Hair-brained scheme in Michigan

[jkrom]

Long story short, a good friend and I are thinking of jumping into the world of craft distilling and (eventually) leaving our soul-crushing corporate 9-5 life behind. 

This wasn't really something that was on our radar, but last week we saw an ad for a cheap building that we thought would make a perfect space for a distillery and tasting room. The discussions started as joking/daydreaming, but by the end of the day I was contacting a friend that works as a commercial realtor and was legitimately putting things in motion. We aren't committed to anything yet (and there is definitely some more due-diligence needed), but it's starting to look like we'll actually give this a go.

I've done some home-brewing and even tried a little bit of spirits in the past, but neither one of us are experts even remotely (we all have to start somewhere, right?). We're thinking we would like to focus primarily on fruit brandies (lots of fruit options here in the mitten), and possibly rum and/or whisky - just about everything we're interested in would be pot-still based.

First things first, the building structure will need extensive cleaning and rehab, but I'm also curious how much space might be required for production equipment, etc? If this location isn't really adequate, then the whole scheme might not make sense.

Anyway, sorry for such naive and vague post. I have spent the last week reading a ton but still really wet behind the ears. I am planning to try to reach out and visit a bunch of current distilleries to get a feel for what we don't yet know.

thanks,

-Jim

[Kindred Spirits]

Welcome to the forums! It's going to be an exciting ride for you.

If you need any help be sure to let us know.

[Broken Anvil Distilleries]

1. Check and double check zoning

2. Check and double check what the local fire marshall is going to ask for / whether they are reasonable to work with.

3. Check if you have any friends on city counsel

4. Check if you are okay leaving your 9-5 to be poor and living off rice and failed distilling experiments.

5. If yes, giver and welcome to the club.