A DISTILLERY IN YOUR HOME?

[Beauport Bob]

I very, very much congratulate Tom and Lianne. And I certainly respect their diligence and research. I do wish to enjoy their product. But I also congratulate all who meet the rules and compliance of the TTB, State ,county ,city, etc..

Because that is what they did. This is not "home distilling" or "distilling at home" or "Hobbyist". Unless I am wrong, the Hurbrucks went through the same process we all did. I choose to admire them as a commercial venture. They have acted in a commercial mannor. Volume is not at issue. Proximity also is not. Compliance is. Frankley,they may be more compliant then many of us. As was stated before, well done. Good luck Tom and Lianne and keep having fun!

Bob

[cowdery]

My use of "hobby" was part of my point. No offense was intended and I know the Herbrucks took none. My point is that we shouldn't let "hobby distiller" or "home distiller" automatically mean "moonshiner." I would define the terms as follows.

moonshiner - any distiller who is operating illegally.

home distiller - any distiller whose primary residence is in close proximity to the distillery.

hobby distiller - any distiller who is making spirits as a sideline and not as a primary occupation, regardless of the distiller's level of commercial involvement.

[delaware_phoenix]

I think it's great what they've done and it shows the kind of persistence that sometimes is necessary in this business, even if that business is a sideline.

While there certainly are differences between someone operating a distillery illegally for business purposes or personal purposes, the law doesn't seem to distinguish between them, regardless of whether that distillery is in a home, in a shed, or out in the woods.

[Panama Jack]

You can see there setup here, the stills look pretty identifiable.

http://www.applejackohio.com/eau-de-vie

For someone genuinely interested in small-scale production, it doesn't take much...

Thanks. The web site is great and the still set up looks very doable for a start up operation. Great to see people out there having fun and making a little money doing what they enjoy and practicing an art. Always time to ramp up, expand and make it a full time career later.

[Tom's Foolery]

Thanks guys (and gals).

Lianne and I have worked very hard to make a quality product in a way that complies with all the regulations. Those that have gone through this process already know that it can be difficult, confusing and expensive. Fortunately, the regulators are willing to accommodate micro-distilleries and resources such as ADI provide information and contacts to help the start-up distillery get off the ground.

Early on, a successful micro-distiller advised us to "take your time" and "start slow," which was good advice for us. Dedicating a lot of weekends and evenings, we took over two years to get our product on the shelf.

I plan to keep my day job, which allows us to keep Tom's Foolery fun. I would offer to share our business plan, but really it is all here in this post.

The distillery is a dedicated, free-standing, 2-story, 20x56 structure. It is not in our home. But when we are distilling, we are not exactly at work either.

Tom

[Panama Jack]

Thanks guys (and gals).

Lianne and I have worked very hard to make a quality product in a way that complies with all the regulations. Those that have gone through this process already know that it can be difficult, confusing and expensive. Fortunately, the regulators are willing to accommodate micro-distilleries and resources such as ADI provide information and contacts to help the start-up distillery get off the ground.

Early on, a successful micro-distiller advised us to "take your time" and "start slow," which was good advice for us. Dedicating a lot of weekends and evenings, we took over two years to get our product on the shelf.

I plan to keep my day job, which allows us to keep Tom's Foolery fun. I would offer to share our business plan, but really it is all here in this post.

The distillery is a dedicated, free-standing, 2-story, 20x56 structure. It is not in our home. But when we are distilling, we are not exactly at work either.

Tom

Any recommendation on where to look for quality used stills? Thanks for giving hope to all of us dreaming to start out small and produce something to be proud of without breaking the bank. Good all American small business.

[Ralph at Tuthilltown]

Just in case anyone is still thinking it's okay to distill spirits at home:

Man, 19, guilty of making booze

THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

By Regina Garcia Cano

Saturday, November 13, 2010 02:54 AM

Facebook bragging appears to be the undoing of an Upper Arlington man, who police say was selling homemade liquor and boasting about it on the Internet.

Joseph A. Rotkiske IV, of 2279 Edgevale Rd., pleaded guilty yesterday to a liquor-acts prohibition charge, a first-degree misdemeanor.

Municipal Court Judge Anne Taylor sentenced Rotkiske, 19, to two years of probation and 180 days in jail, with all but two of those days in jail suspended.

Taylor dismissed a second charge of underage drinking.

"We suspect that he was manufacturing wine, liquor and whiskey," Upper Arlington police Sgt. Jon Wilhelm said. "It's illegal." Rotkiske had a liquor still in his house, authorities said.

Although it's OK for people to make beer or wine for personal use, no one is allowed to "manufacture any beer or intoxicating liquor for sale, or shall manufacture spirituous liquor," according to the Ohio Revised Code.

Rotkiske was arrested Nov. 4, after a tipster told police that Rotkiske had told her he made and sold moonshine and wine, according to the Upper Arlington police incident report. She said he'd also advertised it on Facebook.

A confidential informant contacted Rotkiske and confirmed that he was offering wine and moonshine for $20 per quart and $60 per gallon, Wilhelm said. The informant bought one quart of moonshine from Rotkiske on two occasions, police said.

In a search of Rotkiske's home, Wilhelm said, police found distillery equipment; ingredients and recipes for liquor manufacturing; and liquor in various stages of production.

A recent check of Rotkiske's Facebook profile showed this comment from him: "ok once I get the distillery up and running to the level i expect, i'll get a good amount of money rolling in SO I wont have to depend on the Auto Body/ painting/air brushing stuff to put food on the table."

Police arrested Rotkiske in the home that he shares with his mother, Wilhelm said. The detective said she apparently didn't know he was selling the liquor he'd been making.

Rotkiske didn't return calls for comment this week.

Wilhelm said this is the first time in his 21 years with Upper Arlington police that he's heard about someone selling homemade liquor.