The Third Annual Great American Distiller's Festival

On August 25th and 26th, in Portland, Oregon, The Third Annual Great American Distiller's Festival took Place. Over six hundred people attended over the two-day event at the Gerding Theater in the Amory. The event has grown every year over the last three years, expanding from predominantly an Oregon distiller's event to a truly American event. Represented were over 50 different spirits from over 30 different distilleries, all of which came from "craft distilleries." The crowd, similar to big beer festival crowds, was: informed, uniformed, curious, experienced, inexperienced, but most importantly, enthusiastic and entertained. Attendees were treated to live music, demonstrations revolving around spirits such as seminars and presentations including the history of spirits and their use, cocktailing, the distillation process, and a lively and highly informative cocktailing competition. Several distillers were on hand to talk about their spirits and their distilleries. The Amory Building was beautifully restored by Portland Center Stage for The Arts in 2006. The building now hosts two theaters and a grand staircase with a spacious lobby. The distilleries represented were spread out over the top two floors, with the presentations and seminars held in the lowest level, as was the cocktail bar featuring drinks made from every spirit represented at the event. For the price of admission, patrons were given three drink scripts, and a recipe book featuring cocktails made from spirits participating in the festival, paired with a dish from a Portland area restaurant.
The goal of the festival was to educate people on spirits and it succeeded in this regard on every level. There were presentations on every thing from how to choose the best spirit to prepare a cocktail, how to distill, and what the difference is between Scotch whisky and whiskey. An interesting and exciting part of the weekend, apart from the chance to taste the spirits and meet some of the distillers, was the cocktailing competition. It featured bartenders from the Portland area competing in a contest to see who could create the best signature cocktail using craft distilled spirits. The crowd draw to the bartending competition reflected the public's interest in how to perfect the perfect cocktail.
People from all walks of life seemed to find the event informative, fun, and well worth attending. Molly Little, a young woman attending with a large group of friends, said," This is a great event! I really enjoyed talking with the folks from the distilleries and tasting new spirits. We definitely plan on attending next year."
Rory Donovan, co founder of Peach Street Distillery in Durango, Colorado said," Tt has been awesome to be able to expose people in Oregon to our product, because we are not yet in this market."
Lee Medoff, head distiller @ Oregon's House Spirits and President of the Oregon Distiller's Guild said, "The GADF was a great event to draw attention to the burgeoning craft distilling industry. It is especially fitting that the event is situated in Oregon and Portland in particular because we already have a high concentration of craft distilleries in the State with more on the way. Of the near 100 craft distilleries in the nation over 1/10th are located in Oregon. That says a lot about the innovation and drive of the distillers as well as the support and excitement for craft spirits from the public. It was also an opportunity to introduce the Oregon Distillers Guild, the first of its kind in the country. The purpose of the Guild is to promote Oregon distilleries and Oregon as a center of craft distilling. The GADF event was instrumental in getting that message out by not only showcasing Oregon Distilleries, but involving the local bars and restaurants that support local spirits with a "cocktail cookbook" highlighting cocktails made exclusively from local spirits and a an "iron bartender" competition."
Medoff Summed up the event with,"All this drew the public in and exposed if not confirmed that the craft distilling revolution has arrived."
The Third annual Great American Distiller's Festival was the biggest and best yet. With the growth in spirits sales on the retail and wholesale level, and the populations growing desire to learn about and understand distilling and spirits, the event's future as well as the industries, looks strong. The public response to this year's event was positive and enthusiastic. Next year the event is scheduled for August 23-24 and if it continues to grow as it has in the past three years, it could soon be an event on the par of the Great American Brewer Beer Festival: the very event it is being modeled on.
Ty Reeder
Distiller
Edgefiled Distillery
tyr@hq.mcmenamin.com
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Distillery plans to turn local apples into vodka
By Sharon Linstedt NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER
"The concept is to bring together locally produced apples, tourism and hydropower." Robert Gallucci, who plans to open Devil's Hole Distilling Co. in Lewiston Niagara County apples could be pouring as premium vodka next summer under a proposal for a firstof- its-kind liquor distillery in Lewiston. Robert Gallucci, a Youngstown engineer, has plans to open Devil's Hole Distilling Co. at the historic Sparrow Sage farmstead along Route 104.
"If we're lucky, we'll be up and running next June or July with one still, doing small batches," Gallucci said. "The concept is to bring together locally-produced apples, tourism and hydropower."
Gallucci secured the first of those key ingredients this week when the New York Power Authority approved 400 kilowatts of low-cost power for the small vodka plant.
"Distilling is a very power-intensive process, so getting low-cost power was essential to our business model," he said.
Armed with the promise of cheap power, Gallucci's next steps include closing the deal on the future home of Devil's Hole Distilling, ordering a German-made distilling equipment, constructing a building to house an 18-foot-tall still and related fermenting gear, and obtaining required state and federal licenses.
Gallucci, who has never actually made vodka, said he got the idea from his volunteer work on the Town of Lewiston master plan. In reviewing agricultural land usage, he started thinking about the area's bountiful apple orchards and the possibility of value-added products.
"The concept was we have a lot of apples here and need to find another outlet for them. It turns out you can use up a lot of apples making vodka," he said.
In fact, Gallucci anticipates mashing, fermenting and distilling some 4.2 million pounds of apples per year when Devil's Hole has ramped up to the state-allowed production limit of 35,000 gallons. He's in talks with four apple growers to secure enough raw product.
He also plans to position his distillery and product as a tourist attraction. A recent change in state laws regarding alcohol production and sales will allow distillers to sell their liquors at the retail level for the first time. "Over 4 million people visit Niagara Falls each year, and we think we could be a memorable stop on their vacations. We'll have tours, tastings and down the road cooking demonstrations using our products," he said.
The existing farmhouse, which dates back to the early 1800s, would act as the showroom for Devil's Holes wares.
Michael J. Von Heckler, president of the Niagara Wine Trail Association, said Gallucci is onto something with his plan to combine production with tourism.
"It would be a positive addition to the tourism community. Anything we can do to draw tourists is a welcome addition, it would fit in well with what our 12 wineries are doing," Von Heckler said.
Gallucci, who will be joined by his wife, Barbara, in the vodka business, said he's excited about taking the next steps of turning his business model into a working distillery.
"As an engineer I'm used to going through the process of turning a plan into bricks and mortar, but it's always been other peoples' ideas. For the first time it's my own," he said.
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BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE
Wild Turkey expanding distillery $30 million addition eventually will more than double production By Alex Davis alexdavis@courier-journal.com The Courier-Journal

