|
The "worlds largest" water bed located at
Aritisan Spirtis in Portland, OR. It'is filled
with Columbia Valley wine. Technically, it's
not really a waterbed; it's an industrial
bladder for transporting food-grade liquids.
Nevertheless, for the high-end hooch makers
at Artisan Spirits, the bright orange,
6,000-gallon cushion of syrah is a comfy
enough spot to take a nap.
"We go so long," says Artisan co-owner Erik
Martin, "sometimes we work 55 hours at a
time." Often, he and his partners will just
drift off to the wine bag for some shut-eye.
"We've all slept on it at some point," says
co-owner Ryan Csanky. "What I really want to
do is get a couple of big pillows and a duvet
cover for it."
"It's the most comfortable distillery in the
world," boasts Martin.
When the syrah isn't offering comfort to
Csanky, Martin, and third co-owner Shane
"Doggy" Thatcher, it's being turned into
Martin Ryan vodka, one of two products
currently in production at Portland's
youngest micro-distillery. Along with Apia
honey vodka, Martin Ryan is the newest local
vodka to hit area bars and liquor stores.
All three owners are Portland natives who've
known each other since their days at
Beaverton's Sunset High School, class of
1992. A couple years ago, Thatcher found
himself traveling regularly to Russia's Volga
Basin. There, he experienced local, hand-made
honey vodka, some of which he managed to get
into the States. The heady Russian elixir
became an inspiration for him and his two
long-time compatriots. In July of 2007, the
distillery was up and running with the idea
of creating excellent spirits from all local
ingredients.
"Our whole thing is: What can we use that's
local? What can we do that's unique?" Csanky
says. The answers to those two questions are:
just about everything and a whole heck of a lot.
One of the more unique things about Artisan
Spirits is that they create their vodkas from
scratch. Many local distilleries ship in
neutral grain spirit, which they then cut,
filter, and bottle, or redistill and infuse.
This is not the case for Artisan. Their Apia
vodka begins life as a home-made honey mead
using Buzzing Canyon honey.
"We know this honey came from bees that visit
raspberry blossoms in Eugene," Csanky says.
Martin nods in agreement, "We know exactly
where our products are coming from."
The local flavor is completely evident-giving
Artisan Spirits' vodka its essential quality.
Martin Ryan, for instance, has a sense of
terroir carried over from the Columbia Valley
grapes. In the glass it is shimmering and
leggy with a ghostly syrah nose. On the
tongue, it has a wonderful feel, and a slight
sweetness that adds complexity.
The Apia is something altogether different.
It is far sweeter, but much more smooth. Its
creamy mouth-feel and drinkability make it
one of the more dangerous spirits I've had
the pleasure to enjoy. It's sipping vodka,
and it would be easy to sip yourself right
into oblivion.
Vodkas like these are helping to make the
fellas from Artisan Spirits the darlings of
the micro-distillery world. They have worked
hard to get there too, all of them have day
jobs. Still, they plan to expand, hoping to
roll out an absinthe, one or more gins, and a
line of bitters sometime in the near future.
It might mean more work, but they shrug it
off.
"When we're here at five in the morning and
haven't slept for two days," Csanky explains,
"it doesn't bother us. We step outside, look
into the distillery and say, 'Look what we've
done.'"
"We're rock-star distillers," Martin adds.
Csanky rolls his eyes, "Don't quote him on
that, it sounds cheesy."
Sure, it might be a bit cheesy, but only rock
stars would have a 40,000-pound waterbed
filled with wine.
-----------
Ryan Csanky is a distiller by day and a
bartender at Wildwood by night. He believes
the best way to showcase Artisan Spirits
vodka is by creating a classic martini.
Here's his recipe.
· 2 ounces Martin Ryan or Apia vodka
· 2-3 dashes of high-quality dry vermouth.
(Csanky suggest Vya, Noilly Pratt, or Cinzano
Bianco)
· 1-2 dashes of orange bitters
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail
glass. Garnish with a lemon
twist.
============================
Dear fellow spirits makers
I have some very exciting news to share with.
Our efforts to create a lower federal excise
tier are drawing some high-level attention
from lobbyists, big craft spirits producers
(Titos, Hangar One and Anchor), small beer
makers and now DISCUS.
