To cut to the chase I just returned from six intensive days working in an operating craft distillery, while attending their "Distillers Master Class" with an eye to opening my own place within the next year. After all, that's out of the kitchen, right?
There were twelve people in the class. The good doctor and I, a Chemistry professor from the UK and his pharmacist partner from Ontario a couple of farmers from Alberta and Saskatchewan some engineers a grain specialist a dentist and his partner and a lady from Maine. A very eclectic and super smart group - the main presenter noted it was the most sophisticated class with the most science backing and previous home distilling experience that he'd ever dealt with. I would suspect it was a tad intimidating for the main presenter who even-so, was no slouch.
Quickly over the week we wound up with a very honest, thorough and extremely realistic view of what it might mean to start and run your own craft distillery. We had the fantastic experience of making a 1200 liter batch of single malt whisky - right from learning the equipment to grinding the grain, grain selection to sanitation to the water and the yeast. Not to mention a comprehensive discussion of a wide variety of pitfalls that can befall the unwary distiller.
We distilled two 600 L runs to produce a really tasty rye. Hmmmmm. Yummy!
We were using a Bavarian-Holstein system and still - drool. Kiss that $700K goodbye! Awesome.
Made some gin. Much tougher than it looks - not so much in the distillation - but, the flavoring is a real trick...
Lots of tasting - ripped apart many commercial products.
In the end - here's the thing: BC is a great place to start a craft distillery. No taxes
when you sell direct. (sort of...) The biggest hurdle to getting off the ground is making sure you have the love and support of your local government. We are well into a six month rezoning process - complicated, lengthy and expensive. But, the upside is still worth the effort depending on what success looks like. If you want to go big, its a shitload of work and a even more daunting marketplace, but smaller operation is a neat self sustaining lifestyle for a couple of hardworking partners or a husband and wife team. Medium sized is not so good.
There you have it!
Have a great day.
Glen.