Micro-Distillery movement in US kicks into high speed

Posted Nov 30th 2007 1:22PM by
JMForester@JMForester.com
AOL/Weblogs/slachfood.com

Over the past year I have mentioned that the micro-distillery movement in the US has started to pick up rapidly over the last few years. From only a handful a few years ago, there are over 100 presently in business and many more on the way. Laws in various states have changed, with micro-breweries starting up distilleries and making premium spirits.
In this article at the NY Times they talk a bit about the scene. Expect to see the number of micro-distilleries grow even more rapidly. Bill Owens at the American Distilling Institute is helping these businesses start up and grow, sharing information, publishing newsletters, providing resources, and providing moral support as well. Colleges and Universities Like New York's Cornell University are giving courses and workshops on Artisan Distilling. (I hear there are a few openings left in this years workshop going on next Monday. I'll be there.)
Heck, even I'm opening a micro-distillery early next year. I partnered up with a winery and we are going to grow into a brewery, distillery, and hard cider-works. Our additional licenses are well on the way, and I am ordering my custom built, hand crafted, copper still. As soon as the still arrives I'm going to be making premium brandy, gin, rum, and whiskey of all types. Sorry no vodka, that market has so many new entrants that it is ridiculously overcrowded. By the way, the photo shows approximately what my still will look like.
By the way, using the term "craft distiller" is a no-no. One crafty micro-distillery has trademarked the name and successfully won a couple of legal battles over the terms use. I won't make any comments on that at this time, but I expect to see some major battles come up over appropriate use of the various terms associated with micro, craft, and artisan distilling over the next few years. So for now the appropriate terms to use are micro-distillery and artisanal distillery.
Here are a few places where you can take courses or workshops on brewing and distilling.
Department of Chemical Engineering
Kris Berglund, Ph.D.
206 Farrall Hall, MSU
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-4565
Berglund@msu.edu

The MSU distilling program is aimed at research, education and outreach for the advancement of artisan distilling.
Enology Extension/Cornell University
Dragana Dimitrijevic, M.Sc.
Food Research Laboratory
630 West North Street
Geneva, NY 14456-0462
315-787-2262
dd233@nysales.cornell.edu

Artisan Distilling Workshop at Geneva Experiment Station.

Institute of Brewing & Distilling
Roger Putman
33 Clarges Street
London W1J 7EE
UK
44 20 7499 8144
ibd.org.uk
Brewing and distilling education and qualifications.
Executive Director: Simon Jackson,
simon.jackson@ibd.org.uk
Training inquiries: Andrea Williams,
training@ibd.org.uk
Examinations inquiries: Rekha Sandal, exams@ibd.org.uk
Editor of the IBD magazine: Roger Putman,
editor@ibd.org.uk
International Centre for Brewing and Distilling
Paul Hughes
Heriot-Watt University
Riccarton
Edinburgh EH14 4AS
SCOTLAND
011 44 131 451 3184
p.s.hughes@hw.ac.uk
sls.hw.ac.uk/staff/hughes.htm
Heriot-Watt runs brewing and distilling workshops. For information on MBA, MSc and distance-learning
programs, visit the web-site for details.

The American Distilling Institute (ADI) will offer a "hand on" whiskey distilling class in the Fall of 2008. The short course will be hosted at Stillwater Spirits in Petaluma, CA. For more information contact: bill@distlling.com
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For information on Prulho Cognac pot stills.
Go to: http://www.groupe-novtech.com

Building or renovating a distillery?
Mike Coulter will git 'er done!

