TetonDistillery

I agree. $15 per case sounds really high. But there are a lot of variables involved. Maybe you are way off the beat track of where most commercial shipping takes place. Do you require a lift gate for all trucks, because that costs more. There are a lot of variables involved when shipping.

The bottles will be arriving likely in late March or early April. So I don't have samples yet to send to anyone. I have received emails asking about samples to be shipped so potential buyers can verify that it fits their current product. So I think I mentioned this bottle too early here on ADI forums. It is perfectly understandable that someone cannot make a buying decision without a sample jug bottle in their hands. As soon as I get these bottles in my hands, I will have single bottle samples available for review. I have a list of people that have expressed interest. If you are also interested, just send me an email and I will respond and confirm adding you to the list. These 750 ml classic moonshine jug bottles will be $1.35 each FOB Seattle or FOB New Jersey. We will likely have them at both distillery locations. We will regularly be ordering containers of these bottles, so there will be a regular supply coming in several times per year. So pre-ordering will be helpful so that we can be bringing in enough quantity to meet our own needs for our spirits, plus supplying the bottles to those of you that want to also have it regularly available. You can expect sample single bottles available in late March or early April. Thanks, James

Get it in writing. You have nothing right now. You are merely an employee.

Sorry for the delay in responding. I was traveling through the holidays and away from my PC. I believe I have responded to everyone by email or through PM here on this website. If I have not, please let me know.

We want to add Whiskey Stones as a product in our tasting room. Can anyone direct me to where we can buy these wholesale?

8% to 10% is typical for the companies that offer this service in various states.

What is the website and contact info for Laser On Products? I google that name, but it is just too generic to identify a specific company with those words. Which company are you actually referring to? Please provide a link to their website. Thanks

Also, I have an ownership interest in another new distillery in New Jersey. We are sending the same bottle to that distillery, so I will likely have some extras to sell FOB New Jersey. That will save some shipping costs if you are on the east coast. Those are likely late March or early April.

These states specifically ban it. Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Mississippi, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah

I have a full container coming of these bottles in March 2015. However, we don't need a full container. That is a lot of money tied up in bottles. I would like to sell about 5,000 to 10,000 of these bottles in March. These are going to be in the port of Seattle. If you are making moonshine or whiskey and these bottles work for you, please email me if you are interested. james@tetonvodka.com 750 ML Moonshine Jug with thumb handle

No, but I think that is an option at Rockwood Glass.

We are really pleased with the work from Rockwood Glass. Here is our new custom bottle from them that we just got into production. We did a mold with Rockwood and this is how it turned out. Here is a video of the bottle in production at their glass factory.

I would agree with that. There are a lot of under capitalized distilleries operating out there. It would not surprise me if there are quite a few distilleries shutting down in the next 2-5 years. We see the articles of new craft distilleries being announced. We see new people introduce themselves here. But we often don't hear about the shutdowns. But it is definitely happening. How many will fail? 50%? Nobody should start this business thinking it is easy. It takes deep pockets to create a solid distillery and successful business. There is a lot more to it than just making a good product.

That is exactly what we do. Using two stills in this manner turned out to be far more efficient overall. We are about to add a 3rd 500 gallon pot still to the rotation. We started with only one column still, then added a 500 gallon pot still for stripping alcohol (and also making whiskey). So there is no need to start with two stills. You can scale into the second still as your demand increases. You can certainly start with just one still in the early days. We started with 4 X 800 liter fermentation tanks. Then added 5 X 1600 liter fermentation tanks. Now we are adding 4 X 3500 liter fermentation tanks. You will find that fermentation tanks are your bottleneck for production. The stills can be run more often with additional shifts and an assistant distiller. But fermentation tank capacity is simply a time issue.

Every state is different. Control states you will get zero support from the state distributors. In 3 tier states it really depends on the distributor you are working with. Some are great and work with you. Others just want to be order takers and won't do anything to help. I would not could on any distributors doing this for a new craft distillery as you wrote, "form their own sales strategies for our products once production gets under way".