LAWRENCEBURG, Ky., -- The owners of Wild Turkey bourbon plan to invest $30 million in the brand's distillery on the banks of the Kentucky River, more than doubling production capacity to nearly 11 million gallons of whiskey annually.
A groundbreaking was held yesterday for the project, which includes new mash cookers, fermenters and a second copper still. Construction should be finished in fall 2009. The first bourbon made with the new equipment will age for eight years before appearing on store shelves.
"We're building inventory for way down the road," said Jimmy Russell, Wild Turkey's master distiller for the last four decades.
The expansion in Lawrenceburg is the latest for the state's bourbon industry. Fortune Brands, which owns Maker's Mark and Jim Beam, is in the midst of a $120 million upgrade that includes increased distilling, aging and bottling operations.
Russell, 72, has seen Wild Turkey grow to 1 million cases in annual volume this year, up from less than 250,000 cases when he started working at the distillery in 1954. He has also been around long enough to see his role change from a plant manager to a sort of bourbon ambassador, with his name plastered across baseball hats, liquor bottles and even street signs.
At 101 proof, Wild Turkey is stronger than most mainstream bourbons. Russell claims it also has more flavor and body. About two-thirds of Wild Turkey is sold domestically, much of it to men between the ages of 24 and 39.
But the brand's export business, led by Australia, is growing at an annual rate of 12 percent to 15 percent, compared to 5 percent to 8 percent in the United States.
And officials at Pernod Ricard, the world's second-largest spirits company, hope to use their extensive global distribution network to further the bourbon's growth in the years to come. Pernod also owns Jameson, an Irish whisky, and numerous brands of Scotch including Chivas Regal, Ballantine's and Glenlivet.
The Wild Turkey distillery in Lawrenceburg, about an hour's drive east of Louisville, handles all of the brand's production and aging. Until recently, Pernod also had a distillery in Lawrenceburg, Ind., where it handled production of Seagram's gin, among other products. The Indiana facility, just outside Cincinnati, was sold a few months ago.
Joe Uranga, vice president of the whiskey group for Pernod Ricard USA, said the investment at Wild Turkey's 800-acre campus in Anderson County underscores the company's commitment to bourbon. Several new products also are planned, he said. Among them:
American Honey, a new version of the company's bourbon-based liqueur. It comes in a sleek bottle, and at 71 proof is stronger than its predecessor. Uranga said a key target will be women.
American Spirit, a limited-edition, 15-year-old bourbon that will sell for $90 a bottle when it hits store shelves later this month. Uranga said just 24,000 bottles were made. Half will be sold overseas.
Russell Reserve Rye, a permanent addition to the Wild Turkey family, will seek to capitalize on the growing popularity of the rye category. A 750-milliliter bottle will sell for about $25.
The new equipment in Lawrenceburg will be installed across the street from Wild Turkey's distillery, parts of which date to the 1890s.
Because much of the new building will be highly automated, only a couple of employees will be added to the facility's payroll. The approximately 85 workers there now are operating on three shifts around the clock, at full capacity.
The biggest economic benefit of the expansion, Russell said, is the extra taxes that will be generated by additional bourbon aging in the massive rackhouses that dot the hillside surrounding the distillery. He said extra rackhouses also will be built, costing another $6 million on top of the $30 million investment in distilling equipment. An expanded visitors center also is planned, he said, but details of that project are still being finalized.
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Russell said about 15,000 visitors a year tour the current facility. Many of those guests also take bourbon tours nearby at Four Roses, Woodford Reserve and Buffalo Trace operations. John Richardson, a retired rancher from Montana, took the tour at Wild Turkey yesterday with his wife, Paulette. Richardson said he decided to visit because Wild Turkey has a good reputation among cowboys. "Up in our country, a lot of guys drink Wild Turkey," he said. "It's pretty stout stuff."

