Kristian

For mashing and cleaning use a commercial instant hot water heater (mine goes to 180*F). You could also use water from your condenser, collect it on your mash cooker or store it in a tank and pump it for cleaning. You can also buy a small electric steam generator.

It's probably a good idea to contact any distillery you plan to visit before or after the conference. We are not hosting any visitors outside of the ADI class or the bus tour because we will be - at the conference with you, or busy hosting those who have paid to take the hands on rum distilling class. If you cannot make the drive to see these distilleries or take the ADI's bus tour you will be able to meet the distillers and taste their spirits at Dstill a few blocks from the conference site on Wednesday night. Add to Lenny's list although still not complete I'm sure. KJ Woods Feisty Tesouro J&L Distilling Black Canyon Gargoyle Mile High Spirits 291 Boathouse Peak Spirits Trail Town We are honored to be having all of you visit.

I think it depends on when the hops go in, regular beer during the wort boil probably not flavored, dry-hopped after distillation probably "flavored with hops". Thats just my guess.

Cool!

Sorry for the mistake on your still Dave. My apologies. It is a very beautiful piece of equipment! We usually barrel at lower proof than would be normal so the decision at 120 was based on a little research and a little the batch fit the barrel at that proof. Like I said it was an experiment. It turned out nicely, not overoaked and the delicate character was preserved. We decided it was ready to bottle based on tasting notes every week for several month. It was 5 gallons and we aged less than 6 months in a toasted barrel from the barrel mill.

This is a separate consumer event hosted by the Colorado Distillers Guild as a benefit to distillers who are attending the convention. We are inviting distillers who have Colorado distribution to pour their spirits to Colorado industry professionals and consumers. All conference attendees are welcome to taste at Dstill but the ticket is not included in ADI conference registration. There will be other events in town as well so check out the website. We have worked with ADI to ensure that Dstill compliments the conference. We hope to see you there.

You can get hi temps with a hot water boiler if the pressure is right. A friend uses an instant hot water heater and pressurized system and his still runs great!

If the grappa was distilled on your charentais I'd say 120 proof and a new toasted barrel. If its delicate you wont want to lose the character so this should do it. We did a small aged grappa style a while back and it was delightful. I'd love to taste this one.

Building my clean room tomorrow, or wait... cleaning my building tomorrow. Either option sounds like a lot of work. I wish the FDA would ask half of those questions at the local slaughter house. Next time we hang out I'll tell you about the state inspector that tried to apply fed brewery regs when he visited, then he harassed us for a few months until I chatted with his supervisor and then nobody would meet with me but the harassment stopped. FUN!

We are hosting 2 hands on ADI classes before and after the conference. Register through ADI. It is being taught by Eric Watson. I've seen the curriculum and with the hands on we have planned it should be very informative.

It might be weird but I think there is going to be a lot of these weird no mans land drinks coming from small producers, at least I can hope we don't just continue to make the same old thing because we are scared to market it or fear bad reviews. My point here was strictly from the press side of things not so much about the product itself. If 10 people see your name then 10 people know you when they go to the liquor store or bar. Good or bad they may try it just out of curiosity or they may not but they know who you are. So 10 guys who drink whiskey know who you are and that you make this vodka-ish whiskey. Then they have a jack and coke cause they are from the trailer park but they order this and coke for their girl because its cool for her because she can't handle your manly whiskey. I don't think they will have any problem hitting their desired market. More people drink vodka than whiskey, and these people will try a whiskey that is marketed as "easier to drink, like your vodka."

While this is written in the negative, I must say it's popular to be unpopular. What I mean is, I'm going to do something that others will complain about to get a crap ton of press and then change my mind because my very important customers didn't like it... now everyone feels loved. Oh and I just got more advertising than my annual budget will ever provide. Sounds familiar doesn't it. The girl that has the same opinion of whiskey as the wife quoted will now go buy this stuff because the reviewer doesn't appreciate her opinion. Don't underestimate the value of bad reviews. Figure out how to make it work or improve it.

