slew

Thanks for the input, Scott. So we think we wouldn't need any federal license at all for this kind of operation (assuming tax bond handled by distiller)? That almost seems too good to be true. I'll be attending a course with TTB in several weeks where I plan to raise the scenario as well, hopefully they can provide good direction.

I second Rick's comment -- it differs by state and you'll find the control board (or taxing authority) the best place to start. For Illinois, for example, I've confirmed via a FOIA request to Dept. of Revenue that they don't maintain this kind of information with any kind of specificity. They can only tell you the tax revenue obtained from the sale of alcohol, but even that is only split into three main buckets (i.e. they don't maintain for whiskey v. vodka v. gin).

Late to the party on this topic, but it really struck a chord with me. I've been toying with the idea of opening a craft distillery but, like many of us, don't sit on a heap of cash to get started. Not to mention the obvious time and effort involved in building out a site prior to getting TTB approval or selling my first case. Which is what brings me to this thread - I'm now thinking about contracting with an existing distillery to produce, bottle, label, etc. If I went that route, and found a suitable distributor, I could continue to raise funds and brand awareness while the next phase (i.e. my own distillery) gets built out and approved. The real question for the gurus -- what kind of licensing is needed for that route? Wholesaler? Or even that?