Piping Rock Distillery

I'm a simpleton (and this industry is like the one I am leaving)... I see distilling as an art form and no one should "regulate" art. One mans trash is another mans treasure... no one should be able to tell me what has value to me, nor should I tell you. Some people actually like swill in a bottle... who are you or I to say they are wrong. Taste buds are not "regulated" or "standard". Last, are not we regulated to death in this great country already! Regulations are a means to "control" by the upper echelon, little guys wouldn't stand a chance... just sayin

The white paper that Michael from Coppersea wrote talked on how there were over 1000 distilleries in NY state alone before prohibition and as of this past year there are something like 34... yeah, I'd say there's room for growth for a while.

I could access your site once. All the pictures were half cut off. When I tried to refresh everything went blank. Tried the tridentwelding site as well and the same thing happened. Now when I try it just goes to a blanke page from the get go. Will empty the cache and try again but there is something a little "buggy" going on. btw, Like your products and will talk to you in the near future hopefully.

Then someone should tell the suppliers of NGS that they are not selling the correct product... ha-ha The TTB must be pretty relaxed on this subject otherwise we'd all know what to call it.

I agree it should have the product it's derived from first... that's what makes sense to me. As we all know they are not all made from "grain". That said, if the companies supplying the product call it Neutral Grain Spirit then I would think the TTB would (should) adopt that as the "correct" terminology.

I myself could care less what it's called but I get a little chuckle every time I see someone correct somebody over this. Beside, I'm a Virgo... to us the glass isn't half full, it isn't half empty. It's just dirty. Sold my clubs a many moons ago... no time for pleasure anymore as I'm in my 50's and it's all about "the work"... thank you Porter.

I see everybody here correcting everyone when they write NGS and saying it's GNS. If that is the case then why do my quotes from Lake Distilling and Ultra-Pure say NGS (or Neutral Grain Spirits). I know that some get upset over this product being called NGS but if that is what the suppliers are calling it then isn't that exactly what it is? Thoughts?

Lake Distilling, upstate (they supply to Ultr-Pure as well). Just got a quote from David not to long ago.

I'm looking at making Gin... it's what I love, it's what I drink. After researching (and by the recommendation of half the distilleries in NYS), I've decided to go with an NGS from Lake Distilling (for several reasons). I don't feel this makes me any less of a distiller as some might say... I want to learn my craft, I want to develop my recipe, I want to have product from the "get to" to sell... so does this make me any less of a craftsman because I'm going to "start" with an NGS? Not in my opinion. I will still be "re-distilling" the product. The raw goods, the time it takes to distill it to an azeotrope and labor involved all adds up to more than what buying the NGS would cost me... so why would I want to take the time (just starting out) to loose money and potentially fail in my business. I will be "distilling" other products in the long run but for now I want to make Gin... and a great Gin at that. The only way I see to do that is to be able to stay in business and keep the lights on. So I myself will get up and running in the most cost effective way possible so that I can develop my skill and my product over time. From what I can see in this business, it's how you "play by the rules".

I want to start with making Gin. What if I want to buy a small "test still" to only distill junipers berries and multiple botanical's to "learn" what each one brings to the table? (I know a distiller or two who have done this to develop their recipe, both in NY state). Wouldn't this be legal? I could then blend various levels of these with a wheat based Vodka to help develop "rough recipes". Or is that just silly thinking... thoughts?

I just wanted to say it was a pleasure meeting all of you yesterday. Thank you for all the hard work you are doing for the craft distilling industry in NY state (and beyond). Very informative. I hope we can all share one of my vodka "blends" one of these days. (ha-ha... )

NY is not a control state. I have found a few resources and I will be attending the next NYS Craft Distiller Guild meeting on the 12th (to hopefully talk to a few members afterward). In our area alone (30 mile radius) I know of 3 craft distilleries going on line in the next year and a half and two more are already established (in a 50 miles radius)... so she certainly seems like she's a growing industry. Weather the market can bear it or not is another story... but I have a feeling that the John & Jane Q. public is more hungry for craft items than the big box chains would want you to believe. I certainly see this amongst my friends. If micro-breweries have 7% of the market in the US it stands to reason that the craft distilling industry will probably settle in at around the same in the long run. Of course this is just a "guestamation" on my part but I could actually see it doing better than the micro brewery industry.

Hello Dave, Just met with John and his lovely wife (Lake George Distillery) yesterday. Exciting times for all. Much to do...

Hi, Might I inquire how one goes about joining the NY guild? Do you have to be an open shop to join? I tried doing an online search and can't find anything. I also tried sending a PM... but unfortunately it is not allowed. Thank you. Best Regards, Larry DeVivo

I'm looking for a good resource on statistics for the craft distilling business in NY state? Any ideas? Thank you. Larry

Congratulations on the new business. Three buildings certainly gives you room to grow. Best of luck.

Congratulations... the still looks beautiful. Best of luck on the business.

Hey John, Congrats and please keep everyone posted. Would love to do lunch sometime and discuss the biz. Please contact me at larry@silvertonemastering.com or at 518-581-8141. I'm about to talk to Vendome but wanted to talk to you first (in case they do some sort of discount for referrals). Same with any contractors you might be using. best regards, Larry

Hi John, Sorry for the late response I was in NYC on business all day yesterday. Small world. I will be meeting with the guys from Albany Distilling in a couple weeks. I went down to their grand opening last month and it was fantastic. The city of Albany and state of NY really seem to be behind this micro industry, that was great to see. Would love to get together at some point. Sometime in the next few weeks / months we should try to get together and do lunch or something. The meeting with SCORE went great, they really, really like the idea. So does the city of Saratoga Springs. I've dealt with the code enforcer and the fire marshal on some locations we are looking at and both just flipped out at the idea of a craft distillery in downtown Saratoga. I know the mayor will love the idea as well as he used to be out paper boy when growing up. In fact Scott is one of the partners in a local restaurant and bar (Siro's, over by the track). The code enforcer was a childhood friend and I know about half the guys at the FD personally. Small world... and quite handy when trying to set up a business such as this (as I'm sure you know). We have financing lined up and I've been dealing with both Kothe and Carl regarding the still(s) we are going to purchase. I want an experimental still as well as a 600L. Who are looking at still wise? I have a hell of a lot to learn over the next two years as we attempting to get this business up and running but I am very much looking forward to it.

Thank you for the kind welcome everyone. Looking forward to being part of this industry.

Hey Jed, Yeah, I've been involved in the audio business for 37 years... I also write for Tape-Op magazine and have done a lot of beta testing for most of the manufactures out there. So my name has gotten around a bit in them there circles. Too bad it's no longer a "healthy" industry. This industry seems very exciting to me... time for my 2nd act in life now.

Hi Everyone, Larry DeVivo here, I just joined this wonderful forum after lurking for a few months. Seems like a great resource. I am meeting with the local reps from SCORE today to start our (my wife and I) business plan to open a small craft distillery in downtown Saratoga Springs, NY... Piping Rock Distillery. I am very much looking forward to this meeting. I already have a ton of questions for the forum and I'm sure I'll have more after this meeting. I'm a total newbie at this (distilling, not being a small business owner) after spending the last 37 years working in the audio industry but I have a passion for this "craft industry" that is on par with my passion for audio. Unfortunately the audio industry is pretty dead and I don't see being able to stay a part of that profession for too much longer (at least not as a means to make a living... plus I have the "burn out" factor going on after 37 years). I consider distilling an art form. Gin is what floats my boat personally and I look forward to experimenting with new "recipes". I very much look forward to getting to know and working with other professionals in the industry. best regards, Larry