Distilling spirits and new ideas.
Bendistillery hopes to turn a farm operation into a tourist destination
By Jeff McDonald / The Bulletin Jim Bendis wants to be a leader in the burgeoning craft distillery business. To do that, he says he needs to bring his production facilities closer to the land where he gets his supplies.
The CEO and founder of Bendistillery plans to purchase a Tumalo farm, where he would locate a microdistillery and grow the crops that constitute the spirits sold in 22 states and at two martini bars in Bend.
He says he needs a new building to plan for his company's expected growth in the craft distillery industry.
"We have the capacity to grow in our current location (in northeast Bend), but it's not tourist-worthy," he said. "We don't necessarily (need) to have tourists visit, but it makes our story more authentic. We would be setting the precedent for microdistilling around the country."
But a state land use law that designates the land exclusively for farming may not allow Bendis to convert an old barn on the property into a microdistillery, which would be a commercial use. He would need both a conditional use permit and site plan approval to put a distillery on the property, according to Paul Blikstad, a senior planner for Deschutes County.
The proposed distillery and sampling room would be a test case for micro-distilleries, which, unlike wineries, do not have state approval to operate on exclusive farm use ground, according to Blikstad.
For 12 years, Bendis has distilled locally picked juniper berries and Midwestern grain crops in a rented industrial site in northeast Bend.
He operates a restaurant and martini bar downtown and sold his stake in a restaurant, lounge and distillery in The Shops at the Old Mill District in August.
The growth will come from showing customers up close where he gets his grains and how he makes his spirits, which include Mazama Infused Pepper Vodka and Cascade Mountain Gin, Bendis said.
He would convert an existing barn on the property, located at the corner of U.S. Highway 20 and Pinehurst Road near Tumalo, into a distillery, he said.
Near the distillery, he would experiment with different crops - including corn, wheat, sugar beets and potatoes - that could be fermented and distilled to make his different spirits, he said.
Lavender and other herbs could be grown in experimental areas as test flavorings for future products, according to the land use application filed with Deschutes County.
Juniper berries, already present around the region and on the farm, would be used for flavoring the gin, Bendis said.
"I don't think people see vodka and gin as natural products," Bendis said. "I want to let them see how we're making our spirits. They could see that we use natural products."