by Dennis McCloskey

I had never met Michael A. Coulter until the day I walked into his office in Mississauga, Ontario, on a cold, Canadian winter afternoon in 2007. Ten seconds after entering his spacious, 2,600 sq. ft. workspace above his magnificent residence, I knew all I needed to know about this world-renowned designer of distilleries and breweries.
He was on the phone talking to someone about his company's latest design and building project in Bulgaria. He bellowed into the phone the first words I ever heard him say: "I don't DO anything! I GET it done!"
That, in essence, sums up the success of the 64-year-old Managing Director of a family-operated brewery, distillery, food processing, and chemical processing manufacturing business that began in 1853 when William Coulter Sr. began an apprenticeship with the owner, Henry Gough Booth, the same year. Today, under the leadership of William's great-grandson, Cemcorp Ltd. can design, manufacture, install, commission, and start up whole plants with modern technology in these industries.
Too bad poor old Todd P. didn't know this. A year ago, Todd P. sent a blanket-wide Internet message telling the world that he wanted to start a micro distillery but he did not know how or where to start. "I am trying to find information that would let me know exactly what I would need in terms of equipment and start-up supplies to start a micro distillery/eatery," the hapless would-be entrepreneur wrote. "Does anyone have any resources available?"
If Todd. P. was anywhere near half-serious about starting up such a business, or if he had any Internet savvy at all, he could have done a brief Google search on alcohol distilleries of micro distilleries. He would soon be introduced to Cemcorp.
So, I did the work for the luckless Todd after the head of Cemcorp finished his call and we made our introductions. "Let's say I am going into business with Todd P. (ok, stretch your imagination here!) and we have the backing of a venture capitalist to start a distillery. What can you do for me?"
Coulter started out in the family business as a 16-year-old, tinning copper pressing metal, and learning the welding trade. In 1966 he graduated from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, with a Bachelor of Science Degree and Professional Engineering Degree. But he didn't go into the family business right away. Instead, he joined the Ford Motor Company of Canada as a Quality Control Analyst and rose to Production General Foreman, Body Build, in four years. His father, Warren R. Coulter, took his son aside one day and gave him three options. "You and your brother, Terry, will one day inherit this business," the family patriarch said. "You can either sell it; pay someone to run it; or run it yourself." Coulter was 25-years-old at the time and he said he could not think of anyone else better to run the business, so he joined it. (The company was divided and his brother, Terry, went on to run the Swimming Pool and Accessories business that the company started in 1959.) In 1969, Coulter joined Coulter Copper & Brass Ltd. and its Montreal subsidiary Booth-Coulter Inc. and became President and General Manager in 1977 along with its Montreal subsidiary Booth-Coulter Inc. There have been numerous career and corporate changes and acquisitions since but his grip on the company's core business has been firm and resolute. He has traveled to 72 countries, and 82% of his firm's revenues will come from outside the country this year. Three quarters of Cemcorp's work is repeat business.
So, Mike Coulter did not have to think very long or hard before answering the "Todd" question. Mike has worked on projects costing $7 million and others that came in at under a million, thanks to the utilization of used equipment, so he assumes we're in the ballpark: "Our first step is to get a conceptual design and capital and operating estimate to determine if it's viable. It's an opportunity study," said the gregarious engineer who has done post-graduate studies in Behavioral Psychology, Commercial Law, Financial Analysis, and Problem Solving & Decisions Making. "Then you'll need a bankable feasibility study." Once that's done, if it's still a go, Coulter said he and his group of a half-dozen seasoned professionals and specialists - including experts in architectural and structural engineering, CADD Design, Process Engineering, Biotechnology, and his wife, Judy, who is President of the company - will provide a full-range of multi-discipline services as required by the project, and that includes detailed design, design engineering, procurement, and construction of the plant.
That's exactly what they've done around the world in projects on 14 alcohol distilleries, an equal number of breweries, and over 35 North American brewpub and microbrewery installations. "We have a niche market and I am as busy as I want to be," said Coulter, as he explained to his visitor the cyclical nature of his business. "In the 1980s and '90s we specialized in complete brewery plant designs, from brewpubs and microbreweries to large commercial breweries. We had only a few distillery projects, including Seagram and Alberta Distilleries." he said. "By the mid-'90s, there were 1,500 microbreweries and brewpubs in the USA and Canada and the industry began a decline."
