jwymore

A couple things:

Banks are only going to loan to a startup if you have enough personal assets to provide them with a personal guarantee.

I would not risk my retirement or my home on a startup business, way too risky. Especially if you have never done this type of business in the past.

If you feel you must use equity or retirement assets I would try to leverage loans against those things rather than pull out cash directly

You need to really look at your business plan month to month for the first 3 years and if you are honest in your sales projections you are likely looking at needing cash flow to cover net losses for the first couple years.

Perhaps the best way to proceed is find an investor that has a direct interest in distilling and is willing to work along side you in the business

I used tri-clamp spools. Readily available in a variety of sizes and you can buy a cap for each end to make a canister. I am assuming you are using loose charcoal here ...

http://www.glaciertanks.com/TriClamp_Products-Couplers_1_-2_TriClamp-2.html

Depends on a lot of things but if this is a startup don't have big expectations for the first couple years. After that it depends on efficiency and sales volumes. Make sure the business plan makes sense before you invest.

I'll chime in and agree with the posts above. IMHO I would avoid investors unless they have some expertise to add to the business or you can't get funding any other way. They generally have higher expectations and are more demanding about good return. If you have decent credit you should be able to secure a loan from a bank and money is still very cheap. The bank also won't tell you how to run your business.

This only really applies if you are offering stock sales to the public, right? Or is there more to it than that?

Just had this discussion with a brandy and cider maker about this the other day. While he didn't say much about acidity he definitely stays away from the sweeter varieties that he referred to as "sugar filled water balloons" claiming they have less flavor than less sweet varieties. I only wish I could remember the specific variety he said he used.

Also don't forget to roll your fixed overhead and non-product related variable overhead back into your financials which will be some amount per bottle depending on proposed production volume. If your production volumes are fairly low the overhead can eat you alive. :-)

Not sure if this is helpful but thought I would throw it out here. This place has 2" & 3" copper tri-clamp flanges available. Might save somebody the need to make a stainless copper connection.

http://moonshinedistiller.com/distilling-equipment/still-parts-connectors-packing

It saw an 83 percent in-state sales decline in 2010.

Seems like you would almost have to shutdown to see a drop like that .... seems really weird.

We live and operate in a free market system. Do we really want more rules and regulations?

If the customer is being blatantly deceived I would say yes ....

I would say for the grain to water ratio you are using 1.070 is probably about right and I'm not sure you will do much better. Not sure how fine you ground your corn but the finer you go the easier it is to get the starches out. I prefer a medium corn meal.

If you use a flaked pre-gelatenized corn you might gain a little and save the need to cook or boil. The flaked is near impossible to lauter though if you plan to do that. It is also more expensive so there is a price for the time and energy savings.

I am curious what temp you did your protein rest at? If you get the corn above 180 for a period of time it should release all it's starches eliminating the need to boil after your first conversion. If you cook the corn first then chill to 155 and add malted barley your conversion should go smoothly. Obviously you got out some additional starches after the boil so I am wondering if your rest was below 180 ish?

Never heard of this but you can always experiment on a small scale. Seems like any type of leaf matter woud tend to be pretty bitter ....

I have never seen this done and I have been on a lot of tours

Things to ask is how many times they have been used, what is the toast and what was in them. I would want to know this before purchasing. Even if thoroughly cleaned, red wine barrels will likely leach some red color into your spirit as well as a little flavor. Possibly desirable for brandy but probably not for grain spirits. If your supplier has a steam or high pressure barrel washer on site have him clean the barrels for you before shipping.

Are you looking to consult, find a job or form a partnership?

I think the more important question investors should be asking is if you have any spirits marketing experience. Distilling experience is important but it is (depending on location) easier and cheaper to hire in than a good marketing guy.

So are all you guys getting away with an F1 rating? My local fire guy is hinting that a distillery might fall into the H-2 category.

Clear Creek Distillers here in Oregon have been pretty successful focusing exclusively on Brandy and Grappa although they have recently released a smoky single malt whiskey that is quite good. They have been around since the 80's and are pretty widely distributed but it might be a model to at least look at.

http://www.clearcreekdistillery.com

What method are you using to determine that your mash is at zero ABV?

Ohhhhh ..... me likes the copper!!

I'd say $3k for that much square footage in a high traffic area is pretty good based on what I have been looking at. It's a bonus if the drains are already there. Are you paying NNN on top of the $3k?

Cost of labor for harvesting is a major issue, hence the predominance of Albanian and Bulgarian product.

I was over in Bend a couple months ago and spent about 1/2 hour picking fresh Juniper. I netted about a pint of berries for my effort ..... not highly productive!!! :-)

Love the clear column ....

I guess the real point here is, run your business the way you want but don't deceive people about what you are doing.

Just walking and using the trolley you could keep busy with that for days!! :-)