The upshot of conversations I've had over the
last few weeks with principals or
representatives of all of the above is that
we'll have a difficult time passing our
proposed legislation on our own. While much
of this could turn out to be little more than
betting on the status quo (generally good
odds) or not so subtle attempts to "manage"
our efforts, I think that there's a grain of
truth to the notion that we'll need some help
to get meaningful legislation passed next year.
Which leads me to a meeting that will take
place this Thurs. at Anchor Steam between the
heads of a handful of influential small
spirits producers (Anchor, Hangar One,
Charbay), the head of DISCUS, me and possibly
a very high level member of the House of
Representatives. This meeting could
accelerate our efforts and give it political
muscle...for a price which may be worth paying.
The topic of our meeting is how we and DISCUS
can work together to achieve our respective
goals.
As many of you may already know, there's
movement afoot in Congress to raise federal
excise taxes across all categories of liquor
(beer, wine and spirits) and tobacco by some
$5 bil. Depending on how the horsetrading
ends, it could mean as much as a 20% hike in
federal excise taxes for spirits -- from
$13.50 to $16.20 per proof gallon or another
$0.54 per bottle at FOB. That could add $1+
to retail cost without any additional raw
material cost increases we may want to pass
on next year. Not a pretty sight, especially
as consumers increasingly look for bargains
-- something few of us make!
DISCUS is working all angles to build support
against this tax hike. Given the shape of the
federal budget come 2009, this may be tough
to achieve. But they'd like our support in
their effort. In return, I'll push for their
help to create a lower federal tax tier for
small spirits producers.
I think meeting and trying to work out an
understanding that would protect our mutual
and individual interests is worthwhile for
the following reasons:
We'll find out how much support or
opposition we can count on from DISCUS
We'll find out if we have any
substantive issues in common (guessing there
are lots e.g., easing of Sunday purchase
laws, off-site tastings, direct sales to
trade and possibly consumers, tasting rooms,
etc)
Then, once we've established common
interests, we'll find out what types of deals
are possible
Finally, DISCUS could help us tell our story
to members of Congress quickly, which could
mean getting a bill passed next year
Regardless of the outcome of this meeting,
we'll need to march forward with our
grassroots efforts to pass our proposed
legislation. This is important on every level
I can think of!
Over the next week, I'll pull together the
various threads of our proposal and run a new
financial analysis, put it into a pdf
document and share it on the board for each
of us to send to our federal reps. Should
have this up soon.
In the mean time, feel free to email or call
me with input for Thurs. meeting.
Cheers,
Melkon Khosrovian
co-founder + spiritsmaker
Modern Spirits LLC
melkon@modernspiritsgroup.com
213.949.3569 m
===============
|
|
Bulk Neutral Spirits (NGS) |
 |
Bulk Neutral Spirits, Cheating, Or A Blank
Canvas to Work With?
The question has arisen within Distilled
Resources, Inc. (DRinc) as well within the
small producer circles of whether purchasing
bulk neutral spirits from one of the four GNS
distillers in the United States was cheating
on behalf of the small distiller, or whether
neutral spirits are really nothing more than
a proverbial blank canvas with which to start
the distiller's craft.
DRinc is a farm-to-bottle company that, as
part of our business model, is not in the
brand owning business (rather strictly
producing bottled products for a select group
of small clients), and also sells the neutral
spirits that we make; Uber-Tuber Russet
Potato, Grain-ola Idaho wheat and corn, and
OrganiX certified organic grain, in bulk.
These are the same award winning spirits that
have been blended and bottled into brands
that we produce. Does that then make those
bulk spirits when handled by another bottler
or distiller either the same as the products
we make or is the small producer "cutting
corners" in-order to save the time, expense,
and hassle of distilling GNS in a small
still?
