Grandvewe's trial and tribulations on distillation licencing

[MacStill]

So hows the commercial licence going mate?

Any plans for anything yet?

[Grandvewe]

Thanks for clearing that up Yummyrum.

Hey Mac, all going well thanks for asking. I now finally have most things sorted. All basic equipment sorted with a few 20L sherry oak barrels ready to be filled.
Most importantly I have been getting some great advice from the owners of "Lark" distillery and "Overeem" who have been helping me out along with the awesome members of this forum and yourself. JayD and TassieStiller have also been stellar with their support.

Licence wise im about 80% done so its getting exciting. Bottle design chosen, label design still a while away.
Hopefully ill be legal and selling in the next couple of months.
Bit scary, its now becoming a reality :scared-eek:

[crow]

Your choosing bottles and yet you're still asking questions like should you charge your boiler with lees and how to detected an infection :scared-eek: . Dude everything you've asked is here numerous times and your queries are bordering on spoon feeding. If I was contemplating making a living out of this I would be researching a lot more than you seem to be , Just sayin ;-)

[Grandvewe]

Crow- Im well aware how much I have to learn about this hobby so there is no need to remind me of this.
Also I never said that im starting a diltillery to make a living out of it. Im doing this for fun just like everyone else here.
This is an add on to my current business, its not my bread and butter.

Thanks for your concern

[MacStill]

Thanks for clearing that up Yummyrum.

Hey Mac, all going well thanks for asking. I now finally have most things sorted. All basic equipment sorted with a few 20L sherry oak barrels ready to be filled.
Most importantly I have been getting some great advice from the owners of "Lark" distillery and "Overeem" who have been helping me out along with the awesome members of this forum and yourself. JayD and TassieStiller have also been stellar with their support.

Licence wise im about 80% done so its getting exciting. Bottle design chosen, label design still a while away.
Hopefully ill be legal and selling in the next couple of months.
Bit scary, its now becoming a reality :scared-eek:

OK cool, what's the 20% left to do so you obtain your licence & do you have anyone in mind to sign off on your competency ?

I'm also wondering what your marketing strategy will be for pot stilled TPW.

[Grandvewe]

Bill Lark will be helping me through some of the licencing side of things.
haha and yes I know a pot still is not ideal for a TPW thanks for that dig :-D
If it triple distill the TPW through the pot should get fairly neutral.

Gin and whiskey is the focus for now.

Im off to bed, talk soon

[MacStill]

Bill Lark will be helping me through some of the licencing side of things.

I was hoping for a more refined answer.

We have quite a few members here at present keen on getting a licence, so it would help if you could expand on what you have done so far, and what you need to do to get signed off as competent.

It would be nice if you could do a post keeping us all up to date of the hurdles and hoops you've found, and also any tips and recommendations for those about to embark on the same journey.

You cant just come here and suck the site for info without sharing you know :teasing-tease:

[dogbreath vodka]

:text-+1:
This site is a goldmine of information but you're onto something most haven't looked into.
Your insight as to what is required would be very interesting to most of the members.

A separate thread of "Grandvewe's trial and tribulations on distillation licencing" would be outstanding info for us all.
:handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

DBV

[BackyardBrewer]

Firstly the more bakers yeast/bread sediment you keep out of your boiler the better.

Secondly a neutral TPW aged in barrels is really an Oaked Vodka. Without your wash being all grain (think beer minus the hops) you aren't making whisky, so I'd save my barrels and make the TPW a gin or vodka or liqueur.

Lastly I know our member blond.chap has actually spoken at length with the folks in government about what's needed to get a license - and in some detail.

Perhaps if he sees this he can post a new thread about how/what people need to do take this to a commercial level in terms of skills (not just distilling but all the accountability and tax and excise etc) and what are the expectations of the Government.

[Kimbo]

Hopefully ill be legal and selling in the next couple of months.
:

Also I never said that im starting a diltillery to make a living out of it.

Postby Grandvewe » 25 Apr 2013 22:04

Hi Gang.
Iam very novice to distilling, I have never made a batch of anything yet BUT I HAVE A DREAM...........
I currently own my own business in Tasmania which has its own cellar door for tourists to visit. I also already have an Excise manufacturers licence to make and sell alcohol.

I have decided that Iam going to add a new facet to my business and distill my own whiskey to sell to my current tourist trade.
Basically Iam hopeing to replicate the authentic ways of making whiskey but in a much smaller scale.
So I want to have the raw ingredients (not use essences) to make my own mash and then distill and store in port barrells for ageing.

Some thing doesn't smell right :naughty:

[blond.chap]

Lastly I know our member blond.chap has actually spoken at length with the folks in government about what's needed to get a license - and in some detail.

Perhaps if he sees this he can post a new thread about how/what people need to do take this to a commercial level in terms of skills (not just distilling but all the accountability and tax and excise etc) and what are the expectations of the Government.

I can put a post up another time with everything I know about the requirements, briefly though, have you thought about:

- Insurance for excise on stolen spirit
- Record keeping (for all fermentation, vessel transfers, distillation, maturation, feints destruction)
- Accurate and professionally calibrated instruments
- Permissible distillery locations
- Security
- Are you considered an appropriate person to operate a distillery (formal qualifications, distillery experience)
- labelling requirement
- OH&S

Those are a few of the questions the excise office will ask for your licence. Take a look at their website for more detail

[Grandvewe]

Hey guys thanks for ya comments.

