iStill One

[Bushman]

Good stuff Odin, you have raised the bar in the commercial arena!

[Odin]

Thanks Busman, much appreciated! Pictures of our new 2000 liter iStill Fermenter coming up next week. As well as more information on the touch screen computer! Friday the 21st of November I leave for New York, in order to build up our second iStill One distillery, as well as to visit clients in Washington and Cap May. Looking forward to it!

Regards, Odin.

[Odin]

Quite the week at the iStill Center, guys, with clients visiting from Scotland as well as Utah. Next week will see visitors from Israel and Russia. More on last week? Three new clients received their equipment and start using it to produce whiskey, vodka, gin, rum and brandy. I expect us to deliver to another three distilleries coming week. Busy times? Oh yes, but who calls talking to distillers "work"? It's fun meeting so many people, interested in the craft.

We are developing a new pump. A smaller size pump than the iStill Pump, with a different goal in mind. Where the iStill Pump transfers low wines, mashes, ferments as fast as possible, the new pump aims to help you drain the last drop from a grain bed. It is equiped with a very fine filter, so you can just shove the inlet tube into the grain bed and get all the liquid out of it. Clear, without any particle contamination.

Regards, Odin.

[Odin]

We just updated our financial calculator. The calculator helps starting distillers out. It provides them with an Excel sheet where they can calculate investments, write-off costs, production costs, costs per bottle, estimated turnover, total costs and profit prognosis. Do the math before you start! Here's a picture to get an impression:

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

Good idea. Very good way of predicting costs and profits.

[Odin]

Here's two more graphics. Interesting to see that most of the capital invested in a craft distillery goes into fermentation equipment. And - taxes and personal income aside - the actual bottle and label are the most expensive parts of total costs of a bottle of ready made spirits ...

[Bushman]

Seems like this morning I have been studying different graphs posted on the forum, interesting information can you add the percent to the different sections? Just added detail although we get the big picture if someone is using this for a cost sheet for starting or calculating expenses for starting a craft distillery it might be helpful

[Odin]

Hi Bushman,

For start up craft distilleries, the Calculator is available. With some extra consultancy to help them fill it in correctly.

Just tested the new touch screen computer. With interactive scale model of the rig the computer is manageing: the iStill One, the iStill Fermenter, or the iStill Masher. The new computers will not be attached to the equipment anymore, but be situated on its own standard. Very nice. I hope to upload some pictures tomorrow or the day after.

Regards, Odin.

[Odin]

As promised: pictures of out new computer! Interactive, touch screen, on a seperate standard ... lovely to work with!

Ooops pics are to big. Hope you don't mind me posting a shortlink: http://wp.me/p3pXcR-nL" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Regards, Odin.

[Odin]

What's this?

[Windy City]

Hey Odin
It's all looking great
Is that a low water (oil) cutoff for the jacket heating oil?

Hope all is well
Windy City

[Odin]

Yes, that's what it is! It will give the computer a signal to take in more water or oil. Or signal that there's enough. You are too smart!

Everything is fine here, Windy! Very, very busy, but not complaining. Friday I leave for New York, to build up a new distillery and visit three other clients and will be clients. And after I am back, we will have the whole team together (10+ people) for a weekend of fun in Amsterdam. Red light district, Heineken, ... well, you can fill in the details!

Regards, Odin.

[Bushman]

Yes, that's what it is! It will give the computer a signal to take in more water or oil. Or signal that there's enough. You are too smart!

Everything is fine here, Windy! Very, very busy, but not complaining. Friday I leave for New York, to build up a new distillery and visit three other clients and will be clients. And after I am back, we will have the whole team together (10+ people) for a weekend of fun in Amsterdam. Red light district, Heineken, ... well, you can fill in the details!

Regards, Odin.

Been there done that, make sure you don't under pay for parking and you either have a hotel or a designated driver

[Odin]

Phew! Yeah, Bushman! We rented a hotel. Sure those blokes want women and beer. Let's give them that. They deserve it, having worked double shifts for months!

Regards, Odin.

[Tokoroa_Shiner]

Now that's a work shout. Haha. Best I get is a pie and a beer if we're lucky. Haha

[Odin]

We just assembled the new Pennsylvania iStill One. Tomorow we mash with it, on Tuesday we will distill a rum. I will upload some pictures next week.

Odin.

[Odin]

For an impression of our trip to the USA, please see http://wp.me/p3pXcR-o4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Regards, Odin.

[Odin]

And for more information on our all new iStill Fermenter 2000, please see http://wp.me/p3pXcR-od" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

Regards, Odin.

[Bushman]

We need to get someone on the West Coast to install one so I can visit!

[Odin]

Sorry, this one goes to Quebec, Canada!

Regards, Odin.

