ny_spirits

Yes - being over bond is definitely frowned upon -- to say the least!

Thanks for the advice Rusty. While I'd like to keep cost as low as possible, I would also ideally have a Brix reading without having to do manual temp correction as I am always trying to limit the possiblity of human error! But still, I will look at a hydrometer instead... If we do go with a brix meter instead, is it smart to spend $300 on a PAL digital Brix meters, which I think are made by Atago? Or are the less expensive ones that look a little like the top of a clarinet sufficient? I found a couple that claim to have ATC and are listed for between $60 and $100. Thanks again, Sarah

Just a little question: We need to buy a brix meter and I was wondering if there is a particular style or brand that others like? Thanks!

I have been filing ttb reports for a while now, but still have not settled on the best way to deal with our heads. For the time being, we are storing them in barrels and reporting it on our storage account report, as we can't figure out how to dispose of them legally. How are others disposing of heads and reporting it?

We don't use GNS at all, but if we did we would purchase it in wine totes. If you do use GNS, the amount you go through should be completely dependent on your production, which in turn depends on the size of your still, the number of days you plan to keep it in operation and what your end product will be - there is really no rule of thumb.

I just wanted to warn others not to deal with this company. I found A and J Whiskey Barrels in the distillers resource guide, and ordered a couple of barrels back in May. I never received the barrels (although I have paid for them), and despite several requests have still not been refunded by money. I have tried to give them the benefit of the doubt, but my patience has been worn too thin - now I can only think that they are dishonest. If you need barrels, I suggest you look elsewhere.

Also don't be afraid to call the ttb. There are a few people there who can actually be very helpful. The more you can get right on the first go-round the better. But as Guy said, you will have a chance to correct everything they don't like at some point. I seem to dimly recall that we were able to submit a draft of our application to someone at ttb who took a quick look and made some comments before we even officially submitted our application for registration. If you don't have a contact at ttb yet, pm me and I will try to track down ours.

Does anyone have any idea if this will be held again in 2008? I Googled and can't find anything, but it should be coming up...

We use Janson Capsules - don't know that I would particularly recommend them or not. We did recently get bottles from Waterloo and were very impressed with the price and service, but have not yet gotten capsules from them...

It seems we are not the only ones with distribution challenges. I'm sure I'm not the only one on this board who would like to hear more about the co-ops and guilds as they develop - please keep us informed! A question for Beast, and anyone else who self-distributes: what is your system for distribution? And how wide an area are you able to cover? We have probably about 40 accounts at this point and are delivering pretty much on-demand and without any minimum order requirements. We do all the deliveries ourselves (there are three of us), and are beginning to be concerned about the efficiency of our system - or lack thereof. A particular concern is bars and restaurants that want only a couple of bottles at a time. For those who self-distribute - have you hired salespeople and or delivery people or do you do it all yourselves? Do you require minimum orders and/or run a regular delivery route? And have you ever shipped your product? (We did use FedEx to deliver to one store recently, which was surprisingly cheap - about $1 a bottle. ) Oh, and do you give sample tastes or sample bottles to potential customers?

I haven't thought much about laws in other states - is NY unusual in allowing self-distribution?

I am just wondering how many of you are self-distributed and how many work with a distributor? And what have been your experiences either way? We currently self-distribute. This works for us at our current level of production, but I'm not sure whether we will be able to sustain it. On the pro side, we can sell direct to retailers for more than we could charge distributors, and we get lots of direct contact with our retailers. On the con side, it is terribly time-consuming.

Please add Harvest Spirits, LLC 3074 US Route 9 Valatie, NY 12184 We are in full support! Thanks for the hard work.

Thanks Guy - that all sounds manageable. I've been thinking of getting a new laser printer anyway and color ones are not that much more expensive. We are not using a distributer at present so we are completely on our own cost-wise. But what do you mean by menu cards?