DRinc operates a 110 plate, four column,
fractional distillation system. That does not
mean it is "four times distilled" but simply
what the aforementioned statement says;
fractional distillation columns are the
equipment that all large distillers of high
proof alcohol must use. There are no
exceptions. This technology is highly
engineered and even in a plant our size is
combined with an extensive amount of flow
meters, controls, gauges, as well as human
interaction with each column and of course
the final flavor. The end product is always
crafted with the organoleptic review by the
master distiller, not by a gas-chromatograph
lab analysis. DRinc's equipment is designed
to run at a speed that only allows it to
produce 190 proof alcohol, or according to
CFR 27 is "neutral spirits." The first column
is a beer stripper and by the end of the
second column we have produced a 190 proof
"crude" alcohol. The next two columns utilize
their time and energy to refine the flavor
profile of the product. Now as any small
distiller is aware, a pot still is the right
equipment for making all the other types of
spirits that as part of their definition have
to be made from alcohol distilled to less
than 190 proof; i.e. whiskey, rum, tequila,
and cognac. These distillers commonly refer
to them as the "flavorful" spirits. What they
call flavor, a GNS distiller would ultimately
call "impurities." A very important
difference.
It goes to say then that if a GNS distiller
like DRinc can only make high proof alcohol,
and not any of the products that a pot still
can make, is it cheating for a pot-stiller to
buy bulk GNS from a company like DRinc and
from there start their craft. Can the point
then be made that craft distillers are not
able to make the same products with their
equipment that we can with our equipment and
talent? It is well known within our company
that the flavor profile of the end product
has only just begun at the end of the
distillation stage. There are many factors to
final flavor profile of a straight vodka
product including the water, water treatment
technology and techniques used, filters, and
foreign compounds like rubber gaskets, carbon
steel, and other influences on flavor from
handling. Further, many small producers use a
pot still with the purchased GNS to begin the
process of crafting a flavored vodka or
infused vodka with their equipment by
introducing the product in the still with
ingredients such as fruits, botanicals, or
other flavors.
We believe clearly and concisely that in
today's extremely competitive environment in
the vodka, flavored vodka, and gin
categories, that the refining technologies of
many small pot stills is not the appropriate
equipment to make a highly competitive
product. Remember, proof, or percent alcohol
does not define a good vodka, but the
"impurities" that do that to a whiskey rum,
or tequila distiller are flavor. Yet, the
amount of personal technique that is added to
a product in a pot still and the specific
variability that that type of equipment
allows to craft a distinct spirit above and
beyond its neutral spirit base clearly gives
a talent and advantage to every small
producer buying neutral spirits. It is not
cheating, or subjugating, or anything other
than simply starting with a clean, pure blank
canvas to start the art and craft of the
micro distiller.
Gray Ottley
Chief Marketing Officer
Distilled Resources,
Inc.
gray@waytogoidaho.com
================
Distillery to open on Manchester Street in
Lexington, KY.
The company was formed by Lexington natives
Peter Wright, Frank Marino and Jeff Wiseman.
The idea for the distillery was initiated on
a sailing trip in Florida nearly three years
ago, and they have been working since then to
obtain local, state and federal licensing.
The company expects to have its premier Pure
Blue Vodka in local bars and retailers by
late 2008 or early 2009.
All of the company's products will be small
batch, hand crafted in the true spirit of the
original Kentucky distilleries of more than a
century ago.. Barrel House plans to buy most
of its ingredients from local famers.
For more information visit Barrel House
Distilling Company at:
www.barrelhousedistillery.com
=================
|
|
Potato Vodka / RUM TAX |
|
WHISTLER - Passionate about distilling and
the Pemberton-Whistler area, Tyler Schramm is
launching a bold new venture: the potato
vodka-producing Pemberton Distillery.
Construction is scheduled to begin this week
on the building in the Business Park that
Schramm, the company owner and future master
distiller, hopes will start producing spirits
in December.
Schramm, 30, has invested a great deal of
time and effort in the development of the
business since the idea blossomed during a
2002 conversation between himself and his
older brother Jonathan, who had just bought a
property in the Pemberton Meadows. Given the
availability of potatoes in the area,
Schramm's interest in distilling and his
desire to be part of a new local business,
potato vodka production seemed like a great
fit.
"I wanted to see a new business start in the
Whistler and Pemberton area," said Schramm, a
Vancouver native who lived in Whistler for 10
years and now lives in Pemberton. "I wanted
to be involved in something new, an industry
that really hadn't been present in this area
before, and this seemed like a great way to
do that."
The seeds for the idea germinated for a few
years before Schramm decided to get serious
about it in 2005. When he first started
researching how to develop a distillery,
Schramm said, he started to realize how much
is involved and how little he knew then,
leading him to take a Masters of Science in
Brewing and Distilling at Edinburgh,
Scotland's Heriot-Watt University.