Leading the pack

There are currently 92 microdistilleries around the country, nine of which are in Oregon, said Bill Owens, president of the Hayward, Calif.-based American Distilling Institute.
Owens said Bendistillery would be "leading the pack" if it were to locate its distillery on the same site as its crops.
"It's a great idea," Owens said. "When people come, he can point out that it came from that field there. People want to know where their food came from."
Other farm operations that have added commercial uses include pumpkin patches in Terrebonne, which also required conditional use permits, and wineries, Blikstad wrote in an e-mail.
The county allows wineries outright because the state has determined they fit in with farm operations, he wrote.
Bendis will need to be more specific about the size of his agricultural operation and access to the site from Highway 20, said Blikstad, who recommended denial of the application.
The decision on Bendis' application will be made by a county hearings officer, who will look at the state's land use laws for farming and determine whether a commercial operation that makes vodka and gin on site meets the state's higher land use requirements on designated farmlands.
Bendis will look at other options if his plans are denied, he said.
One possibility is buying the EARTH2O building in Culver, which has been for sale since the bottling company purchased a site formerly occupied by Sea-swirl boats, he said.
He could contract with local farmers, who would grow the different crops that can be distilled, he said.
Or he could stay in Bend.
"Our current facility is not meeting our needs," he said. "We want to plan it out and not grow piecemeal."
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Kittling Ridge (Forty Creek) Distillery WINS ICONS OF WHISKY - CANADA

Canadian distiller Kittling Ridge Estate Distillery has been voted Canada's 'Distillery of the Year' at the 2008 Icons of Whisky Awards, held by international publication Whisky Magazine. Whisky Magazine also named John K. Hall, owner and whisky maker for Kittling Ridge Distillery, Canada's 2008 Whisky 'Ambassador of the Year'.
Kittling Ridge, an independent company, based in Ontario, faced stiff competition from a shortlist of Canadian distillers.
The winners, including John Hall & Kittling Ridge representing Canada, will compete in the World Icons of Whisky which include Scotland, Ireland, United States & Japan. The winners will be announced at an awards ceremony in London, England on the 28th of February 2008, held to mark the opening of Whisky Live London.
Hall stated, "What an honour to receive two Whisky Magazine's "Icon of Whisky Awards", Distiller of the Year and Ambassador of the Year for Canada, on the eve of celebrating my 15th year anniversary as a whisky maker in Canada and the release of my limited Forty Creek Small Batch Reserve!". I am especially humbled knowing that I was facing competition from distillers that have all become international giants in the spirits industry. Distiller of the Year is a very prestigious award within the spirits industry and I believe the growing popularity of Forty Creek Whisky has played a large part in receiving this special recognition."
Kittling Ridge is Ontario's last, and only independent, Canadian owned distillery. It is one of very few distilleries that have opened since the end of the American prohibition in 1933.
David Broom in his book "Handbook of Whisky", exclaims: ."Hang on a minute, this is Canada, a country which has witnessed a radical shrinking of its whisky industry. If the big guys can't do it, what kind of crazy man, like John Hall, decides to start making whisky just as everyone else is closing down distilleries? What is he doing that is so different? His whisky is made with passion and sensitivity. He is making brave New World Whiskies that are cutting edge".
As others close, Hall has expanded twice in the past 6 years. Kittling Ridge started with 15 employees in 1992 and has grown to 150 employees. Forty Creek Whisky is the fastest growing Canadian whisky in both Canada and the USA, competing in a very challenging category. Keeping Canadian Whisky Canadian is a task that Hall takes seriously - adding economic value to his community and creating whiskies unlike any other in quality and taste are the values he instills at Kittling Ridge.
In WHISKY: The Definitive World Guide, a book written by the late Michael Jackson, Mr. Jackson noted, "The most revolutionary whisky in Canada may well be Forty Creek.Owner Hall has brought a handcrafted, winemaking sensibility to whisky production and in doing so has broken the barriers of whisky classification.
For further information contact Beth Warner at bwarner@kittlingridge.com or John K. Hall at jhall@fortycreekwhisky.com or call 1-800-694-6798 or 1-905-945-9225
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MINNESOTA 13 -- STEARNS COUNTYS 'WET' WILD PROHIBITION DAYS

