Rickdiculous

One other thing I feel is worth mentioning. I believe the whole point of doing what many of us are doing in the craft distilling industry is to try and make something unique. Much like craft brewers could have made the same fare offered by the big three brewers they didn't. They went out and created old world flavors and used unique grain combinations to give us a world now flush with amazing beers, full of flavors many of my friends wouldn't drink twenty years ago. Now the big three are following the steps of the craft industry and offer darker more full bodied beers which reach a wider more diverse audience. We could make our bourbons, vodkas, ryes, and liqueurs with the exact same ingredients, barrels, waters, and aging. What would be the fun in that? Should we become copy cats just to fit a narrow definition of what Kentucky Bourbon is. If this is really what you want, for the world of whiskey, is all of us to taste the same then go to washington DC and change the law defining a Bourbon so we all have to use the same stuff. Personally I will take the Four grain recipe from Hudson, and weird combinations of local grains to make a world of more interesting tastes. I am sure Buffalo Trace will be happy to know you will continue to drink their stuff. I find it most interesting to see many of these big distillers now following in the steps of the craft distillers offering single barrel premium versions, and limited runs, like booker's, Jack Daniels single barrel, and Marker's mark 46. I guess they think these little guys, with their little barrels are something to worry about.

To WI distiller, Thanks for that response it was the way everyone should respond to things on boards like this. With all due respect to Cowdery, The tastes of some segment of the the american spirit drinker have obviously grown beyond the limits of bourbon from 53 gallon barrels made in Kentucky. The numbers don't lie and the success of Tuttletown's Hudson or baby bourbon is a testament to it. As one who regularly tastes many of the bourbons made by the big Kentucky producers (and here I include the claimed single barrel/ "small batch" claims of those like woodford) The tastes have immense variation and levels of smoothness. To claim some type of standard bourbon taste exists seems a bit dubious to me. My experience may be limited to yours as I don't know your age or experience (I don't have your book), I am always wary of those claiming the absolutes which you are asserting about small barrels.

Please add you website here again for us. I didn't find it on your profile. Thanks, Rick schneider

I am in the process of writing my business plan and working with an entrepreneurial advisor at our local bank. One of the things he thought would be good to include in my plan is an idea of the demographics for a craft distillers customers. Does anyone have some suggestions for developing these numbers, or some sort of framework you have developed which I can apply to my local population? Any ideas on where to do the research myself would be helpful as well. Thanks, Rick

Just went on a short trip to the Catskills and got tour my first two artisan distilleries. I want to thank Cordell Stahl at Tuthilltown distilling for a great and humorous tour. You are quite a character and I enjoyed meeting with you and talking about my plans for starting something up. If you are in the area go check these guys out. They were finishing a major expansion where they blew out the top of their barn to fit a new Carl 500 gallon alembic still. Very nice set up. The restaurant next tour is worth a visit too. Got the best cooked to order burger I've ever had. I was also lucky to be driving by the Catskill Distillery on their opening day and got to see their ribbon cutting and go a personal tour from a distiller there I believe he said his name was Mac. Great guy very willing and open to talk about what they had going on. Beautiful Carl designed dual still system for making anything. They are only about 45 minutes apart and I enjoyed both tours immensely. It made me confident I am pursing something worthwhile in a community of cool people. Thanks again to both groups. I am posting just a few photos from the tour. (ok the photos are too big right now. I will size them down and post them later.) Rick Schneider

I was able to get as far as Alabama code 28-1-1 to 28-1-7 which prohibits the possession of an illegal still. It makes no mention of any type of legal still or if you can manufacture.

I am wondering if anyone in the group is from Alabama? I was looking at the ADI map of member distilleries and saw that Alabama is one of only three states without one. Curious if anyone can give me a little help on why that is? I have been trying to find stuff online about Alabama's rules. I am having a hard time finding it through our control board's website. I searched for an Alabama TTB and got nothing but references and redirects to our control board. Are they the right people to call about setting up a distillery? Is it even legal to do in our state? I found Clyde May's Conecuh Ridge Apparently Alabama's State Spirit but it's made in Bardstown Kentucky. Not so much Alabama in that Spirit. Thanks ahead of time to anyone who knows, Rick

To the Administrator, I was looking at the links under the interested in distilling post and found the available here link for the ttb to out of date. They have moved the information you were directing us to. Just thought you should know. Rick

HEllo all, My name is Rick Schneider and I live in Mobile AL at least for the time being. I am an artist, my wife and I teach at the University of South Alabama. I teach only part time so I am looking for something to fill my free time when the kids start school. I have had a long time interest in making whiskey but never really took the time to find out what was involved. I recently rekindled that interest and I have been doing some research on this site and others through the free stuff and the forums. I would like to get into Micro distilling mostly of Whiskey as a hobby and possibly into a business as I gain some experience and know how. I found this site a bit too late to make the conference this year but I look forward to making it to one in the near future and making some connections with the group. www.rickschneiderglass.com