we drove through, so I've never had a chance to stop. Once I get back to the states, I'd gladly swing by for your class. I have already asked the witch at the local business development center for some local SBA lenders so I can speak with them directly. I cannot believe the market is nearly so dire as the one she paints. I'll keep you all posted on my progress. Thanks again.

So after learning about the SBA's Patriot Express loan, I was very excited and over the course of several months, knocked out a decent business plan to begin handing out to various "Transition Specialists" that work for the Army to help Vets get out and become civilians. They aren't experts in BP's, but I had no clue, so anywhere was a good place to start for me. Everyone that I showed the plan and financial projections seemed excited about the idea for a craft distillery and said the plan looked great. I decided to take it to the next level and send it to a woman who works with the Business Development Center in the city I plan on setting up shop in, and she has been nothing but negative about the outlook for start-up financing right now, even with SBA loan backing. I dont really want to go shop around lenders until I can have a viable plan and projections, so I was hoping to make it past this last hurdle. Anyway, I'm done venting...any tips or pointers for finding a lender? I have a 25% down payment for the amount I need to borrow.

As per the Illinois License application http://www.state.il.us/lcc/DOCS/Manufacturer.pdf, am I right to assume that one could still buy NGS and still qualify under the craft lisence so long as it was redistilled at least one time before bottling? Otherwise, based on the wording, I think that would simply be rectifying and would not qualify for the additional ability to sell at retail. Thoughts? Thanks all!

After some serious research on my part, I think SC is currently getting my vote. If GA ever passes any kind of micro distillery laws, or even FL, they'd get my vote. I wish I were in a different situation than I am in, I have 9 years left to do in my military service, but hopefully I can get this going the day I retire!

In your opinions, what state, EAST of the Mississippi river would be the best state for a start up distillery? I currently live in AL, would love to move back to GA, or maybe FL...but then again, I was raised in IL and all my family is still there. The southern states seem obnoxious concerning self distribution, but the northern states like IL have huge excise taxes per gallon though self distribution is allowed. Pros and cons...opinions?

I have read and re-read Texas's code concerning all manner of beer/wine/spirit production. I have yet to find anything that specifically prohibits a distiller from holding a wholesaler's permit. There are several other things spelled out (I assumed due to recent legal changes becoming less strict) that allow additional rights for wineries and (less than 75k bbl per year) breweries. I found a line prohibiting retail permit holders from having any share of a wholesaler/manufacturer...but nothing concerning DSP and wholesale. Can anyone clear that up for me? I thank you for your time.

for more information regarding still design and building, visit homedistiller.org. a ton of useful information there.

I just sent this to 4 senators and 2 congressmen. As I am military, I am effectively represented by 2 states and 2 districts. Lets hope for a change, but the more emails that go out, the better luck this will have!

I am not a pro, just hoping to be someday. I think the most effective use of waste heat and condenser cooling would be to use that heat to pre-heat your next batch as much as possible. If you run more than 1 cycle in a day, this would have to be the best way to use that heat. Should be as easy as dropping another condenser into your next batch of wash. You'll still need additional cooling of course, you can't use 500 gallons to cool 500 gallons, but it would significantly reduce the cooling needed if you are preheating your next batch. It will save you time heating the next batch to boiling temp. It will save you time, money, energy and resources. I can't think of a better use myself.

Thanks for the reply Coop. I appreciate the input.

Just trying to gauge how you all got started in the business. With my very preliminary math, I am thinking I need to make roughly 2 barrels a week in order to make my business sustainable, as well as collect a small paycheck. From what I'm gathering, the size of the still directly correlates to the amount of work put in to the manufacturing process...the less time spent distilling, the more time available for marketing and distribution. I was wondering how you all got started and kept your operations running through the lean years.

I am an active duty soldier with dreams of someday starting a rum distillery. I have been casually researching the trade for several years, trying to make sense of all the paperwork, laws and legalities surrounding it. As a veteran, I know I qualify for some pretty awesome loans/rates via SBA programs, so I wouldn't think financing would be too much of a problem...and I have a hefty amount saved up in the bank. (hefty for a working stiff like me) I have been thinking of everything from legal paperwork, financing, building size, equipment, barrels, bottling, labeling, and the one that really confuses me is distributorships vs peddling my wares door to door...which I don't think I can do in certain states. I would like to start in GA, which is where I'd like to retire...I'll be 44 when I leave the army. I have been very surprised by this board's members cooperation with each other, even though one would think it would be more competitive. I guess there is room for everyone when you are micro-sized? I intend on attending several workshops/seminars in the near future to clear up a lot of these questions, its just not an option right now based on my deployment cycle. Hopefully late summer/early fall I can start traveling around and go to several different workshops. Counting the days! Thank you for your time and consideration. Dan Bickett CW3DB