The Why and How of a Esoteric Writing Project . by Elaine Davis

In the past two months since book release, I have been asked dozens of times "what possessed you to write this book?" While interviewing my parents over many months and writing their memoirs two years ago, I included one page on the infamous Minnesota 13 that was cooked at my mother's Central Minnesota farm during Prohibition. I was intrigued by Mom's stories and when finished with that hobby book, parked in the local museum and started reading the files. I was amazed to find out that operations were far more extensive that I had been told and that the local moonshine held a national reputation during the time period and is still being cooked today by a sizeable number of people in the area. Once I found out the museum had an oral history program and had 1600 interviews of senior citizens on tape from the 1970s, it didn't take long for me to decide this was my next writing project. The original moonshiners and bootleggers had all passed on, but I had their voices on tape and transcribed--a veritable goldmine for a writer. I also knew that despite the story being 75 years old, it still resonated with people and would have wide appeal.
Another key deciding factor in green lighting the project was the cooperation of my cousin, who agreed to have his family story told, knowing he might take public hits, or at a minimum, a lot of razzing. His dad, (my uncle), was involved in operations for over thirty more years after the 1933 repeal, and Gordy helped as a teenager in the 1960s. In addition, his mother came from a huge moonshining family that had one of Minnesota's largest raids on their property, with two 400 gallon stills axed and 7000 gallons of mash dumped. I knew the story would resonate with readers more, with me the author, connected to it. I then approached the museum and asked if they would consider publishing the book and was promptly turned down-thousands of previously published and unsold books were sitting in the museum warehouses and the board would not consider taking the risk again. Thus I started writing Minnesota 13 knowing I was likely to be picking up the tab myself.
The primary sources used to compile the book were the oral histories, hundreds of newspaper articles from that era, Centennial books for each of the local towns which all included a chapter on moonshine and the Depression years, multiple college student term papers written for classes and donated to the Prohibition files, old county jail registers, Leavenworth archives and the 80-95 year-old living children of the moonshiners. While many descendents have left the area, many remain. My Sherlock Holmes task was amazingly easy most of the time. I simply started calling names in the phone book related to ones in archival news articles and obituaries and often, within five minutes, I'd have a son or daughter on the phone or a referral to where they were. Research does not usually come that easy in the mobile society we live in. As testament to that lack of mobility, as I promoted the book at the county fair, Bluegrass Festival and Pioneer Days, the 1925 plat books of the townships were a tremendous hit. It was truly amazing to see how many people were living on Century Farms or could quickly locate Grandpa's property and point to the creeks the stills were in, the schoolhouses the stills were hidden in, the location of the blind pigs, and point to neighbors who sat time in Leavenworth. The story had died but quickly came back to life with very little encouragement and some plat maps.
As my writing continued I sought out my first printing bid. Word quickly spread and I had numerous printing companies competing for the job. This puzzled me, as 10,000 small books was not exactly a lucrative order compared to the million phone book press runs some of them did and other massive national jobs. I was courted by printer sales reps like boyfriends and finally asked why? One sales rep told me "this is the fun stuff that makes up for all the hymnals and phone books we print." The job would not make them big profits but they wanted the story and to be a part of it. Thus I had a printer on board before the book was half written and the connection to the plant employees and the book was remarkable. The plant was abuzz the day the covers went through and the following days of printing and binding. The employees followed me to the county fair and were so proud of their work and their connection to the process.
The biggest surprise has been how the county has embraced the book and the number of people who have thanked me for writing it. Holdingford, MN, the Bootleg Capital of Minnesota and some say the nation, was tight-lipped during my writing process. The silence enforced so heavily during and after Prohibition, continued to this very day-the code of silence was not to be broken. Two months after publication Holdingford is talking, and with some pride rather than the old embarrassment. It's almost as if the book has given them permission to acknowledge their history, good and bad, and take some pride in the ancestors who cooked up a storm of whiskey to save their farms, homes and community. When the lawless phenomenon is taken out of the equation and the era is looked at from an entrepreneurial perspective, what these Germans and Poles did was truly amazing. They used vertical integration, quality control, good supply chain management, background checks of employees and distributors, creative marketing, product branding, took huge venture capital risks, developed new production techniques and overall, personified the entrepreneurial spirit America encourages.
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Does anyone have quick answer to these questions?
I'm wondering if this isn't interpreted differently by regional officials in other areas.
I'm having difficulty finding information about "guaging tanks" and it seems you can either weigh it or measure it's volume, as long as you test the density and temperature.
What really leaves me curious is the "certification" and I wonder who is qualified to do the certification.
We had our inspection and we are being delayed by our lack of an appropriate gauging tank. But I still can't figure out what they really want... the federal regs are not very helpful either.
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I do have a question about carbon use. Currently we use a wood based carbon powder from Jacobi. We like the results, but not the handling of it. We want to try granular carbon instead, but Jacobi said, wood based carbon is too soft. Do you have any suggestions?
Paul A. Werni
715-246-0565
paul@45thparallelspirits.com
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Warm glow spreads through Scotch whisky
By Andrew Bolger, Scotland Correspondent