Mac & DBV - Im more than happy to describe my story in depth once there is one. Also will write something in depth about licencing for the members however at this stage Its too early to write anything of worth.

Backyard brewer - Thanks for the sediment info. Sorry for the confusion, I wont be using the TPW to go into barrels. This was made just for fun and experience. If its worth keeping it may be put into the gin.

Kimbo - I dont quite know what case your trying to mount? If I do have all my shit in order with in the next two months (and thats a big IF) the only product I would be selling is the Gin. Is that what you were asking? The whiskey will be aged in my sherry barrels for 2 yrs so that is a long way off.

BC - Thanks for the info mate. I called the excise office the other day and they looked at my current excise manufacturing licence and she said im just required to send a letter to them describing what has changed to our operations. From there they will contact me as to what possible extras I may need to be compliant with. I have not sent this letter yet as I wanted to be 100% sure this is what I want to do. Appreciate you taking the time to post that info :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Again I still have not run my first wash yet guys im VERY novice and im not planning on rushing things. I do appreciate everyones guidance and will try to give back to this forum as soon as I feel it appropriate. At the moment theres not much to share.

[markus]

Grandvewe wrote
"I now finally have most things sorted. All basic equipment sorted with a few 20L sherry oak barrels ready to be filled."

Hey mate are these " the real deal "used sherry barrels?
Or did you pre soak the barrels yourself?

Cheers markus

[Grandvewe]

Hey Marcus
They are the real deal. I had them professionally coopered for me.
I did not soak them in Sherry. They were bought from a winery in SA as used 100L sherry barrels.
The cooper then cut those barrels down shaved them etc (everything else a cooper does) and re-made it into a 20L barrel while still retaining the sherry soaking.
It was awesome to be able to go to his cooperage and smell every sherry/port barrel he had on offer and hand select the one I liked best.
Thats something the internet cant provide :smile:

[markus]

Ah sweet will be worth the effort.
They seem hard to come by. Even sherry oak chips are rare as rockin horse shit.
Only place I could find was in the states but they don't ship here.
:text-offtopic: :text-offtopic:
Cheers Markus

[Grandvewe]

PM me, Let me know if you want his contact details. The cooper is in Tassie cost me $280 each barrel then you would need to add shipping

[Kimbo]

Kimbo - I dont quite know what case your trying to mount? If I do have all my shit in order with in the next two months (and thats a big IF) the only product I would be selling is the Gin. Is that what you were asking? The whiskey will be aged in my sherry barrels for 2 yrs so that is a long way off.

Im not trying to "mount a case", I am pointing out that in Two separate posts you have stated that you will be making spirits to sell,
yet in another post you state that your not starting a distillery to make money. Which one is it?
Also, is seems very strange that someone who is a complete newbie to distilling, yet you have absolutely no experience? and are asking very basic questions ( with answers that you should be teaching us with)
Given the industry your in, I would have thought you would be surrounded by industry professionals, instead ( As Crow said) you come here and are bordering on being spoon fed.
To use an analogy,
A bloke walks into the Builders Registration Board and says " I'm gunna build a 20 storey Hotel, what do I need to do"?
BRB says "what experience have you had? Are you registered"?
Bloke says " Not yet i'm working on that but I reno'd me Bathroom once, can you guide me thru the building process"?

It just doesn't add up my friend.

[Grandvewe]

Do you know that the industry im in is Cheese making?
Crow asked if im doing it to make a living. Making money is a bonus but its not essential that I distill for a living.
I make cheese for a living. If distilling fails then Its no big loss. Im doing it for the fun and a possible add on to my cheesery.

Im here to learn just like everyone else.

Does that clear things up?

[kiwikeg]

Please don't take this the wrong way Grandview but your posts seem to bounce all over one Dec you're buying 1000l icbs wisky wash, the next your talking tpw basics.
I am as I am sure most member's here are fascinated by the idea of 'going legal' but the bond and customs controlled area requirements seemed insurmountable to me as a hobby/craft business and the financial risk of jumping in boots and all were too much for me.
I am just intrigued by how you plan to make a 50l still pay its way.
iincidently I have located a massive mothballed still and am making progress with the owners....so any advice or ideas would be very appreciated.

[dogbreath vodka]

Hey Gents

Because hobby distilling gets all types here we can get a bit edgy with anyone that seems to be hedging or hiding something of what they intend to do.
That can lead to problems as well.

Grandvewe
It took me a total of about a minute to see what you are doing in Tassie ... Google is a great tool.
If you were really hiding something you wouldn't put a flag up like your forum name.
Loooove good quality cheese.

Kimbo has a point looking at your posts... some of your posts are contradictory.
Not out of hiding anything - just like many of us thinking out loud when we are in the midst of changes.
Mistakes made etc.

So I look forward to seeing what "Trials and Tribulations on Distilling Licensing" you go through.
This is just a hiccup in your time with Aussie Distillers.

Keep us informed on what happens next in the licensing issues you face.

In the meantime this site will reward you with lots of information.... ya just have to look. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

DBV