"I went there with the intention of coming
home to start the Pemberton Distillery,"
Schramm said.
The university's program and International
Centre for Brewing and Distilling are well
recognized in the field for their teaching,
facilities and comprehensive instruction,
Schramm said. He learned about every aspect
of brewing and distilling, beginning with
studying the raw materials used to create
spirits and ending with discussion of the
packaging and marketing of the finished
product, plus all those vital steps in
between.
For his required final project, Schramm
concentrated on the production of potato
vodka.
"I had the opportunity there to fully run
through the process of distilling potato
vodka on the school's equipment," he said.
Potatoes contribute the necessary starch to
the vodka-making process. Schramm said
virtually any starch source can be used to
make vodka, but 96 per cent of the world's
supply of the spirit is made using grains, so
his Pemberton product will be something of an
anomaly in the vodka world.
The starch is converted into simple sugars,
which are then metabolized by yeast to
produce the ethanol desired by the distiller,
Schramm said. The ethanol "wash" is
repeatedly run through the still, becoming
more purified each time, and eventually
producing the refined product.
Schramm said he's "quite often" asked about
the potato's relationship to the vodka process.
After the intensive studies, Schramm returned
here to begin work on the complicated process
of sorting through the B.C. liquor laws to
acquire the necessary permits. "Starting a
distillery is an extremely challenging
process, it is a heavily regulated and taxed
industry and requires great desire and
perseverance," Schramm wrote in a
post-interview email to The Question.
He also recently secured a development permit
for the design of the distillery itself.
Schramm, who studied environmental sciences
and geography in his undergraduate degree,
said he feels it's important to incorporate
green design elements into the distillery
itself. Distilleries and breweries have
traditionally been intensive energy users
because of all the hot water they need,
Schramm said, so he's seeking to balance that
by outfitting his distillery with geothermal
heating and cooling, both for the hot water
and the building's climate control.
"I always had the intention of trying to make
it a sustainable business, in the holistic
sense of the word," Schramm said. In the
future, he also hopes to pursue other green
measures such as a means of recycling the
processed water and waste products from the
still, which can be good agricultural products.
Naturally, Schramm said he also plans to use
all locally grown, organic potatoes. He said
he can use Grade B potatoes that would
otherwise have been destined for the trash or
burying, because those spuds are still good,
but not pristine enough on the outside for
grocery-store sales.
Schramm's business could benefit from the
growing local food movement as he markets his
product to bars and restaurants in Vancouver
and the Whistler-Pemberton area, as B.C.-made
spirit products are scarce, he said.
"There's a fair amount of B.C. wines
available now, but if you go to the liquor
store there's virtually nothing available
that's made in B.C., currently," Schramm
said. "I definitely saw a bit of a void
there, and I know there's a bit of a growing
movement in B.C. to start these
micro-distilleries to supply these spirits, I
definitely wanted to be involved."
Schramm is fortunate to have the backing of
his family, all of whom live in Whistler or
Pemberton, for the endeavour. The distilling
equipment isn't cheap, and Schramm has
ordered his from Bavaria Holstein, a German
manufacturer well known in the distilling
industry for its micro-stills. Jonathan will
also be involved in the business in some
fashion, but the exact capacity has yet to be
determined.
Schramm said he hopes production will begin
some time in December, followed potentially
by sales starting early next year, after the
bottling and labelling is completed to get
the spirits into stores for sale.
He said he's excited about developing the
industry in Pemberton.
"I chose to locate the distillery in
Pemberton because I absolutely love the
Pemberton/Whistler area. I have been part of
the Sea to Sky region's growth since I was a
young child and I am very excited to be part
of the future growth and development of the
area," he wrote in his email. "Locating the
distillery in Pemberton was a personal choice
because I want to be part of this
community."
================
RUM TAX BREAK REPORT FALSE
Source: DISCUS
Oct 3rd
There is confusion over a provision in the
current financial rescue package which
benefits the rum-producing territories of
Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. This is
not a tax break for rum makers as has been
reported in the press and claimed on Capitol
Hill.
It is fundamentally a revenue sharing
arrangement between the U.S. government and
the governments of Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands, which Congress has voted to extend
repeatedly over the last 20 years. Under this
provision, the federal government rebates to
the governments of Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands most of the Federal Excise Tax
collected on rum imported to the United States.
