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?