[Odin]

Picture of Tower Hill Road Distillery. iStill VISION and iStill 250 in place, iStill Fermenter 2000 and iStill Pump to arive in a few weeks ...

Regards, Odin.

[Odin]

And here's a picture of Nick, testing out his new iStill 50. Congrats, Nick!

[BoomTown]

just want to be included...no real comments to make...

B.

[Odin]

Thanks for stepping by, Boom!

Here's a few pics from us assembling the iStill 250 to a Washington dc based distillery and to the Allentown distillery running our iStill One and 250.

Regards, Odin.

[Odin]

LET’S PARTY!

Coming Friday the iStill Team will assemble for a great weekend in Amsterdam together. After a year where all of us have been putting in 60+ hours work weeks time and again, it is now time to party and have some fun together!

We reserved rooms in a nice and cosy hotel in the Amsterdam “grachtengordel”. City center, next to the canals, for those who do not speak Dutch. Friday at 6 PM that’s where we will assemble.

It will only be a short walk to the restaurant, where we will start the weekend by dining together. What’s on the menu? Well, apart from genever beer, soup, steaks, and dame blanche, I will do a presentation on where we stand and on what iStill’s goals for 2015 are. We will also elect and celebrate iStills Co-Worker of the Year 2014.

After dinner follows a walk through Amsterdam’s famous Red Light District. At around 10 PM we will visit a famous night club that gives a whole new meaning to the concept of the “Banana Split”. We will finish the evening with some more beers, for sure, in a real Amsterdam pub.

Saturday, after breakfast, the ten of us will tour Amsterdam’s canals by boat. Lots to see and share.

A visit to the Heineken Experience Museum comes next. Accomanied by a few Heineken beer’s? Who knows …

When the Heineken Museum is done, we’ll walk back towards the city center and have a quick lunch on the way. Fish and chips, maybe a hamburger. Raw herring if the guys feel up to it. And with the stomachs filled, we will introduce the iStill Employees to another famous Amsterdam treat: a Smoke and a Drink in The Bulldog.

The program is free after that. Curious to find out if the guys want to visit maybe Anne Frank’s House, the National Museum, or the Van Gogh Museum … but somehow, I expect them to rather keep on partying until the morning light!

Regards, Odin.

[Bushman]

Give your self time for the Heineken Experience, the burgers on the roof top are pretty good but I had to hurry like hell and my wife and kid ended up taking a taxi so we could meet you on time for the distillery tour. Brings back great memories, I am sure you and your friends will have a great time.

[Odin]

"Burgers on the roof top ..." Bushy, I think we just found ourselves the place for lunch! Thanks!

Regards, Odin.

[BoomTown]

A paid weekend in Amsterdam? That's a benefit package very few companies offer. Way to go Odin! Too bad your stills are so small...would love to extend our conversation...but hey,,,if you call. don't call my cell. I could buy a still with those international cell phone fees!@

Boom

[Odin]

Is 1500 liters too small for you? Please know our 250 liter unit already outperforms much bigger other stills!

Expecting your call

Odin.

[Odin]

The iStill Team assembled at 18h00 at the hotel. After check-in, we hit the roads and walked to the restaurant. Beer, genever, mustard soup, medium rare steaks with salad and French fries. Dame Blanche for deserts. Did I mention we had a few beers with that?

After some speeches on 2014 and 2015, we celebrated Carl's election of iStill Employee of the Year 2014. Thanks for al the hard work and great ideas, Carl! We hope you like the testimonium and the watch that goes with it!

We showed the team Amsterdam's Red Light District later that Friday evening. Funny thing was that a few of them knew the place better than I do. Telling me we should take a turn to the left instead of to the right if we really want to see the prettiest girls ...

The Bananabar is in the middle of the Red Light District. What happens in Amsterdam, stays in Amsterdam. Suffice to say the guys had fun. Loads of it! The woman entertaining us in this night club knew her trade for sure. And if you need another reason to visit the Bananabar, please know drinks are for free. Now, I won't tell you the entrance fee, because that's a scare. Especially if you enter with a big group and you are the guy paying for it!

At 23h00 we entered a real Amsterdam pub, and started ordering rounds & rounds of beers. I guess that's what made the trip back to the hotel such a challenge. Were we pissed? Ehm ... yeah ... no denying that.

Today we started with breakfast at around 10h00. At 11h00 we took a canal cruise. All of us? Well, all except one. One of the team members was so hung over that he stayed in bed the whole Saturday.

The rest of us visited the Heineken Experience Museum together. And after that, there was a free program. Most of the team members went to the Flower Market to buy gifts for family & friends. They will probably visit the Red Light District again, tonight. As for me, I am back home. Tired? Exhausted! But we had fun together, lots of it!

Regards, Odin.