Tesstony

sorry about the duplicates....Mod help??

Hi folks,

5 year newbie here, cannot seem to get away from the 50hr week job that pays the bills long enough to pursue. However, in reading some of the topics here I wonder about the feasability of an operation which sources the distilled spirits from a number of local distillery's currently in operation. Allowing me to bottle and market.

My question: could I blend, age, bottle, etc at my shop or do Feds require that all to be done where the product is distilled. I would like to create some uniqueness with the actual taste (aging?) and recipe (re: blend) at my shop.

Thank you in advance to anyone taking the time for a helpful response.

repost from a while back

Hi,

I am researching the possibility of purchasing a small quanity of personalized product for my retail store. I have particular interest in corn whiskey, bourbon & vodka in that order and would prefer a low price-point for my customer base (seasonal area).

In an ideal world in would be a mixture of the above for a total of 10-20 cases and a NY product.

If this need matches any member resources please let me know. Feel free to contact me on the Adirondack Moonshine facebook page.

Bill

Hi,

I am researching the possibility of purchasing a small quanity of personalized product for my retail store. I have particular interest in corn whiskey, bourbon & vodka in that order and would prefer a low price-point for my customer base (seasonal area).

In an ideal world in would be a mixture of the above for a total of 10-20 cases and a NY product.

If this need matches any member resources please let me know. Feel free to contact me on the Adirondack Moonshine facebook page.

Bill

Thanks all. All positive feedback is really,really appreciated. I have a concept and a market niche that I feel strongly about. I am not a distiller, I do not own a farm, I do not have family in either of these fields and I have no partner. I am however very determined.

It is very confusing (unless money is not an object) as I try to evaluate and balance classes, consultants etc. while reading anything I can get my hands on with my ebay still in the basement. This site is mostly non-judgemental and really terrific for established folks. But I have been working as a Senior Manager for a Fortune 500 company for nearly 20 years and still feel like an idiot most of the time!

Thank you again Johnathan, Paul etc. for taking the time.

Kindest regards,

Bill

Just to get started, as Paul said, "have you a rough idea of what scale you're planning on implementing? Are you planning on having it built turn-key?"

First, you need to figure out how much product you want to be able to produce, then double or quadruple it. Then use those numbers to figure out what size still and amount of fermenters, etc. you need.

One of the most common answers I heard speaking to distillers when I was doing my distillery research and planning was that they wish they had started out much larger than they did, because then they had to grow fast while doing business, in many times with a facility that ended up too small. The second common answer was that they wish they had double or triple the start-up funds. I know that this happened to me. My partner made some purchases without consulting me and now what I planned as a small operation, has the possibility to be five times the size. It wasn't a bad thing, but it was a surprise. So now I am hustling to get another still that can handle the capacity we now have available to produce. My budget increased by a huge amount and I had to gather more funds before we are even near opening.

Second, do you and/or your partners have the skills and knowledge to make/weld the equipment you need, or do you have a skilled and knowledgeable steel and copper worker/welder to do it for you? Then you can save a bundle making all your equipment and scavenging used brewing, dairy, and other equipment and adapting it to distilling.

Otherwise you are going to have to pay top dollar, and wait a long while to get a turn-key operation built for you.

You've decided what products you want to make, now you have to decide how you want to make them. For whiskey you can make a mash, or a wash to distill. You need different equipment for each. A mash is basically a porridge where you ferment and distill with the grains in the mixture. That's how most American style whiskey is made. A wash is the liquid remaining after removing all the fermentable sugars and flavors from the grains and getting them into liquid form like when making beer, then fermenting and distilling the liquid. This is basically the Scottish whiskey making style.

For a wash you need to look into brewing or brewing style equipment. You need a mash/sparging/lauter tun to make the wash. Then fermenters to ferment the wash. Most types of pot or hybrid stills can be used with a wash, and you can use steam or direct flame to heat the still.

For a mash you need a kettle to heat the grains in to convert the starches to sugars and fermenters for the mash. You need a still with a agitator to move the mash around inside so it doesn't burn onto the bottom and sides of the still. It is difficult to distill a mash in a direct fired still as well, even with an agitator because the heat on the bottom of the still is so high and burning is very likely. Yes you can use a mash in a direct fired, non-agitated still. But it isn't easy.

Hoga stills are pot stills, and I think they are all direct fired. To steam heat you would need to have a steam jacket or coils installed. Think Thousands more dollars just for the metal work by someone familiar with steam. Then you need the agitator, More Thousands. Then think Tens of Thousands more for the steam boiler and installation.

In addition you need a lot more equipment. Fermenting tanks with cooling ability, hoses, pumps, connectors, storage tanks, mixing tanks, water purification, heat source, cooling source, refractometers, hydrometers, lab equipment, ... There's a ton more stuff.

Do you have solid distilling and fermenting skills? If you're asking questions about equipment it makes me think you haven't done your research, and writing a business plan isn't what you should be focusing on. Its learning how to ferment and distill. It's learning how a distillery runs and how to operate a distillery.

Is any equipment from a micro-beer brewery translate to a distillery?

http://www.collarcityauctions.com/11172008...nDay/index.html

I am trying to put this finishing touches on my biz plan and wondering about equipment costs. Looking to produce corn whiskey and traditional whiskey to start. Really like the conversations I have had with Hoga about thier stills and I think I have a line on bottles but I am still fairly vague on a complete equipment list.

Any help would be appreciated.

Bill

Anyone have any insight as to what the zoning requirements are for a distillery? I know my local NY agencies get involved but I thought there might a standard or uniform minimum (e.g. C-1??)

I am a beginner looking for some training on the art of Artisan Distilling. We have what we feel is a terrific idea, a solid business background, and reasonable funds but zero experience as distillers. Other than the still-kits I purchased on the internet how does one get started? I did see one @ MSU in April but have a scheduling conflict.

I am from NY and think with the laws here I might best start by re-packaging an existing product...