BWFiggins

A warm welcome, Ryan, from a Washington distiller! Often, this forum imparts some good advice, and feel free to write to anyone directly, off-forum. All the best, Rusty

A hearty welcome, Jeffry, from a fellow Washingtonian! All the best, Rusty Member, Washington Craft Distillers

Dear Mr Classick, If your condensor is efficient in design, than all you'll need is a trickle of tap water, even in the dog days of summer. Mine is 24" x 3", but has thirty 3/8" pathways, with each surrounded by a water bath. I can build one for you. It is pictured at www.DynamicAlambic.com under "DISTILLERY". All the best, Rusty

Welcome fellow Washingtonian! He's correct, get your application in. Don't even think about distilling without it. Your wait is guaranteed to be within 45 days. You can find the application at this address: http://www.ttb.gov/forms/f511074.pdf Where in Washington are you going to be producing, and might you be interested in making beverage alcohol? All the best, Rusty

Hi Marc, and good luck with the rest of the establishment process! We are likely to meet soon, and I know that one day we'll have a Washington trade association of some sort. The domain name, www.wcd.org.ag, is already secured for the formation of Washington Craft Distillers, if you become interested. All the very best, fellow Washingtonian! Rusty

Dear Sharon, Welcome to the ADI Forum, and all of us here have dreamt the same thing for that long, as well! Hello to you, and good luck on making it a reality. The bond that you are after is a surety bond that safeguards the potential tax liability of your product in case of theft, accidental loss, acts of God, or other forms of loss that would otherwise deprive the government of their law-appointed right to their fair share. Your surety bond is an insurance policy that covers these types of loss, or rather, the tax liability portion of it. A bond for a small distillery could be purchased for under $1000.00 per year, but it is proportional to volume produced. One would never under-bond his/her distillery; over-bonding by a large amount is not wise either. All the very best, Rusty

Dear Lynn, Welcome to the ADI Forum, and to this industry. If gender matters, I know of a woman here in Washington who is just now starting, too. Margot Arellano from Sandoval Spirits in Tieton, WA will be making fruit eau-de-vie. I have yet not seen her on this forum, however. The camaraderie here is phenomenal and I think we all pledge that you will be shown such a great level professional courtesy as we watch your project develop! Contribute often, and soon you'll lose the "Newbie" status. All the very best, Rusty

Dear Lynn, You should apply for an Alcohol Fuel Producer permit, an AFP, and anything that you make on an experimental basis should be eventually destroyed. This keeps any distilling activity legal, while you are learning the craft and perfecting your "recipe". As long as does not leave the premises, it need not be denatured. You will surrender your AFP when you are awarded your DSP. All the best, Rusty

Welcome to the ADI Forum and a growing industry! Good l;uck with everything as you get your operation in order. All the best, Rusty

Welcome to the ADI Forum, Randall, and good luck with your licensing. What type spirits do you wish to produce? All the best, Rusty

Entering competitions says something about the maker's confidence in his own product. I have found it more useful to receive a high score in a trade journal than to win a gold medal at a regional competition. Retailers and restaurateurs value respectable scores because they motivate consumers to seek out new products that garner them. I have always enjoyed F. Paul Pacult's spirits judging (be sure to read his Spirit Journal) found in every issue of Wine Enthusiast, but it is the most unlikely magazine where one would look first for such ratings. To their discredit in the minds of some, they once awarded "Distiller of the Year" to Johnnie Walker, a brand of blended Scotch whisky put together from the product of numerous distillers, calling into question whether there truly is a firewall between editorial and advertising. A great read is always Wine & Spirits, and their ratings are widely respected. For whiskies, one really must submit their samples to Malt Advocate and Whisky magazine, as they both give great attention to all superb bottlings regardless of production scale. I have not as yet found a consumer's periodical devoted to artisan-distilled spirits of all kinds, but perhaps there is room for such a magazine. To raise the bar to the highest standard of spirits journalism (Spirit Journal holds that title currently), I invite anyone that might be interested to assist me in starting a guide that I will call The Artisan Spirits Quarterly. We will recuse ourselves from rating any of our own spirits, of course! All the very best, Rusty

Welcome to the ADI Forum, Ryan! Good luck on the progress on River Town Distillery, and I echo your gratitude toward the work of Dry Fly Distilling for making Washington's distillation laws more progressive! All the best, Rusty

Wow, you are interested in brandy? Welcome aboard! You pretty much have it. The next batch is getting pre-heated by a 'chauffe-vin' while the current batch is being distilled. The flame-heated Cognac still, or alambic Charentaise, is the simplest and truest of the pot stills, and the distillate always requires a second distillation to obtain cask strength. I have the country's most complete library of books on brandy production, so please write if you have a "burning" question that ought to be answered off-site. Please consider attending ADI's brandy seminar in April 2009. All the very best, Berle "Rusty" Figgins, Jr Dynamic Alambic Artisan Distillers Mattawa, Washington BWFiggins@DynamicAlambic.com

A very good synopsis of the issue, Melkon, and I offer our unbridled support! I took a cue from you, and added to your list at the bottom, in petition form, with the details of my two distilleries. I suggest that all other supporters who wish to add their company names and addresses to this draft "petition" should do so accordingly. All the very best, Berle W "Rusty" Figgins, Jr The Ellensburg Distillery and Dynamic Alambic Artisan Distillers

Hi Zac, I have attached an MSDS from a distillery in Wales. I hope it helps you to get the fire marshal's blessing. All the best, Rusty Berle W Figgins, Jr The Ellensburg Distillery Ellensburg, WA MSDS_for_40__ABV_EtOH.pdf

Hi Zac, I have an MSDS for 140 proof which will work in your case. It is as attached. All the best, Rusty ethanol_MSDS.pdf