Scotch whisky is on a roll, thanks to overwhelming demand in markets such as China, India and Brazil. But record exports have also led to a warm glow spreading all the way down the industry's domestic supply chain.
Scotch whisky exports rose by 4 per cent in value last year to nearly £2.5bn. Export volume was also at a record high, with shipments up 6 per cent to exceed the equivalent of 1bn bottles.
Richard Burrows, chairman of the Scotch Whisky Association, said: "The prospects for Scotch whisky are brighter than they have been for many years. I'm greatly encouraged that distillers, large and small, are investing in facilities in Scotland and taking advantage of opportunities worldwide, with markets in Asia, North and South America offering strong potential for growth."
Scottish farmers have complained for most of the past decade about the poor price they received for malting barley, but this year has seen "spot" prices for the crucial grain more than double, reaching £200 a tonne.
John Picken, chairman of the cereals committee of the National Farmers' Union Scotland, said most grain was supplied on a long-term contract basis, so even with the welcome increase in price, barley would only account for about 14p or 15p of the price of a bottle of whisky.
The first tranche of investment in new distilleries for more than a generation has also been a boon for Forsyths, a family-owned business based at Rothes in Moray, which claims to be the biggest coppersmiths for distilling equipment in the world, with 50 employees making pot distilleries.
Richard Forsyth, chairman and managing director, said: "Things are very much on the up and up. The last boom time for the industry was in the 1960s and 1970s. We have just supplied eight new pots to a new malt distillery for William Grant at Girvan in Ayrshire."
Field Packaging has three plants in Scotland entirely devoted to the Scotch whisky industry, which employ a total of 500 people.
Four years ago the group invested £10m in refurbishing its packaging plant at East Kilbride and last year it spent £3m relocating its label factory to Hillington, near Glasgow Airport. The group has also just spent a "significant" amount relocating a plant making spiral tube packaging at Belshill in Lanarkshire.
The company, which supplies most of the leading whisky producers, is part of Chesapeake Corporation, a US-based international specialist in value-added packaging.
Bob Houghton, Field's marketing and communications manager, said: "The last couple of years have been particularly strong, because of the growth of emerging markets such as China. There is more emphasis on the type of carton to differentiate brands, with the use of metal foils and varnishes. We have invested in new equipment that can offer customers hexagonal and triangular cartons."
Forth Ports is working on the masterplan for a distribution park at the port of Grangemouth on the Forth where a layout for 150,000 square metres of warehousing has been approved.
Charles Hammond, chief executive of Forth, said his group was in advanced discussions with several whisky companies to see whether it could aid the industry's logistics by providing warehouses that could be bonded or set up to do bottling and labelling.
Mr Hammond said his group had already established that short-haul rail links from the west of Scotland could be used to transport good for export directly to the ports.
That could prove particularly useful if exports to India increase - as they are expected to, now the Indian government has finally reduced its tariffs on imported spirits.
Caledonian MacBrayne, the ferry operator, has agreed to put on additional sailings to meet growing demand from distillers on the island of Islay. They said high levels of demand and increasing production levels meant they needed extra carrying capacity to get the whisky to mainland outlets.
McPherson of Aberlour in Moray is a third-generation family-owned company that employs 250 people and runs a fleet of nearly 400 trailers for the bulk transport of spirits. It said: "The market it pretty buoyant. We have ordered extra trailers and there are never enough drivers."
More than 40,000 jobs in Scotland depend on whisky production, including among local cereal suppliers, bottle, label and packaging companies, transport and haulage and suppliers of a wide range of goods and services.
Across the whisky supply chain, the industry spends more than £700m a year and contributes an additional £800m in excise taxes. Scotch accounts for 13 per cent of all Scottish exports excluding oil and gas.
Whisky-related tourism is also rising in importance. Distilleries represent 25 per cent of Scotland's five-star tourist attractions, hosting 1m visitors a year.