Sorry if this is a dimwitted question, but I am very new to this industry. So far, as I've written elsewhere, our product is pretty much selling itself. And thanks to the advice I've gotten so far from these forums, we are beginning to think about big-picture marketing. But I have an immediate concern - our retailers are asking for point of sale stuff and we don't have any other than the neck-tag we put on all our bottles. I have begun to ask specifically what they would like to have, but I wonder what others are doing - do you have shelf cards? Window posters? Postcards? Display props? Any thoughts would be GREATLY appreciated. Thanks so much!

Sorry no sample contract to share - we don't have a distributer, although the mileage on our vehicles is beginning to indicate that we should consider it! However, do be careful. I can tell you from experience with beer distributors that the contract is only half the story. Carefully research references, look at other brands the distributer carries, etc. Make sure that the distributer is a good match for your brand style/volume etc. It is a nightmare to get involved with a distributor that is all talk and no follow-through, no matter what the contract says.

I'd just like to second the praise for Waterloo. We found them to have the best prices and excellent customer service on our hard-to-get bottles. In fact, their price was better than what was offered by Saverglass - the manufacturer!

Our product has been on the market a couple of months, and we are beginning to think seriously about marketing at this point. Feeling a little out of my element in this area, I thought I'd consult with the collective intelligence here at ADI. Any thoughts you'd be willing to share on the following would be greatly appreciated: 1. Creative marketing/advertising ideas? (We are considering: taking a slide at the local movie theater, working with other microdistilleries to set up a "distillers trail"...) 2. Ways to keep retailers interested? (a couple of thoughts we've had is to host a party for our wine store and restaurant/bar customers and/or give our regulars t-shirts, caps or shot glasses. Or maybe the solution is as simple as make a good product and stay in touch?) 3. What helps retailers sell? Shelf cards? Posters? etc. etc. etc. Thanks so much.

We got ours through the Western Surety Company - our insurance company arranged it. We had no issues with being a start-up.

Thanks for the quick responses! Grehorst, that exactly what I am worried about. Although we have had excellent feedback locally, I would hate to end up with a bad review - esp. one that comes up every time someone googles our vodka. I will take heart in your comment that one or two bad reviews won't kill us, but I think we will tread carefully. Pheonix, I agree - our product is nothing like the "big guys" and I am a little worried that reviewers may have a problem with that. But I am confident that we make an excellent vodka. Thanks for the words of encouragement!

Don, Yes - the 50ml bottles is what I mean. Our customers keep asking for them. I think we use the same bottle as you - the Neos from Saverglass? So I guess our bottle salesperson was wrong - we can hand cap. I wonder why she thought we'd need a special capping machine? It is encouraging to hear you can charge $6 for them given the work it takes. Thanks! Sarah

We'd really like to get our product reviewed/scored. If it does well (knock wood!), it could be a great marketing tool. If it doesn't at least we will know where we need to improve. In any case, with the seemly endless number of bloggers out there who review spirits and the several competitions I've come across, it is hard to figure out which we should participate in. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Just wondering - is anyone doing the little nip bottles? If so, do you fill and cap them yourself? We were about to purchase a pallet of these tiny bottles but then our bottle distributer told us we would need some sort of special capping machine (we currently cap by hand). I am also not sure if we could use our filler for such a small bottle.

There are so many variables that it is hard to give even a range. The biggest of course is the size. The best way to get an idea of price is to call a couple of the manufacturers. Any one of them would be happy to talk through the basics and give you an idea of not only pricing, but also what size system would work best for you.

At the federal level, not really. You will be required to get a basic permit and file for registration of a distilled spirits plant whether or not you are actually distilling. When you file the registration, you will check off the operations to be conducted at your facility - the options are: Distiller, warehouseman, processor. If it is going to be a while before you start distillling, you would just file as a processor and probably warehouser - you can amend the registration later. But if you plan to start distilling soon and already own the still, you may want to apply for all three. At the state level, it really depends on which state you are in. Hope that helps.