Ish200

Thank you GBD!! For a great explanation :)

Ok I could be asking this the wrong way.. but for example Heaven Hills sells multiple "brands" and some these brands have different "sold by companies listed on them" So a bottle of Larceny says "distilled and bottled by Old Fitzgerald Distillery" while the bottle of Mellow Corn says "distilled and bottled by Heaven Hills Distillery"... but they are all Heaven Hills Brands My question is how do these companies and DSPs fit together? How does one distillery produce multiple brands? Is it all just a labeling thing? The reason I ask is - I am trying to identify if there is a possible way to create a new brand under a current DSP to allow for a lower cost option for market validation of a new brand. Example: So "Jo Shmoe Distilling" holds a DSP and wants to develop a new brand of "Jane Shmoe Vodka" ... how do you do that? Thank you for helping me not be so stupid

Thanks all for the recommendations

Thanks all much appreciated guidance!!

Ok, so here is my over arching question: Should you start "top down" applying for Federal DSP through TTB first then go to state and local? Or should you start at the bottom, start local then go up to state and federal? The reason I ask is: I have reached out to the TTB to discuss the location I would like to apply for DSP and they have said it would be a "case by case basis" for approval. I am looking to use a barn structure on a farm property... So my thought is submit the application to the TTB and get a true evaluation of the feasibility of the space being approved for a DSP then go through the local and state stuff that would likely cost more money. By starting "top down" I could get a go/no-go decision on this specific space without a significant monetary investment which would allow me to pivot if the TTB says we can't use this space. Is there something that I am missing? Thanks for your thoughts and insight!!!

thank you both for your insight!

I am interested to see if there are any thoughts on which one is optimal for proofing down spirits My understanding is that activated carbon can effectively remove chlorine and some other organic compounds but is generally a less effective filtration technique than RO which can also remove most heavy metals (when operated correctly). Has anyone experienced off flavors with less filtered water? or potentially the additional components in the water add some complexity to the flavor of the finished product?? Thanks four your insight

Is there anyone that is doing this? Other than having appropriate security would there be any issues storing whiskey barrels outside? Perhaps rust on the bands and damage from UV? Any thoughts or insights would be appreciated. THANKS!

thanks dhdunbar that logic makes perfect sense to me!

Thanks everyone for the extremely helpful comments!

I see that the TTB says "Distilled Spirits Plants cannot be located in a residence" Does this mean that a distillery can not be in a small commercial space on the ground floor of a building with apartments above like in the below image? I will ask TTB too but figured I would get a faster answer here Thanks!

Has anyone used any equipment from North Stills? https://www.northstills.com/product/prestige-series-300-gallon-1135-litre-steam-jacketed-still/

Thank you Tom for the info!

Hello! Has anyone tried selling "voucher" for bottles from a barrel that has not finished aging yet? Example: Customer purchases the "voucher" for the full purchase price of a 750ml bottle of port finished rye from barrel#1234 - but you anticipate that the specific barrel will not be ready to be harvested for another year or so...... then in a year or so when you think it is ready to be harvested you harvest and bottle it then you contact the customer letting them know the bottle is ready and they can come in to the distillery, "redeem" that coupon, and walk out with a bottle of whiskey Would what I am describing be something like the "sale of a warehouse receipt"? Thanks!

Thanks Pour for the clarification!

The chiller water is not coming in contact with spirit right? I know cooling tower systems out there that will use periodic dosing of bleach with a dosing pump (https://www.omega.com/en-us/valves-pumps-and-mixers/pumps/metering-pumps/php300-400-500/p/PHP-401-S?&ds_e_product_group_id=746149964108&ds_e_product_store_id=&ds_e_ad_type=pla&gclid=Cj0KCQjwqrb7BRDlARIsACwGad5x7WC9aeKeYUUiYWBtBEYg1TU8xcJQSMgFh7TUOZd7E63SfTr_J5saAh6aEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) There are also bromine based biocides that are used in the cooling tower industry Other crazy idea - put a UV light in your poly storage tank? I know there are expensive systems out there that pass the cooling water past a UV light but a simple solution might be to just stick one in the poly tank if there is some head space some other ideas https://www.dober.com/water-treatment/cooling-tower-biocides#oxidizing_biocides

Thanks for the clarification Tom I really appreciate your feedback! I am familiar with utilizing the COA from one of my previous jobs but I am trying to get more familiar with accounting practices as I prep for opening my own distillery

Anyone out there willing to share the structure of their chart of accounts? I am familiar with the general 5 categories and have an initial COA laid out but I am curious about a few things 1) How are you handling aging inventory 2) Excise taxes at state and federal level Thanks!

Thanks Brooks and Pour! Brooks - I do not have equipment yet so I cant yet answer what I am mashing in. Pour - are you fermenting a wort taken out of lautering ton like scotch?

Does anyone have any experience using electric immersion elements for whiskey stripping runs? Do they just foul up superfast? Specifically thinking separating the grain from the wort before stripping but likely there will still be some solids in there. THANKS!

From "Making Pure Corn Whiskey" Ian Smiley recommends 3tbsp citric/Gallon water

Thanks everyone for the replies stay cool

With the warm weather creeping in I thought I would ask who has AC in their production facility? If you don't have AC do you just use fans to prevent the distillers from overheating Thanks!

Thanks Thatch! I was wondering if there was an alternative to putting everything in one large storage bin for taking weight, this looks like a great alternative!

I am in the planning stages of a small distillery and I am looking for thoughts on where and how to weigh grain prior to mashing in. Assumptions: 1) Lets assume a bourbon mash of corn, rye, and malted barley (ratios are not important atm just the fact that we are using three individual grains) 2) The grains will be coming out of individual outdoor grain hoppers and moved via flexible auger system. 3) There is only one mill that all the grains need to go through (roller or hammer is not important atm, assume all grains are milled on the same setting requiring no changes to the mill between grain) 4) The objective is to have an accurate amount of each individual component go into the mash following the milling process - ex: if the recipe calls for 100lbs of corn we get 100lbs of milled corn in the mashtun 5) we want to avoid physically lifting any containers of grain Would you: 1) Weigh each individual grain in some sort of suspended hopper scale before being milled? - ex: fill the hopper with 100lbs corn and use gravity to feed the grain into the mill, then fill the hopper with the next grain at the given weight 2) Weigh each grain after it is milled by milling into a container that can be placed on a floor scale - ex: run the mill with corn until the collection vessel for the mill reads 100lbs then switch to the next grain Any other thoughts on how to simplify the weighing process would be appreciated Thanks!