Wow, Greg Allen sounds like a real peach of a guy. They just signed a settlement agreement on Tuesday to resolve all issues and buyout Chip Tate. Then the very next day they trash him publicly in an article like that? Most people would have signed the settlement agreement, then make polite parting comments about putting it all behind them and moving on. But these clowns at Balcones just seemed to feel the need to stick a knife in and flip the middle finger as a parting statement.

How long does it take to run a single batch on your 300 gal still?

There is another update on the Balcones situation. Chip seems well on his way to exiting the private equity clowns out of the company. http://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2014/11/balcones-drops-restraining-order-on-chip-tate/ The judge has ruled that Chip Tate is correct in that the board is not authorized to take any action without Chip being present to achieve a quorum. So Chip Tate has a veto over everything by merely declining to attend board meetings. Reading between the lines, it looks like Chip is saying that he won't be attending any future board meetings until Greg Allen and his investors resign from the company. Basically that makes their investment stagnant or possibly even worthless if they continue the fight. I suspect Chip just needs to wait them out and keep ignoring their board meetings. The expansion plans, the stock dilution, everything will be on hold and going nowhere. Eventually Greg Allen and his investors will realize they have no leverage and will seek a way to get out of this. They burned their bridges with the takeover stunt they tried to engineer on Balcones.

That is so true. And it only rarely has to do with how skilled you are at your job. There are just so many variables that go into how much you get paid, many of which are outside of your control. Are there other craft distilleries or breweries in the area? Are they trying to lure away your skilled labor forcing you to pay more? Or are there so many people in the area with experience that they are giving you resumes on a regular basis and you have your pick? Or are you hiring people with zero experience and training in-house yourself? These types of factors can easily mean the difference between $15 to $25 per hour for an assistant distiller.

Having a loading dock is great, but I consider that optional for a distillery. But even if you have a loading dock, there are still plenty of other reasons that you are going to also need a forklift in your distillery. If you have any pallet racks with a 2nd or 3rd level, you are going to need a forklift.

Yep, we have also used Aaron Linden. He certainly does know his stuff regarding bonding and insurance for distilleries. I can recommend Aaron without any hesitation. He knows all of the TTB forms and process. He knows exactly what the government needs to receive in order to get you through the regulatory side of the process.

For our 600 liter column still (158 Gal) the diameter of the column is 200 mm (about 8 inches). The column goes up 31 ft. There is another version of the same still with two columns that maxes at 23 feet. But on the 500 gallon pot still the column is not proportionally larger in diameter. I will measure it to get the exact numbers. Here are some pictures for comparison purposes. http://www.tetondistillery.com/distillery-equipment

It looks like Chip Tate is winning in court. The judge ruled that Chip Tate is correct. The new board of directors is not authorized to take the actions that have been occurring because there is not a quorum unless Chip Tate attends the meetings. http://www.wacotrib.com/news/business/judge-sides-with-founder-in-ongoing-balcones-distilling-dispute/article_45a53799-90f2-589d-b04a-41aa2b7b3b90.html

I am consulting on a new distillery in Fairfield New Jersey. We have a lawyer there that is handling the state level licenses. I was told he has also done the licensing process for several breweries in New Jersey. So if you still need this referral, send me a PM or email.

This is VERY important and I agree. Sloped floors leading to drains is a great thing that many people don't think about when looking at places to lease. Boiler room is something to keep in mind when looking for locations. If possible you don't want to have to build one. Make sure you have sufficient power in your location. You don't want to have to pay to upgrade the power for your landlord. Ceiling height is always important. 25 ft ceilings are great. That will fit most stills and will allow you to use pallet racks for storage. Waste disposal... are you on city sewer for disposal of waste water? That has become an issue for us as we scaled up. Septic tanks won't be enough.