Kristian

Welcome!

read chapter 7. http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/bam.shtml

We're going to either silo or super sack and the conveyor system will include the mill with hopper and controls.

I have an apollo econo 2 roller mill for sale. It is in great shape. I'm asking $2500 but you might be able to get it for less on Ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Apollo-Roller-Mill-/251501691849?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a8eab43c9

That's why the moscow mule tastes better in the copper than it does in glass.

You should chat with David at Feisty, he spent a lot of time working with the Fire Marshall up there to educate him that a still is not a pressure vessel. Although I still think the fire marshall won't like that you are building your own still. As a alternative, you are welcome to move down to Loveland and leave beer for Fort Collins...

Seconded... Negotiate with your landlord, ours gave us reduced rent until we were licensed and producing. Of course, this depends on how commercial real estate is in your area.

oops, misunderstood.

Submit it with a proof on it. The allowable changes include alcohol content and therefore you may change it. Just be sure it is accurate to what is in the bottle. http://www.ttb.gov/labeling/allowable_revisions.shtml see number 11.

Still requires Formula and COLA so its not going to happen...

Do you have a picture?

We produce spirits for other brands so I have a little perspective from this side of the coin. It seems an easy proposition, but costs for both groups seem to creep up. Be sure to spell everything out in writing. Sure, you may help them bottle their own product once in a while, they may not charge you for the 8th resubmission of your label. In the end you may love each other or hate each other based on how much thought you put into the initial agreement. Who's paying for the sample you fedex to a potential distributor, the box it ships in, the tape to seal the box, the ink on the label and the person waiting around for fedex to pick up the box? Ridiculous right? How much will you pay for a pallet sitting in the corner or a box of caps on the shelf per month? If you share the same bottle do you pay for your own pallet or a case as you use it? If there is a tasting room you can sell out of, do you share a percentage of the cost to run it based on your sales volume or do you sell a case to the tasting room wholesale? Be willing to pay for the costs of your business cause whether you own the equipment and building or not it still costs a lot to run a distillery. Use of a license is not that simple. You will be using up a portion of their bond. Every month someone will have to file excise tax paperwork for your liquid, records that will need to be maintained long after you've opened the doors to your shiny new distillery. If all of a sudden they decide to stop, what happens to your brand? Will you share a distributor, will liquor stores and bartenders know the difference between your brands? When you serve your product at an event or in the tasting room but don't check the ID of that freakishly hairy 20 year old with the voice of the most interesting man in the world, who is responsible for the fine and the lost revenue when you can't sell anything for 2 weeks? I'm off to fill my glass, good night. Kristian

You are welcome to stop by for a visit, send me an email. Kristian

You may put a brand name listed on your permit on the front or back of your bottle. You may also have a fanciful name on the front of the bottle. So the front can say "Tom's" for the vodka or gin, or "Tom's Handcrafted" for the vodka and gin and still put any trade name listed on your permit on the back. You may have the same name for everything or separate names for each product line. This also allows you to produce spirits for someone else using their brand name.

We pay $10-$14 per hour plus tips, they make at least $20 per hour. This is not a management position, they just show up and work.

http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/bam.shtml - read chapter 4, scroll all the way down to "flavored whiskey" page 11

It is simple, takes a few weeks.

This will only increase, I also like the... "Hey, you should give us a bunch of your product for our party, it will give you a ton of exposure because I know a lot of people." Just thank them for their support.

PBW, sani-clean and citric acid primarily for cleaning and sanitizing. Call them and tell them what you are trying to clean out of what and they will recommend what is best for you. Our polish for the outside of stainless tanks and copper is MAAS but ketchup works too.

Five Star Chemical in Denver

I used to include them in the COLA submission but was told not to. So we don't submit them anymore, but they still have to follow the rules for class and type. If they require certain wording on the label to describe it you can't contradict it on the tag. They will check when they visit every few years.

Leslie, welcome to the forums. I look forward to your contribution.

Zeon in Colorado

http://www.glaciertanks.com/TriClamp_Strainers-TriClamp_Strainer_1_1_2.html

Hey Lenny, You'll get some clouding which will settle into sediment no matter how you do it. Thats why most honey flavored spirits use a stable flavor compound. Just let it settle out over a couple of days until it clears and pump off the top. Others may have better ways but this has worked for us. Kristian