Napa Valley Distillery

Hello all. I am looking to examine the wording on recent state bills that are either pending, were rejected or were recently signed into law approving spirit tastings and direct to consumer sales by Distillers. I am also searching for data showing the positive effects from spirit tastings/sales in terms of added sales, excise and income tax revenue to the state and also how it has impacted local economy. Anything anyone can provide will be much, much appreciated including on whether a tasting room (if you have one) has served you well in terms of growth and if so, by what percentage. Also, if anyone here was directly involved in getting such a bill passed into law in your state, I would love to hear about your experience during the process. Thank you all!!!

Several members have asked me for a sample price sheet. Attached is one that we are using. It is totally customizable and automatically calculates taxes, margins, mark-ups and laid in costs for both distributors and retailers. Its working well for me and I hope that some of you find it useful as well. On another note, if you are a California DSP, I invite you to unite with me and other DSP's to get a tasting and direct sales (like a winery) bill passed in California once and for all. What I mean by unite is lets form an alliance, fund it with some money and hire the right people to see our goal through. We can make it happen if we all join forces. I will post about this topic separately or feel free to contact me in hopes of getting something started right away. With the economy the way it is in CA, now is the TIME!!! Cheers! Arthur Price Sheet Sample.xls

Hello everyone. I am in need of up to 3 500 Gallon (or close to) SS Tanks. I also need a good quality labeler for small runs. Call me at 707-259-5411 or email me. Thanks!

Im looking for a used, but in very good working condition, label machine for small runs. Email or call me. Thanks

Im looking for bulk wheat neutral spirits to purchase. I have 1 or 2 suppliers, but am looking to get the best product at the best price. Can anyone please recommend some companies I can purchase from? Thanks

It may be easier to just purchase the GNS in bulk and use it in the fortification process. Of course, part of the fun and excitement is in doing it yourself. We make Vodka by distilling 2 year aged Sauvignon Blanc wine in a copper pot still. Not an easy process, especially if your looking for a certain flavor profile at 190 proof. I dont think you need anything more than 130 maybe even less. BTW...I love dessert wine made from Sauv Blanc. Please post info on the finished product. Cheers!

I disagree with Will. I own a DSP in California and I would love to have the same privileges that California wineries have anytime. Will, how can you think that the Cal WInery business model makes it more of a struggle to do business? First off, every business has struggles but they have HUGE advantages going in that little DSP's like us dont have. The lower excise taxes that they pay alone adds up to enough to emply 2-3 people. We have a MAJOR handicap over California wineries. We are in more of a struggle than they are. In Oregon, I read that about 60% of micro-distillers comes from direct to consumer sales. I dont consider that opportunity a struggle at all. I welcome it. I rather deal with the public who is interested in my product than a distributor who is interested in my profits. Cheers,

"Better than Grey Goose"? Hmmmm.... I'd bet easily accomplishable by everyone here, so no real news there. As for the "fake" aging, I have'nt tasted their product so I cant really say for sure that its better than something that was actually aged, but I will say that there is definately something magical and special knowing your drinking something that took 10+ years to complete. It adds to the overall experience of drinking, which is why many people drink IMO.

Sure, email or call me and I'll be glad to give it to you. Also, thank you everyone for your responses.

Dont let it get you down. I'm certain that most, if not all of is here, have gone through similar or some sort of "issue" with the TTB. Its part of the industry. To help you through it, just visualize the day that you finally and officially bottle something with your name on it. It may seem like they (the TTB) is working against you, but I assure you its not personal. Keep the faith and good luck with your products.

Hello everyone. We've been using a price sheet that I created since launching our company. I think it's a pretty clear format and very "to the point" with information on product, price, terms, case size, pallet size, etc. and I have not had anyone question it so far. As we enter other markets through distribution and at the risk of looking/sounding uninformed, can anyone please tell me if there is some sort of uniform price sheet format that distributors expect to get pricing schedules in? Perhaps there is some important information that I may have neglected to include in our version. If so, would someone kindly share it by either posting it or emailing it to me? Thank you and I look forward to meeting some of you in Portland this April and tasting some of the incredible spirits made by members of this forum. Cheers!

Hello guys and girls. Can anyone recommend an efficient customer/order managment software/program designed for spirits wholesale or perhaps a program that can be customized for the specific needs of our industry? Oh and its gotta be cheap. Mucho appreciated.

I bet that story is exactly like so many of us here...including me. Cheers!

Steve: Lets discuss. Please contact me next week. Arthur (707) 259-5411

Melkon: Count us in. It will probably need a little "refining" as per some of the suggestions posted here, but obviously the entire rules and stipulations of your proposal could not have been illustrated in a single posting on this forum. Napa Valley Distillery will be applying for ADI membership and we look forward to participating in your proposed idea. BTW... love the label. Let me know if I can help you with anything before then. Cheers! Arthur

Does anyone here have experience working with Duty Free shops or have any knowledge about how they work in terms of purchasing? I've been to many duty free shops and most of the spirits products I've seen can be found just about anywhere. Nothing really "hard to find" or unique. A specific question I have is for instance.... if a California licensed producer sells to a Duty Free shop in New York or Nevada, does the product need to be registered in that state or is there some sort of "duty Free" provision that prevents the need to register in that state?