Note.
The American Distilling Institute is planning a Scotland tour in May 2008. More on the "tour" later.
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Director - Distilled Spirits Development

Company Overview:

As a leader in the global brewing industry, Anheuser-Busch is committed to finding innovative ways to continually improve. It's this kind of thinking that creates a unique work environment by rewarding talent, celebrating diversity and encouraging forward thinking. Anheuser-Busch operates 12 breweries in the United States and multiple international breweries. The company holds nearly 50 percent of U.S. beer sales and has business alliances with leading international brewers. Anheuser-Busch subsidiaries include one of the largest theme park operators in the United States, one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of aluminum beverage containers and America's top recycler of aluminum cans. Making Friends is Our Business!

Requirements and Competencies
* MBA required with concentration in finance.
* 10-15 years of experience with investment banking, brewery/importer operation and management, public accounting (M&A, valuation), consulting (! M&S Advisory) and/or corporate planning/business development.
* Demonstrated prowess in the following areas: legal aspects of buying, selling or financing a privately held business; negotiating buying, selling of businesses and brand distribution rights; tax and accounting aspects of business combinations; state franchise law - wholesaler distribution rights; A-B alliance partner product supply and accounting for alliance businesses; beer wholesaler operations; financial statement analysis; highly leveraged financing; detailed ten year pro forma projections and complex
* Strong negotiation skills and excellent written and verbal communication skills.
* Strong analytical, problem solving and quantitative skills.

