davdear

Wow- that's it! Thank you. I think a place called Waypoint in Connecticut has 2.

Has anyone ever seen a still like this? It's almost completely round- haven't seen many like this. I'm trying to figure out who the maker is. Thanks.

I don't know if anyone here will know about CT liquor law but I'm wondering what licenses/permits (federal and state) you would need if you are selling vodka or gin produced, bottled and shipped by a distillery in another state. Do you still need the DSP from the TTB? In CT the only permit that comes close is a Permit to Manufacture Spirits but that is not what is really happening, so I'm not sure that is what you need. I think it might be possible to have a CT based company and spirit brand, pay a New York State Distillery to make it, bottle it and ship it to stores, distributors, restaurants and bars. The question is does it require a different combination of permits than the norm? Thanks for watching!

So MG you really think to crash cool 90 gallons of cracked/ground corn mash in 1-2 hours is possible with only a 2 HP chiller? I guess you would need a reservoir for sure- maybe 300 gal? How about stripping the 90 gallons of fermented corn mash in a pot still with 6" condenser- also possible with 2HP? I think I did some calculation and it required like 30,000 btu/hours so it seemed like you would need bigger.

Silk City now that I have gotten into the chiller side more I'm getting some recommendations to use a 10 ton (or 10hp or 100,000 btu per hour- same thing???) chiller for a 100 gallon pot still with 6" shotgun condenser but it sounds like you are using a smaller chiller and tank for a larger still- and it works! What size still are you running once per day and how did you determine the size chiller?

Regarding supply and delivery yeah includes both. Around here they split it so independents can come in and offer you a lower price for supply but then jack it up 3 months later when you stopped looking at your bill! $6-$12 is less than I was expecting for electric. The control panel, elements, etc. are costly but so is a boiler, which I don't have pricing on yet.

My math must be off because my estimated electric costs are not matching up with some of the calculations I'm seeing here: I have a 100 gallon baine marie stripping still with 2- 15,000 watt (15kW) elements which take it from room temp to boil in 1 hour= 30 kW h + 2 hours holding temp with only 1 element= 30 kW h so total for 3 hour run= 60 kW h 60 kW h x $0.12 kW h (electric rate) = $7.20 for a stripping run with electric heaters. Does that look right because it seems reasonable?

I've scoured these forums but I can't find info on this- could be it's really a dumb question, but I need to ask. Why do you need a process boiler to heat your steam jacketed still instead of using a powerful home gas powered steam boiler like a 221K BTU Crown? Is it too weak, dangerous, or just plain wrong? I'm opening in a very small space with a small 100 gallon still and 100 gallon mash tun. The building has city natural gas and 200amp 3 phase electric service. Initially, because of the gas, I was thinking steam. But I found information about the equipment was hard to find. Then I spoke to someone who said electric was the way to go, and changed my mind. Less hassle with equipment, fire code, etc. Electric is easy but not free. About $4K for the hardware per unit then $0.12per kwh to run it. Hmmm...I started thinking about the steam again and this question of using a home heating steam boiler- Can it work?

dhdunbar You definitely know the Federal Laws well- Thank You for the knowledgeable, helpful answer!

Just curious: since you have to list all your equipment in your application what do you do if you get new equipment, or get rid of something you had at the beginning?

Hey Skaalvenn sounds like you have the perfect set-up to me! What boiler did you get to run those stills? Make, model, size? I imagine it was a pretty big investment. Thanks, David

Glenlyon I thought the liquor store was the main channel. Do you know what percentage sales is tasting room sales/online sales/liquor stores? Also, selling to bars and restaurants must be a big part of it, right? We don't have much experience selling online- I mean none. I think I bought a bottle of wine online once- that was it. Is everyone selling online?

Some things you have to take with a grain of salt. Also, I haven't figured out had to make my still pour out 8 year old bourbon during my spirit run! I think at this particular location there is a lot of interest in bourbon and some believe that Tito's is so dominant in vodka you can't beat it. I remember working on the Absolut account back in the 80's making motorized liquor displays to sell it. You remember Absolut, right? It came from Sweden....

Thanks! Doesn't sound so bad.

Hey everyone thank you for all the help and good advice. Most of it I understand and it makes sense. The town is small but the state has 3.5M so I do want to spread out. I have already had some conversations with local liquor stores and some are really helpful. One person said "Don't worry about making anything but whiskey/bourbon that's the only thing that sells." Thanks!!!