The Colorado Distillers Guild is hosting a tasting event during the ADI conference for industry and consumers. We would like to invite you to pour your spirits. Tables are limited to 50 and we already have 19 distillers participating. The table fee is $200. In order to participate you must have a Colorado Distributor. If not, get your ticket to taste starting tomorrow (March 4th). There will be local restaurants to sample and the Colorado Bartenders Guild will be there making cocktails as well! Thank you, Kristian Naslund Treasurer/Secretary CODG SIGN UP HERE - http://www.dstill.co/ Distiller Dancing Pines Distillery Loveland Colorado (970) 635-3426

It probably falls under the Distilled Spirits Specialty formula and COLA. If you want to make a spiced rum (DSS) or a spice flavored rum (FLAVORED RUM) you can do some seemingly odd labeling within the DSS but they wont just tell you that, you have to ask "How do I make my product say...?" We don't have a barrel aged gin but thats my guess. Kristian

So I think this might become my standard plagiarized reply post.

You will need to get a pay.gov account when you get your license and all of the tax forms can be submitted online. The IRS 720 is not the right form, that is for businesses who have collected excise taxes for one reason or another to be able to report and pay that collected amount to the IRS. (shipping companies, airlines, etc.) As a distillery you are not collecting excise tax for anyone. You are making a product that requires you to pay the excise tax for yourself. Depending on what you are producing you will have to follow detailed record keeping requirements, file multiple forms for each tax period, and excise tax returns for each payment. TTB forms 5110.11, 5110.28, 5110.40, 5000.24 and any required state forms.

It's responsible, you can't market to anyone underage. When we had the TTB visit they had looked through our marketing, website and facebook to check content before they arrived.

I had a similar discussion once with a polylam maker. PVC is easier to have conform to the shape of the bottle because it just shrinks whereas the polylam/foil is pressed on by a spinning head and if there are drastic changes in the shape of the bottle at the head you may have issues. Some of the capsule makers don't like to mess with it because the ribbed bar top closures make the capsule look funny when finished. They also don't like putting a perforated tear tab in them.

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Can't wait to get mine!

I think I have enough rules to follow now let alone the government telling me what I can and can't name my own company. We distill and we have the word distillery in our name. That's the point, the consumer makes the market for small producers. If you have a properly educated consumer we all have a place to market our spirits, if not then the people with all the money that can and have used their dollars to mold the minds of the consumer will have a place to market and we'll all close up. So we can go out there and tell everyone that I am a true craftsman and the small guy next door just bottles what the big guy makes, or we can say there are all kinds of business models and you can buy from me and the guy/girl who proudly owns their own brand even though they are not distilling it themselves. The later will increase our tiny 0.01% of the marketshare. Do you think the "many people who were fooled for a long time" in the example above eagerly went on to purchase another craft spirit or went back to the old standby that grandpa drank? That's my opinion anyway. The big spirits marketing machines aren't going to tell on each other even though they are doing what you are complaining about, because it's bad for business.

The TTB already does this with your COLA. If you distill it you say "distilled and bottled by" on the back label. If you blend it you say "produced and bottled by" on the back label. If you just bottle it then you say "bottled by" on the back label. If you don't follow these rules and you get an audit you will be corrected. Just hope it doesn't cost you a boatload.

First off, I enjoy the spirits JohninWV makes and blends. He has a real skill that many don't. And he is more than honest about it. This is the story of spirits, do you think that there are as many stills with distillers running them as their are spirits brands out there? even in craft spirits? See Mountain Moon Vodka that trademarked the phrase "crafted not made" as they are owned by Diageo. Second, I make my own spirits, I mash and ferment. I use GNS too. I produce contractually for other companies as well. Herein lies my point, if the people I make a vodka (gin, absinthe or rum) for, have enthusiasm for and ownership in their product; is it their product or mine? When they spend their money developing the product and brand, their time and energy marketing and promoting it, and their anxiety each day... then it is their craft, it is their art and they deserve to have the ownership of it. THANKFULLY, we are not all the same. Consumers are the driving force here not us so if we can peak their interest in the small distiller, farm distiller, producer, blender, rectifier, brand owner, etc. Then we are promoting our industry and maybe they'll buy a second bottle from one of us instead of...

Welcome!

Is this going to be the theme T-shirt for all ADI Conference attendees this year?