By 2000, there was a rapid and world-wide increase in interest in the production of spirits at smaller, artisan scale, and it took root mostly in the French and German- speaking countries of Europe. But interest in Cemcorp's expertise soon became world wide. One of their initial ventures in this type of distillation was in Hawaii in 2000 when a new rum distillery on Maui became the first of its kind to appear in more than 20 years on the island. (Seagram built a distillery at Pu'unene in the late 1960s but it was not successful and it was torn down in spring 2004.) Coulter jokes that designing the Kolani Rum Distillery was a tough assignment "with all that sunshine and getting beach sand between my toes."
Their client list of alcohol distilleries spans the world, from Magnotta in Woodbridge, Ontario, to South Pacific Distilleries Ltd., to National Rums of Jamaica, and Shaw Wallace Distillers in India. Recent projects have taken them to Thailand and India.
Currently, they are working on a distillery project in Bulgaria that uses their patented PCflow® system, aka PCbrew® for breweries. The fully integrated PC package provides precise computer control of time and temperature for mashing, fermentation, aging, and storage. Among its many other advantages of the system that today runs on Windows XP, is real time programmable control and control settings that are easily modified for different recipes. Coulter likes to call it the key to successful brewing or distilling and emphasizes that the basic lack of good brewing or distilling is Control. "The biggest change I have seen in this industry in the past three decades is process control and the lack of proper controls," he said, adding that 90% of the problems he sees in his business have to do with lack of control. "It's all about Control, Control, Control."
If someone were to ask Mike Coulter why he is still in this particular business after nearly a half century, he might facetiously reply: "fun, fun, fun." As he sipped on a Coke, he responded: "I really love this business and I'm having a lot of fun," he said. "I'm also making money. I have found that the amount of fun I have is measured by how much money I make." When asked to name his favorite alcoholic beverage of choice he smiled and said it depends on the project he's currently working on. I later learned, while relaxing at his office bar, that rye is his favored alcohol tipple and when it comes to beer he'll call for a Creemore Springs Lager that's brewed in the village of Creemore, Ontario. I asked if there is another generation Coulter waiting in the wings to take over the business, and he said his grown son and a nephew have both decided it's not the business for them. Coulter has no plans to retire, but said wistfully: 'Everyone and everything has a shelf life but I will continue to do this until I stop enjoying it or until I stop making money."
If your future plans include getting into the brewery or distilling business, you might want to get in touch with Mike Coulter. But there's no hurry. All indications point to one fact: He'll be designing and implementing brewery and distillery projects for a long time to come!
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WHAT THEY DO Cemcorp of Mississauga, Ontario, designs projects and the process, and coupled with the company's history as a fabricator and contractor, brings a single source responsibility that gives its clients more flexibility to have direct input in the design and implementation of a project. If you want a brewery or distillery built, here's what they can do for you: · BREWERIES: Cemcorp Ltd. specializes in complete plant designs, from Brewpubs to Microbreweries and large commercial breweries, including: Grain Receiving and Milling; Brewhouses, including liquefaction, lautering, brewing; Fermentation, Unitanks, Yeast Propagation, Ageing & Storage; Filtration, CO2 collection/addition; Refrigeration systems design; PCbrew ®, PC-computer control systems including hardware and software based on flow logic for precise control; Spent Grain handling/ dryers, batch and continuous; Water Pre-Treatment/Treatment; Effluent Treatment/Alcohol Recovery; Commissioning, Start-up, and Operator Training. · ALCOHOL DISTILLERIES: Cemcorp specializes in complete plant designs for both Potable Spirits (Whiskeys, Rum, Gin, Vodka, Liqueurs) and Industrial Alcohols (Fuel, Chemical) including: Starch liquefaction conversion and saccharification; Fermentation, Yeast Propagation, Enzyme preparation; Sterilizers and reactors; Distillation columns and internals, batch stills and multi-column continuous, dehydrators; Evaporators and dryers, batch and continuous, mixers; PCflow ® PC-computer control systems including hardware and software; Effluent Treatment, alcohol recovery; Water Pre-treatment/Treatment; Cogeneration; Commissioning, Start-up; and operator training.