"Essentially, this longstanding policy allows
the governments of Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands to keep the taxes on the rum produced
there. It is not a tax break for rum
companies," said Frank Coleman, Senior Vice
President for the Distilled Spirits Council.
================
|
|
Hands on Distilling Class / Looking for Position / |
|
ADI CRAFT WHISKEY
DISTILLING
CLASS
(Hands on)
The stripping still,
on the left, will be used to prepare the low
wines for the spirits still.
Nov 30th-Dec. 5th 2008
Location: Stillwater Spirits, 622 Second
Street
Petaluma, CA
Tuition: $3,000
Contact: bill@distlling.com or call
510-886-7418
Transportation from local motels will be
provided. We will also provide lunches,
whiskey tasting and two dinners.
Course Schedule:
Sunday: November 30th
6 pm Evening reception, whiskey tasting and
dinner at Stillwater Spirits.
7 pm Begin fermentation of 70 gallon DME
(Dryed Malt Extract) wash that will be
fermented in five days. ( Friday)
Monday: December 1st
9 am Attorney Lynn Carmichael discusses how
to acquire and protect distilling licenses.
11 am Cahill Winery tour and lunch.
Wine/brandy talk by David Mahaffey.
3 pm Return to Stillwater.
Demonstration of brandy distillation, wine
from Cahill winery.
5 pm Whiskey tasting.
Tuesday: December 2nd
9 am Introduction to pot whiskey
distillation.
11 am Moylan's Brewery & Restaurant tour and
lunch.
3 pm Eric Watson from St. Stans Brewery
discusses mash production.
4 pm Distilling demonstration by Don
Payne , Stillwater Spirits
owner/distiller
5 pm Whiskey vs. Scotch tasting.
Wednesday: December 3rd
9 am Don Payne, makes a 400-gallon wash
stripping run. Introduction to the disitlling
process by Michale Delevnate.
11 am Students make spirits run on a five
plate Jacob Carol column still, Each will
learning how-to run the still, making head
and tail cuts.
3 pm Discussion of flavor and barrels.
Thursday: December 4th
9 am Writing a business plan.
11 am Students continue making spirit runs.
5 pm Vodka, gin and absinth tasting
.
Friday: December 5
9 am Distill the 50 gallons of moonshine
wash from Monday's run.
12 pm Distilling certificate awards and
lunch.
2 pm Concluding presentations.
=================
|
|
|
|
Award winning handcrafted German engineered
potstills for the production of high quality
fruit and grain spirits, as well as
bioethanol. "Kothe Destillationstechnik" uses
patented technology to specially engineer
each still with solid quality and energy
saving compounds to meet the particular needs
of each distiller.Award winning handcrafted
German engineered potstills for the
production of high quality fruit and grain
spirits, as well as bioethanol. "Kothe
Destillationstechnik" uses patented
technology to specially engineer each still
with solid quality and energy saving
compounds to meet the particular needs of
each distiller.
We have put a lot of time and energy into
compiling a program for future distillers and
distillers with some experience. We are going
to cover everything from fruit selection,
mashing, and the actual distillation process
to the legal aspects of starting a distillery
in North America. Dr. Klaus Hagmann, one of
the leading experts in the field and Ulrich
Kothe, the founder of Kothe
Destillationstechnik will also be giving
insights into fine distilling.
Location
Kothe Distilling Technologies
5121 N Ravenswood
Chicago, IL 60640
http://www.kothe-distilling.com/en/news-a-events/news/27-directions?tmpl=component
(Directions)
Cost and Participants
$395
max. 25 participants
==================
|
|
|
|
|
|
Join the ADI Forum / Back issues |
|
|
|
Join the American Distilling Institute |
|
|
Membership dues are used to support
the Institutes's efforts to educate and
inform
the public about craft distilling.
Members receive the DISTILLER newsletter
and the Distiller's Resource
Directory.
American
Distilling Institute / 2008
Membership(s)
Individuals............................
$300
Winery, Brewery, Distillery........
$300
Additional, 1-3
memberships........$200
Vendor membership....................
$300
Pay by check or use Pay Pal
American
Distiller
Box
577
Hayward
CA
94543
===================
USD
|
| VENDOR / Distilling Industry. |
|
|
