Gedrick Distilling Company

Is the still still available?

How much is the still Sue?

This is heartbreaking stuff Mash. I am truly sorry for the predicament you found yourself in.

It doesn't matter whether you use the genuine article or flakes as there is still going to be a lot of water involved. However, using your Alaskan spuds is a great marketing plus point. I am experienced in making potato vodka and I can tell you it is not simple, primarily due to the liquefaction issue. The spud is a hard taskmaster and every seven year old knows that potato and water together makes GLUE. If you need help putting together the right equipment and process for mashing and distilling a great potato vodka, I would be pleased to help you. 

Best, Gerard.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerard-evans-1b2b8a58/

Hi Vodkaman, I think you posted another message about this, which I replied to. I'd be happy to guide you through this process, but I'd like to know a lot more about your plan before I offer a cogent recommendation. Please contact me through my LinkedIn profile for further help and well done for asking for advice instead of just rushing out and buying a still. Best, Gerard

https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerard-evans-1b2b8a58/

I am a professional distillery consultant who represents Dye in Europe but also operate in the US too. I am happy to recommend their products. After extensive investigation and consultation with the company and their chief engineer, all my queries were answered satisfactorily and I am happy that their products represent high quality and good value. My reputation is critical and I am happy to state this. Please feel free to contact me if you have any further queries. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerard-evans-1b2b8a58/

Hi vodkaman, This is a very complex subject, so please be careful. Well done for not rushing out and simply buying the first still you saw, like many do. The type of still you buy depends entirely on what you intend to use it for - not just now, but also in 3-5 years. It needs a lot of planning to avoid costly mistakes. If you need professional help, you can view my credentials and contact details here. https://www.linkedin.com/in/gerard-evans-1b2b8a58/  I specialise in helping start-ups just like you. Good luck, Gerard

Out there in NM you might want to spend some time thinking about your cooling source rater than heating. How is that condensor going to run?

On 11/3/2015 at 9:10 PM, DonMateo said:

I am interested in this as the only reason why I want to get into this is because where I want to set up, Mendoza Argentina, there is no other craft whiskey distillery around. There are 3 other small distilleries making brandy and other sorts of things but no-one making whiskey and the place has 1,5million wine tourists a year. There are some whiskey producers in Argentina but they are the beer companies who take left over NGS and add colouring and flavouring and its horse piss. So I am going to start small and market the place like crazy in the peak months, which are Jan through to March. In those months there are 450,000 tourists a month. If I can sell via the cellar door 250 bottles I am breaking even. I think I may end up selling a lot more but I have to make the stuff first. I really appreciate all the comments and guidelines here. I was wondering if in fact the craft distillery industry in the US was becoming over supplied. I know in South America there are 6 Craft distilleries in Brazil, 1 in Argentina, but way in the south, none in Chile none in Peru and none in Colombia. I am going to do one in Mendoza because of the amount of tourists it gets and if it wasnt for that I wouldnt risk the money. The truth is my day job pays pretty well so I can float the business for a while but I want it to make good money and make happy customers. I really appreciate the comment about getting your second sale. That was great.

Anyway great comments and thank you very much gentlemen.

Terrific DonMateo - good luck to you. 

On 11/3/2015 at 5:08 PM, DonMateo said:

I am only banking o selling 200 cases a month and where I am skill labour is very cheap. So I hope I might be doing something right.

Thanks for the comments everyone. I think I will hire two marketing gals to start with rather than one.

Matt

Just remember that you are probably your prime marketing tool and those gals should know that...

Ten grams is a good start for juniper and coriander but it really depends on what you intend to do with the distillate. Is it for gc/ms?

Well right there you  just threw a huge spanner in the works by uttering the word RUM. You need a fuller idea of exactly what you intend to make before thinking about still makers. Rum will change a lot of your options right away. Good luck!

Use the water you intend to use in production, if possible...then you will know what you are getting into. If you are doing any gc/ms then use RO or d-i for a really pure result.

Quote

. I would think less about floor drains, plumbing, electrical service, HVAC, etc....please don't do this! Those are four things that if you get wrong will haunt you, believe me.

 

Good reply...but don't sweat this stuff. It is for gray bureaucrats and form fillers. Make sure it is correctly recorded by all means, but focus on what is coming out of your still!

Just bear in mind any wall you put up is a place where a hose can't run or you can't wheel a pump. Keep things open but segregate for packaging and storage, if you must. It depends a lot on your architecture tbh and indeed whether you plan to offer tours, tastings etc...PLAN!

Paul,

As I said before, I had no intention of NOT writing my own business plan or not doing my own research, and I have already visited three distilleries and plan to visit more. I simply felt that the more information I had, the more examples I could reference, the better off I would be.

During my preliminary research I have found quite a few business plans online from wineries and breweries, from folks who started successful businesses and have posted their business plans online, free of charge, simply to help others who might want to start a similar business. Anyone with common sense would know that they can't simply copy and paste their name into one of these and call it their own; markets are too different and always changing, and no two businesses are the same. I just thought that since I couldn't find any distillery business plans online I'd see if anyone here was willing to post one. If no one is, that's fine, I'll just continue on my path. I respect that people might be protective of some of the information in their plans; no hard feelings.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to post, or who has contacted me offering help.

Hi WI distiller, are you a fully paid up member of ADI, because if you are there are sample business plans on this website that you can access and download as a full member. I sympathise with what you are trying to do. There is a welter of information and tasks to perform and finding a shortcut for anything is a huge relief. I think your request was perfectly legitimate and understandable, but guys might be a little reticet to send you the whole shooting match! Perhaps if you address problem areas individually and ask for help, you would get a more enthusiastic response. Having said that, I am flabergasted by the helpfulness and good nature on this forum. Networking is so important for us all to develop this passion into a forceful industry and most people get that on here. Good luck, either way.

I haven't heard or read of anyone doing this donutboy but I think it sounds like a good idea. What sort of issues were you envisaging?

Hi Paul,

Just a minor query on pricing. From your listing above I noticed the 600 gall mash tun at $23,000 and the similarly configured 150 gall tun at the very specific price of $2,668.80. It seems a somewhat disparate level of pricing for equipment that differs only in size, unless I am missing something critical.

I've noticed this on Alibaba and other Alibaba-sourced still suppliers. Can you shed some light on why some equipment leaps in price so dramatically?

Thanks and congratulations on your new venture.

I agree that the key word here is your interpretation of the word 'distinctive'. The government doesn't provide one so it seems reasonable to assume that it is up to the individual to decide. Distinctive to me suggests perhaps a flavor, color or aroma that takes the beverage strongly away from the neutral flavor of vodka and into the realms of other products, thus causing confusion among consumers. If however your vodka looked like a whisky, smelled like a gin and and tasted like tequila, the TTB might not like that. However if it merely contains notes or subtle hints of the underlying distilled base then that would not count as 'distinctive'.

Normally, we apply this rule strictly to flavor, but I wonder if anyone produced an ever-so-subtly colored vodka (perhaps the result of very brief aging) what the reaction would be? Cat among the pigeons methinks.

IMO, of course.

Many congratulations Bluestar...great job and good luck.

What was behind the decision to open in two locations. What kind of synergies and market advantage do you think you can get? (If you don't mind me asking).