Woodford Reserve Bourbon Academy

Looking for the perfect Christmas gift for your husband, father, or brother? Give him the gift he won't forget-an opportunity to become an expert on Bourbon and American whiskey at the Woodford Reserve Bourbon Academy!
Let him spend the day with Chris Morris, Woodford Reserve Master Distiller, and discover the history, production, and appreciation of America's native spirit. He will take pleasure in 'Whiskey 101," and learn the basics of whiskey history and flavor. The class will be completed with an interactive behind the scenes production tour and a series of tastings.
Woodford Reserve's Bourbon Academy
February 16 and March 22, 2008
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Cost is $125 per person plus tax, and includes a bourbon inspired lunch. Reservations are required and can be made by contacting Kelly Smith at (859) 879-1963.
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NEW BOOKS TO GET INTO THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON - LAST MINUTE HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR COCKTAIL CONNOISSEURS
Source: DISCUS
Dec 3rd WASHINGTON, DC- Still looking for a spirited gift for your favorite cocktail lover? A new crop of cocktail books are hitting store shelves just in time for the holiday season.
Below is a list of recent books ranging from the history of the cocktail to new developments in the spirits industry -- perfect for intellectual cocktail connoisseurs or those just beginning to explore the world of spirits. Pair one of these books with a fancy cocktail shaker or elegant glassware, and you'll be sure to add cheer to someone's holiday.
"How's Your Drink" by Eric Felton (Agate Publishing)
Based on his Wall Street Journal column of the same name, Eric Felton's new book illuminates the culture of the cocktail. It is an essential addition to the literature of spirits and cocktails, a staple for the library of any cultivated man, and a fantastic holiday gift title for hard-to-shop for husbands and fathers. How's Your Drink? (the title comes from the phrase with which Frank Sinatra habitually checked in with guests he entertained in his home) is an invaluable, erudite guide to culture, lore, and history of the cocktail. (source: Agate)
"Whiskey & Spirits For Dummies" by Perry Luntz (Wiley Publishing)
For those just discovering the enjoyment of distilled spirits, this is the perfect guide. Author Perry Luntz, senior editor of Beverage Media and publisher of Beverage Alcohol Report, takes readers on a journey into the rich heritage and diverse taste profiles of different spirits from around the globe. From whiskey, rum, and brandy to vodka, gin and tequila, this guide traces the multicultural origins of these fine spirits, explains how they are made, and shows you how to evaluate, serve and enjoy them.
"Imbibe!" By David Wondrich (Penguin Group USA)
A lively, historically informed, and definitive guide to classic American cocktails.
Cocktail writer and historian David Wondrich presents the colorful, little-known history of classic American drinks-and the ultimate mixologist's guide-in this engaging homage to Jerry Thomas, father of the American bar. Wondrich reveals
never-before-published details and stories about this larger-than-life nineteenth-century figure. This colorful and good-humored volume is a must-read for anyone who appreciates the timeless appeal of a well-made drink-and the uniquely American history behind it. (Source: Penguin Group USA)
"The Business of Spirits" by Noah Rothbaum (Kaplan books)
Celebrating the acumen of the businessmen and craftsmen responsible for the recent phenomenal growth of wine and liquor sales, The Business of Spirits by Noah Rothbaum is a cocktail of history and insight about a rapidly changing industry. Journalist Noah Rothbaum explains how savvy brand leveraging, clever advertising strategies, and new methods of packaging and distribution have revolutionized a product as old as civilization itself. (source: Kaplan books)
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Illustrated London News. SCOTCH WHISKY 1890. An Article from The Illustrated London News. Dagenham: Barrel to Bottle Press, 2007. Frontis + 7pp + 7pp b/w illustrations including 5 full page. Reprint of an article that appeared in the 30th of August 1890 edition of The Illustrated London News. Features the Glenlivet Distillery and the Royal Brackla Distillery, the premises of Andrew Usher and Co., the whisky making process and some commercial detail. It is not a facsimile reprint, however the text has not been amended, but the excellent woodcut illustrations have been reduced in size. Interesting journalists view of the whisky industry in the late 19th Century. The article is mentioned on pages 153/4 of H. Charles Craig's The Scotch Whisky Industry Record [Dumbarton: Index Publishing, 1994]. Card covers. VG+. Book No.849. £3.50
Hopefully this may be of interest to you or your distilling contacts. The price including airmail postage to the States would be $10. Thus anyone interested could send me a 10 Dollar banknote thus avoiding exchange expenses. Payment can also be made via PayPal.
Hope it proves of interest.
Regards,
John Thorne
Books on Wines-Beers-Spirits
Mail Order Only - Catalogues Issued
www.whiskywords.co.uk
www.liquidliterature.co.uk
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Wanted new or used 4 bottle filler. Call Mary at 541-971-7749
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Interested in the big distilleries and other distilling news?
Contact mbrown@buffallotrace.com
Ask Mark tto put you on the mailing list. I good read. Bill
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American Distilling Institute:
--The 2008 membership application will be mailed in late December.
--The 2008 Whiskey conference application will be mailed in January.
--The 2008 whiskey conference will be April 7,8 & 9th in Louisville and the Stralight Distillery in Bordon IN.
--The 2008 Scotland whisky tour will be May 6-10th.
-- Details on the whiskey conference and Scottish distillery tour will be mailed to everyone.
--Application forms for both events will also be posted on the distilling.com
Bill Owens
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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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