grehorst

Nabtastic, I haven't seen it- I'm using Chrome.

Contact Janie Cantrell

Laser - ON Products

janie@laser-on.com

406-837-1515

Needs correction. Of course they've taken colasonline down so can't find out why. Frankly I think it may have been a glitch in their email system that I even got a notification.

So, this is weird. Somehow I received a COLA status change at 10PM Saturday night 10/12/13.

We are wanting to add an online ticketing/reservation system for our tours. Any recommendations?

Fully operational craft distillery for sale: column still, 1000 gal. corn cooker, 2-1,500 fermenters 2-800 gal. fermenters, 700 gal. pot still and a bottling line. (owner wants confidentially)

Serious inquires only should be sent to bill@distilling.com

All emails will be answered.

Edited pricing at owners request.

You cannot have a tasting area in the bonded space. When we put product for display in our tasting room it has been removed from bond and is liable for excise payment.

I can't confirm this, but I would expect the older a whiskey is the more obscuration... more extraction = more solids to obscure true proof. Our whiskey was sent to the TTB lab who found obscuration was .4 degrees of proof- enough to put it outside gauging spec. Our Whiskey is 4.5-5 years old.

We offer tours for free. We offer a tasting flight at the end of the tour for $5. The tasting flight ticket is also good as a coupon for $3 off a bottle or souvenir glass. Thinking about raising the price and charging for tours whether they want to do a tasting or not.

Currently we charge nothing for the tour, but $5 for the tasting flight that follows the tour. We also use the tasting ticket as a coupon for $3 off a bottle after tour and tasting. Now that demand has been proven I am considering changing this to charging a fee whether someone wants the tasting or not.

Awesome. Important info and a great example. I have pinned this so it shall forever sit atop the Sales & Marketing forum.

Agree with many comments here- we've been selling out of a tasting room for a couple years now. We're located in an urban area and see on average 600 visitors a week. Besides selling bottles and cocktails we find this to be a great marketing opportunity- people coming to us, spending money and listening to us talk about our products- what could be better than that?. It's been great for cash flow... It is a whole different business with it's own challenges. I'm moderating a panel at the 2013 ADI Conference on this topic- if you're going to be in Denver plan to attend this.

Not that I'm aware, but from past experience I can say just about everyone who sells to small distilleries is represented.

That sounds ridiculous. I can't imagine a contractor not wanting your business. Call everyone else in your area.

Bottles, logo'd Glencairn glasses, Tee's, Hoodies. Interestingly hats don't move much for us. Looking at your locations maybe they're more of a south and west thing?

I'm just confused as hell at the question.

Seems to work here... of course no one to chat with but myself. Are you getting a specific error?

Need a flammable liquids storage cabinet? We are selling a slightly used Wilray PDCS-110 which will hold two 55 gal barrels. Specs available here- http://www.safetyemp...etail.htm?02038

Price $1000 you arrange shipping/pickup, we will wrap and load FOB Milwaukee, WI

Message me here or email: vodkaguy at greatlakesdistillery dot com or call 414-431-8683 x113

If you have factory rated occupancy (very small amounts of ALC on premise) you may not need a room. We have high hazard occupancy and are required to have a fire rated room. I believe there may be closed combustion boilers available, we do not have one and in keeping with Coop's philosophy like to keep flame away from vapors.

The problem with asking about failures on an industry forum is that those who have failed are not hanging around here, and those who are in the process of failing aren't likely to be wanting to talk about it. There's only one answer anyway (at least simplistically)- inadequate sales.

Fortunately most distilleries recognize shortcomings and adjust their plans and manage to survive, but it's a lot easier if you have contingencies to begin with. I think that's where the 2x advice plays a strong role. I completely agree with it for the low dollar startup as Roger points out above.

As for tasting rooms- I completely dismissed the idea when we started because we couldn't legally do it anyway. That changed and every cent we've invested in it since has been the best investment we could have made. From marketing value to cash flow it's been huge- and it came out of nowhere... this is an example of where that 2x really helped out.

A new safety forum has been created under the Producing Product category.

We've done 6 packs for the last 7 years. We're a small craft distillery which means we do everything by hand including stacking cases. I had no desire to lug 12 packs. Also the fact that distributors usually set a "case" price means the customer may get a price break which will encourage them to buy more and they can get to that case price sooner. No down sides.

It is my belief, after speaking with the TTB, that you just need a separate entrance to the outside. The entrance to the distillery "warehouse" (bonded) can not be the same entrance that they use to enter the retail/tasting (unbonded/general) area. In effect, it makes it its own separate space. Here is an exceprt from the TTB agent -

"...completely separate the two areas and hence take that section off distillery premise. You could also use a solid wall with a glass window, but again it has to be floor to ceiling. The reason for this is that the regulations don’t really allow for a tasting room or retail on premise, so in order to make that happen, you need to make the division complete. Also, you need to make sure that the tasting room would have direct outside access..."

We have all this. But we also have a door connecting the two spaces. Not a problem.

Brian, glad to hear Tuthilltown is rebuilding with such a great focus on safety. Notably absent from your post is any mention of a sprinkler system- hopefully this hasn't been overlooked. When we expanded our distillery a few years back I had numerous added expenses due to the fact that my municipality had the knowledge and experience to know the requirements (understand the NEC and IFC). At that time I had many distillers telling me I was nuts for doing all these requirements and that my plan reviewer/inspectors didn't know what they were talking about, which in of itself is quite laughable. Doing a distillery right is not a cheap proposition and I suspect 80% or more may not be anywhere near meeting all the standards due to the added expense.

The DISCUS document you refer to is available to all DISCUS members including craft distillery members.

Guy