No, I meant just one tasting license per location. But they cannot do anything with it. Spirits must be served by a non-retail licensee, like distillers, etc.. Nothing to stop Big Booze to help these stores get licensed, pay for the fees and then work out an exclusive agreement to only taste their products. Dont get me wrong, I think we can benefit, but you are right... this bill was created more for the big guys then it was for us or the general public. 99% of the alcohol sold in California is produced outside California. If they really cared about manufacturing in California and the interest of the consumers, they would allow us to operate tasting rooms and sell direct to the consumer, just like in so many other states. Who knows, now that non-retail alcohol manufacturing licensess are growing in California, maybe that will change.

They guys in Petaluma, who I know very well, are right. Current law does not allow tastings in the distillery to the general public. Industry members are allowed a private tour and taste. You are correct, there are a couple of distilleries that do tastings and I beleive I know exactly who you are talking about and I too wont mention any names. As for Hangar One, I think they have a brandy manufacturers license under their parent company, St George Spirits which allows them to do the tastings, but then I think they would only be able to offer the brandy for tastings. Im pretty sure they offer tastings of all if not most of their spirits and they charge for it, just like a winery. Good for them, but would love to know which license allows them to offer tastings of the vodka, rums, etc. I would for one the next day!

California legislature recently passed AB605. A copy of the bill is available here. http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/postquery?bill_number=ab_605&sess=CUR&house=B&author=portantino The bill, if passed into law, will essentially allow distilled spirits to be tasted in an approved and licensed off-premise location. I had a lengthy conversation with the Santa Rosa ABC about this bill and basically here it is. If you hold a non-retail license in California, which all distillers do, you will be able to conduct tastings at a liquor store ONLY if the liquor store holds the new "tastings" license. We as distillers do nothing. Getting licensed is up to the retailer, which still has to go through investigation and approval for said permit. Once approved for the permit, the retailer cannot do any sort of tastings unless the tastings are conducted by the holder of a non-retail/manufacturing license, such as a distillery or distributor. If I am misreading this bill, I would appreciate any feedback from the members here. While its seems like pretty good news for craft distillers, unless Im interpreting this bill incorrectly, I think this bill, if passed into law, would really be beneficial for big brand owners and distributors - especially the big ones that represent dozens of brands and can now offer tastings of all those brands at your local BevMo for instance. As you know, these distributors have representatives all over the state and it would be very easy for them to promote and conduct these "tastings" all over the place. Perhaps this is a little premature to bring up, but if this bill does pass into law, how's about some of us small distillers/rectifiers/distributors in California get together and start something called a "craft distiller tasting tour" which we conduct at various high end stores who hold the tastings license? Might be a good way to combat Big Booze who will no doubt be offering Grey Goose, Bacardi and Johnny Walker tastings all over the state. Let me know if anyone is interested.

I think any form of participation in an association or guild that promotes awarness and/or looks out for the interests of domestically produced craft spirits is a good thing. The only thing I would like to comment on is you should drop the "Buy Mid-West" slogan and use your guild only as a means to support each other. By pitching a "buy mid-west" campaign you are separating yourself from craft distillers in other states and bringing on excess competition and perhaps even giving the impression to the consumer and maybe even other distillers that you believe products which were produced in the mid-west are somehow either better or deserve to be chosen over something made in another state by another craft distiller just like you. While your idea is a good thing and probably not done with the specific intention of competing with us other little guys that go through the same difficulties you do, I fear that excess competition is what you may bring on. As you know, its already hard enough competing with "Big Booze", both domestic and especially imports. I say either drop the slogan or how about using something like "Buy Craft" and include all craft distillers located within all 50 states. I know that the craft distillation industry is still in its infancy and I think that domestic craft distillers should continue to work together to compliment each other instead of compete with each other. So, good luck with the guild. It's a good idea, but I hope you drop or change the slogan. Just my 2 cents.

Hello: We are looking for an extra variable speed used pump for wine and spirits. Something mid-level with up to 2" fitting and in good condition. I've found the one I want new, but Im trying to save a couple of bucks and go used if the deal is right. I'm buying no later than next Friday, so if you've got a pump and you really want to sell it, contact me please. Pump must be within a 200 mile radius of Napa, CA. Thanks!

Thanks for the response Porter. I will look for that thread. Personally, I dont know enough about the process to comment on it either way. As a business man, as long as it does not effect the taste and quality of the product and the cost of the process is lower than the cost of aging and as long as it was legal to use, then I would at least consider using it. As a consumer and aficiondo of spirits like premium brandy and rum, I'm sceptical. There is something magical about drinking a spirit that took 10+ years to make. Maybe it's all in the mind, but I may be turned off knowing that the XO Brandy I'm drinking was "processed". Arthur www.napavodka.com

Hello everyone: Has anyone here every heard of the Allegro Process spirits aging technology by a company called Kairos Global? kairos.net. I got a call from one of their reps a few days ago telling me about it. Apparently this system can do in 6 months what it would normally take 8 years to complete. While I have no use for the technology, I am interested in learning as much as I can about products in the industry. Thank you. Arthur napavodka.com

Hello all, my name is Arthur Hartunian, and I am the owner of Napa Valley Distillery. I'm looking forward to sharing thoughts and information with everyone here. We produce two products so far - Napa Vodka (avail 9/10), which is the first Vodka ever produced using only 100% Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc from a single vintage and single Napa estate and also NapaCello, a "limoncello" style liqueur made from organic Meyer Lemons. www.napavodka.com www.napacello.com