Just to throw another spanner in the works, how does being a foreigner complicate matters? I'm born and raised in Scotland but my father became a naturalised US citizen some years ago. I was on my way to getting a green card when sadly he was taken from us before his time. It had always been our dream to start a distillery together on your side of the pond with him as capital and myself as the "brains" of the operation.
I've been working in single malt Scotch in one form or another since I finished my Masters in Chemical/Process Engineering back in 2006 and am currently the Brand Ambassador for the world's largest single malt based in the Middle East (they drink a hell of a lot of the golden nectar out here).
My father left me with a substantial amount so the dream is still alive but my route has had to change. Now getting to the point...
Would you recommend starting my own place from scratch or investing in an existing operation (should I be able to find one willing) as my route to a visa have now substantially closed and finding a craft distillery to sponsor my visa as a trainee/assistant distiller would be nigh on impossible.
Thoughts both personal and professional most welcome.
