Denver Distiller

A "pressure vessel" is one that's designed to operate at over 15 psig. That's, not coincidentally, where the line is between low and high pressure boilers. It's also why run of the mill fermenters peg at 15 psi, and don't have ASME certification. Going over 15 psi brings out a whole raft of regulations. I don't know of any potstills that run at 15 psig in the product path. My safety release valve on the jackets are set at 10 psig.

Some distillers out that way will use glycerine or other compunds as a means of ID. Counterfeit spirits are a problem in that part of the world.

A small GNS (as well as a Grape Neutral Spirit...lots of Washington bulk wine sloshing around on the open market) shop could get some serious business because of this law, combined with all the blokes who want to open shop in Washington State. It's certainly worth a phone call or two, IMHO.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the law seems to state that at least half the raw materials used in production needs to be grown in Washington, not processed in Washington. Why don't you just call one of the smaller GNS producers (there's an outfit in Oregon that handles both grain and grapes), get their specs, source the Washington grain, ship it the GNS plant, and get your GNS that way? Problem solved. Heck, for all we know, there's already GNS plants out there making Washington GNS as I type this. Everyone wins. You get the license, and the farmers in Wash. get paid.

I have a six plate CC from '02. Such wonderful and very flexible stills, don't you think?.....and the Planks are just super people. We have a new, 750 liter regular ol' potstill arriving in early spring from Vendome to handle stripping. Looking forward to getting my hands on it. If you're ever in Denver, please look us up, Don. Some good trout up this way, you know.

Is your new stripping still simply a clone of your existing stills? Or is it a straight pot still, while the other CC stills are reflux stills? Love your packaging btw, Don.

So according to the reporter, they're north of 40,000 cases per year in their second year of business......using 6 handmade potstills?

Those of us who are getting glass from certain reputable firms don't need more than air (we only use air here), but I've seen some pretty crappy pack jobs from glass manufacturers located in China and Mex, and I can say that there's no way I'd use that glass without a rinse. Just my opinion.

IMHO, you don't need to either clean or sterilize new spirits bottles for the reasons DP mentioned. A simple rinse with deionized water will work just fine. You can get small rinsers at places like GWKent.com (Super people, btw) The only possible reason I can think of for sterilizing bottles would be if you were making a cream liqueur with a really low abv.

We've been doing that since '02. That's a nice idea Odyssey....in so far as he's looking to lower the price point. We did it for texture and complexity. Silver Tree Vodka

I know that Vendome has done a few. The reaction that the posters above are talking about really only happens when the distillate is hot, and/or in vapor phase. Not much point to having a copper condenser, but this is only my opinion. I'm sure you'll hear different from others. There aren't a whole lot of absolutes in distilling. Paul G's comment about SS stills and having a side by side comparison has already been done......a few US Whiskey producers tried them for a time, and then promptly switched back to copper, as the distillate wasn't nearly as soft.

Are you self-distributing? What price do you want to see it at on Alaskan store shelves?

What are you producing?

The Caribbean rums producers were also talking about elevated ash content. Of course, they weren't getting their molasses from a single plant in Hawaii. I keep my eyes open because I'm sourcing from all over. I dilute it so I get an 8% abv wash.

Molasses for Vodka? Foaming is a certainly an issue. I use molasses in my rum (separate fermentation from a larger cane syrup fermentation, and I only distill it a few times a year, so the hassle is minimal). You have to keep a real close eye on the scaling, particularly on the openings in your plates. Scale can wreak havoc on your efficiency if you're making vodka. This is only my opinion, but I'd make sure you have a bit of extra freeboard in your still before it hits the 1st plate, and make sure you have a foam stop before the plates. Further, if you can get away with having a pot still (no frills....pot, lyne arm, condenser), and then a separate pot w/column, you'll thank yourself many times over. If you can use your column solely as a spirit column, the scale issues disappear. Scale in a plain ol' potstill isn't nearly as much of a concern. Also, the quality of molasses has been on a slow decline over the past decade or two. When I was at Alltech in the early 00's, there were several rum producers from the Caribbean in attendance, and they were all trying to solve the problem of low-sugar molasses. Keep an eye on those spec sheets. It sure would make an interesting vodka, I'd think. Unique selling points are always a good thing, especially with vodka. Best of luck to you.

Lallemand up in Canada can take care of you, Kent. They have several dry yeasts, including superstart. I've used pretty much anything under the sun. Several strains of brewer's yeast, wine yeast, Whiskey yeast, and even a mead yeast. I haven't used any of the dry yeasts.

Brewer's Supply Group also carries Simpson's Distiller's Malt.

Well, at least part of it is that all reports are done by junior examiners, and the director signs off on, at a minimum, all Absinthe samples. Another time sink is that after analysis, they send their findings via snail mail from the lab in MD, to the TTB offices in DC. And every time mail arrives at a Federal office, it has to clear security, which can take a day or two.

That sounds about right, Marc. They'll send you a postcard to tell you that you received the sample, and on the card will be the TTB assigned number for your sample. What's nice is that they actually answer the phone out at the lab, and you can check on it if you have the TTB sample number handy. The next step is that they'll send your formula, if approved, to the formulation dept. You're going to want to know who handles your formulations by name....they handle it alphabetically by company, and there's precious little job turnover out there....as you can head off problems at the pass before it's too late (i.e., they've rejected your formula, and snailmail the reason why). If you're nice, they'll fax you a copy of the approved formula, and that can cut off a week of waiting time. So....the lab takes around 3 or 4 weeks, and formulation can take about that long, too. Just my experience from getting well over 70 formulas approved......your mileage may vary.

No, it does not. And domestically produced brandy does not require formula approval.

Really cool stuff. Thanks for posting it.

Slight correction, if you don't mind. You don't have to submit formula to the TTB for Vodka. But you can't contradict what is stated on your approved label.

Place a call to your Dept. of Ag....or to the extension office at Wash or Wash. St. They'll be happy to help, and will likely have good relationships with the relevant farmers. Wash State Ag Extension Directory

No, you're not missing anything at all. The State is the wholesaler in Virginia. So if you do the above, you're all set. You can also register your spirits in their Special Order system should the State choose to not give you a full listing (a full listing means that 50 of the VABC stores must carry your spirits).

I was just trying to change the perception of what was put forth in the article: that markup is 18%-25%. That's not correct, obviously. I like State systems just fine for the very reasons you cited....so long as is it's 100% run by the State, as it is in WA and VA, to cite two examples.