daveflintstone

I've seen these online, they are only about $80.

I'm just curious what others may be using.

Does anyone use a handheld or otherwise label applicator to apply labels to your cardboard cartons?

I need to apply a UPC and a flavor label to my pre-printed cartons, one on each side, and am looking for the easiest method.

Hello Dave -

Our ROPP Cappers work very well. If you have not purchased a capper yet, you can send in some caps and containers to us and we can test them on the machine, video the machine working, and send it back. Let me know if you need any more help or have any more questions!

aloha Aaron

I did buy your ROPP capper, I'm the guy in Honolulu who was clueless about setting it up. My thanks to your tech support for the patient phone and video chat consultations.

holy crap, just do it.

If you like your bitters, and you like making it, you're successful. If some bars and restaurants and other people like it too, you're outstanding.

You don't have to buy 55 gallons of neutral at a time. You can make this in many places, no need to go get your own premises just to make wee batches of bitters. How about someone's bar or restaurant? How about your kitchen, since you want to start as a hobby? That seems ideal.

Can you make a going concern of this? Who knows? But you certainly won't if you don't get started. carpe diem

I see no adulteration of vodka, just pure marketing. Same as all the folks who sell moonshine. So what.

So you're not using the Xpressfill to draw the product from tank through filter to bottle?

Anyone using an inline filter before their Xpressfill bottling machine?

I use a .25 micron cartridge filter on vodka before it goes into the bulk tank, then also use that vodka for flavored vodka. I'm concerned about any stray particulate that may have gotten into the tanks when the tops were opened during cleaning and production.

A bottling prefilter like the Enolmatic filter, or even an inexpensive water filter housing to ensure a completely clean product is my idea.

Any opinions?

Chuck, there is a specific phraseology that must appear on the label that qualifies the producer. These statements are "Distilled by" and "Bottled by", or the combination "Distilled and bottled by". These terms are followed by the name of the DSP as stated on it's Basic Permit, and the city and state where the DSP is located. I'd have to look again at the CFRs, but I don't think there is a "Produced by".

You can have "distilled by", "bottled by", "produced by", or a combination. This is in the regs.

Thanks Scott!

I guess my question is...if one were to be weighing high proof spirits, and one were to accidentally spill said high proof spirits onto the scale, shouldn't the scale be explosion proof to prevent fire, explosion etc? Or am I just over thinking the whole process?

I have the same type of scale as Scott. Scales are available in explosion proof models, but that is intended to protect against explosive atmosphere environments. I don't think weighing spirits is a concern.

Thanks to the excellent advice here, and overcoming my previous ignorance, I've switched to PP fittings. Stainless is a future dream. btw, jmesales.com has good prices on PP fittings for anyone who needs them.

No need for a hobbyist distiller to operate outside the current U.S. regulations as long you've got a big enough property and want to sell your wares. Everyone else, you are criminals. Just like the people who brew beer at home. oh wait, they changed that law, didn't they?

I really don't understand the big deal with using cane neutral spirits in blended whiskey. It's 20% whiskey and 80% cheap neutral, the cheapest that can be got. Grain, cane, citrus, puppy tails, why does it matter when it's in blended whiskey produced by international brands? They'll use whatever is cheapest, and yes indeed, when it's produced on column stills and blended with whiskey, neutral is neutral. The 20% is the definitive requirement, not the 80% of whatever. The standards of identity are clear to me: whiskey is defined, neutral is defined, and blended whiskey is defined. These are three different things.

I am flummoxed as to the idea of diluting the reputation of American whiskey. I am unaware that American whiskey's reputation has been recently harmed; I thought it was the opposite. Blended whiskey has a customer base that I believe is not concerned nor even aware of the components of whiskey. Hell, the vast majority of people think all vodka is made from potatoes, and most people don't know what rum is made from. This is not conjecture, it is based on my own experience.

Blended whiskey has an official definition which exists regardless of craft distillers' thoughts on the matter, just as vodka's definition requires an arbitrary 190 proof starting point. Complaining that blended whiskey made with other-than-grain neutral is not real blended whiskey seems counterproductive for craft distillers who can capitalize on the real and obvious differences between their products and national brands, especially blended whiskey. If I produced whiskey, I would be pleased to point out that mine was made with 100% American grown grain, unlike those other "whiskeys". IMHO, others' cheapening their products only improves the impression of mine.

I weigh it in 55 gallon drums because I only have a 500lb floor scale, then I raise it up and gravity flow it into the blending tank. I do the same with the water. I'd like to have load cells under my blending tank so I could just fill and weigh at the same time, but those are too costly right now.

I have an explosion proof pump, but gravity flow is just too easy.

What about the braided PVC tubing on bottling machines? I have an Xpress Fill machine and it uses PVC tubing as an intake. That tubing does smell really weird at the cut ends, but I was assured by Xpress Fill that no one's ever complained. So I use the same type of tubing to pump through.

Any problems with using PVC fittings (Home Depot style) in the flow path of pumps and filters? I used PVC adapters with different pieces of equipment with different openings to maintain a 1" flow. I also used a short section of PVC pipe in a mixing tank to connect to a jet eductor. By the way, the eductor works good for increasing the mixing flow by 400%.

I have 4 1Kg sealed packages of Spiricol activated carbon from Erbsloeh. Quite an awesome product.

I imported it at $27/Kg plus shipping. I can ship this USPS Priority Mail flat rate, so shipping to you will be minimal.

If you use this, make me an offer. My production has changed and I don't use this.

I don't know anything about their fillers.

The one I'm considering is the one I linked to in the original post, the Accucapper-ROPP. It's electrical, semi-automatic, but not pneumatic.

Have you ever used an Accutek ROPP capper?

I want to get one and am wondering if anyone has an opinion pro or con. Thanks.

This place collects and sells used wine bottles. There is nothing inherently wrong with utilizing used bottles.

You can get your bottles from anywhere, including previously used ones. There are no regulations regarding this for the liquor producer.

Thank you very much, Ralph. Your work is impressive.

I know that some big vodka brands use glycerine for smoothness. Well, I've been corresponding with someone in Puerto Rico who tells me the big rum brands do the same thing. I was rather taken aback; he assures me his information is correct. Is that even allowed? I would think the 1 year aging requirement for Puerto Rican rums would negate the need for such an additive. But I admit I don't know much about aging rum. Do you think the multinationals are chucking the glycerine into all they're liquor types? egads

You sell your spirits on premises (bars&restaurants), you sell you spirits off premises (retail stores). Which does better for you?

Pardon me if this is too intrusive a question, but I'd like to hear others' feedback on the ratio of on vs off premise sales.

Also, which did you find easier getting picked up by?