Mash

Taste it. ... Or buy a really expensive spectrum analyzer.

Maybe I'm weird,but that kinda turns me on.

What would 36 cost me.

email me- I'll take them all. appmtnspirits@yahoo.com

The idea is interesting. The concept sound, but considering the competition is not just regional, it makes the execution of such a group to really work well, more than difficult.. There are businesses that maintain a group forum and have regular meetings to help each other out. Those groups tend to not compete with each other as they generally exist in different markets. Honestly, I don't mind helping. There is however a point where I had to stop. Building someone's distillery and business got to be a real burden. Some things beginners need to learn for themselves. The truth is, this is a freaking tough business, the regulations, time and costs make it prohibitively expensive. The romantic notion of making a few bottles may work somewhere, but not in the state of Virginia. If you want something bad enough you'll find a way, or go broke trying.

Yes, I have product on 140 shelves and moving into 3 states over the next quarter.

1. Are you in a dry county? If so, your screwed. 2. Are you in a city that sells alcohol? If so, you got a chance. 3. Are you a Farm Distillery? If so, you got a better chance. Starting a business that, by law, does not allow you to sell your product is crazy. Otherwise you have to get in the ABC system and that is not easy, cheap, or quick. Scalability is key. How do I know? I learned the hard way, would I do it over... no way.

Of course there is no right answer, but if your getting average conversion. Your make 4.3 pg per day, 5 days a week. Pretty average I think. We make 10-12 pf per day on two 30 gallon runs with Miss Kelsey, and Miss Dana puts out 35 -40 per run. The small still just won,t keep up with demand and Miss Dana is just getting warmed up. I work three jobs, 90 hrs a week, and have not paid myself in three years, continue to expand, looking for capital under every rock. So it all depends on your end game. If your happy and paying the bills, keep on trucking.

Welcome, and the best of luck. Where are you setting up? My operation promotes all local distilleries as we have close proximity to I-81 and am an epicenter for tourism. We have you, mellomoon, Davis valley, AMS, and a couple of others coming on line.

A friend of mine is a large retailer of moonshine, he is selling a lot of Tim Smith's Climax Moonshine but it seems deliveries are being held up. Apparently a couple of months ago there was a fire(?) or some catastrophe at Lime stone Branch. The word is that Troy and Sons is the new distiller for Climax Moonshine. My distillery is 50 miles from Tim & Tickles stomping ground, so of course inquiring minds would like to know what the truth is. In this part of country Moonshine is a big deal, as it is ground zero for what the TV viewing public sees. People are constantly asking so I'd like to dispel with supposition and give out the facts.

We have a ton of books in our retail store, in Marion VA, Located on Main St. Books from how to distill, history, whiskey and everything in between. Come visit.

Time= Money, Kinda like asking a baker "Why not just use a easy-bake oven rather than a Vulcan stone lined, dual fuel, computer controlled ......." Depends what you want, what you can afford and what your making.

Gotta go through it,to get through it. It's all out there, just gotta dig. Take a business course, workshop, etc... Take a distilling course, and visit as many distillers as possible.

Starts with a good mash, proper cuts and attention to detail. Plus whatever the guy above said, though I don't understand it. But hey, Sound the WAR HORNS!!!!

No... it would violate my 5th amendment rights. Don't let guests touch hot stills, or rest against them..... really it's not a good idea....... Trust me.

Pretty cool, thanks for the post. It inspires me to make more and better whiskys. Love it. Best to all and great spirits everyone.

That's pretty cheap. who are you using?

Electric- take the kw rating of the equipment -X- time- X- cost per kwhr. IE- 4500 watt= 4.5 kw X 3 (Hours run time) x .35 (whatever your electricity costs) = $4.73

As far as I know there are no standards to simulate age or aging for the production of spirits. It would require experiments and careful collection of data.

Please describe some of the issues your having, and maybe we can give you some insight.

At a 10% ABV, wash, you will need to run 600 gallons per day of mash. Actual output is based on hundreds of variables, but this is a good starting point.

I have a 3" mile hi column, $250 plus shipping.

Nestles Quick......(smirk)

1. Take a professional distilling class. 2. Know and understand all and I mean all,the laws governing the sale of alcohol in your state. 3. Hire a consultant for a day, or invest in going to the ADI conference. 4. The still is the smallest issue of a distillery, capital and sales stream is first. 5. Business plan, business plan, business plan. 6. There is nothing wrong with a 55 gallon still, I started on smaller, but first identity what you want to make and design the still for it. To me, the easiest conversation starting point is the equipment, but that, in retrospect, is the least important. As long as copper in in the vapor path and you know how to drive your still, you'll be fine. Just make sure you have enough capital to afford the screw ups, and or learning curve. Best of luck

I use propane and electric on a 150 gallon still. I don't make vodka so my concern about high proof (>190) is a non issue.