Primary Responsibilities
* Responsible for the business development aspects of A-B's distrilled spirit entry, partnering with the innovation team to build a portfolio of internally developed and 3rd party spirt brands.
* Develo! p and implement new distilled spirit alliances to support NE distilled spirits test.
* Identify and target companies for acquisition and/or partnership. Act as principal negotiator representing A-B's interest in the development of master distribution or import agreements. Evaluate alternative structures for AB to participate in the value created.
* Lead due dilligence team and manage transaction to closing. Coordinate and neogitate where appropriate the legal documentation of the transaction.
* Work with the business process transition team to ensure proper accounting and reporting of financial, sales, and operational information.
* Coodinate brand right transition to A-B wholesaler system in open states. Lead the development of a state by state plan to sell distilled spirits in control states.
* Gather critical information regarding distilled spirit market conditions and business requirements from internal and external sources. Construct a thorough analysis of brand past sales performance and build detailed multi-year proj! ections which forecast brand future sales.
* Evaulate the potential for spirit brand acquisitions.
* Assess team needs, recruit, interview and hire qualified candidates for department. Develop analysts skill set by providing appropriate training and coaching. Conduct evaluations/performance feedback to assure employee professional growth.
* Complete financial and operational special project work as directed by A-BI senior management.

Salary: $103296-154944 Yearly Additional Information
http://www.buschjobs.com
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I went to the website and couldn't list this listing.
I guess AB is interested in craft distilling business.
Bill
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'24 hl Alambic still complete. manufactured in France Pot, Pre-heater, condenser. For information contact 831-477-1718'
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Business Opportunity:

Successful small distillery with 40K annual gross revenues and 450 case per year sales. Retail outlets in 100 out of 163 statewide stores. Product sells retail in mid-range for $12 for a 750ml 80 proof bottle. Eight year operating history. Proven system of production. Reliable supplies of component parts. No company debt. Company owns building where plant operates. Existing plant capacity is 20K cases per year.
Favorable regulatory environment in state permits on site retail bottle sales as well as tasting on premises. Brand only requires promotion and marketing only to increase sales. All licenses current, 6 months of inventory on hand. Current equipment capable of 20K cases per year.

Plant capacity with additional equipment would be 50K to 100K cases per year. The company is located in Morgantown, West Virginia, a vibrant college town and home of West Virginia University. The plant is located one mile from interstate 79 with easy shipping and receiving access. Seeking qualified buyer to grow company and continue business.

Price: 750K.

See company website at http://www.mountainmoonshine.com/ Contact principal;

West Virginia Distilling Co., LLC

Attn: Payton Fireman
1380 Fenwick Ave.
Morgantown, WV 26505
Phone: 304-599-0960
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A& J Whiskey Barrels is now selling new charred white oak whiskey barrels.cost of these barrels is $ 210.00 plus shipping.call (513) 253-8591 or email us at ajwhskybrls@gmail.com anytime for orders and shipping quotes. delivery also availible.
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1 Liter round Liquor Bottles, 28 mm screw top finish packed necks down in plain Kraft brown boxes 12 per case.
Originally purchased from Saint Gobain.
Mold number 9935034. $7/case takes all 28 pallets at 91 cases per pallet. Terms can be arranged.
Call Mike at (505) 440 8666

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Here's an euipment development.
Now out a 110 gallon continual feed still. http://coppermoonshinestills.com/id44.html

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To read back issues of DISTILLER newsletter?
Go to:
http://distilling.com/backissues.html
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--To obtain a distilled spirits permit go to: http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/index.shtml

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--To obtain TTB list of DSPs go to: http://www.ttb.gov/foia//err.shtml

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--To obtain TTB statistics on distilling go to: www.ttb.gov then scroll down to "spirits" and then the "year".
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--To obtain Distilled Spirits Laws and Regulations go to: http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/spirits_regs.shtml

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--To obtain label regulations go to: http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/bam.shtml distilled spirits manual circular.
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