Distiller's Assistant

[bearriver]

Long time no see, well, since you saw me anyway...

I gave an honest account of my distillation experiences and online presence in response to an advertisement put out by a well established local craft distillery. They just Emailed me back a few hours ago to setup the interview.

The owner/operator of the distillery is looking to employ a full time "distiller's assistant". The high water mark of the job description includes operating a custom-built Vendome plated column. This distillery is one of the 40 distilleries that hosts the Proof Festival in Seattle. There is a chance I'll be working at Proof this year instead of attending as a guest with the rest of the PNW HD members that are going, as planned.

It could be something, or it could be nothing. Either way I am humbled that this opportunity found me when it did.

Cheers

[MichiganCornhusker]

Nice to hear from ya, Bear. Best of luck with the interviewing, you got a helluva lot of references here.

[Appalachia-Shiner]

Good Luck with the "Dream Job"
Trouble is when your hobby is your regular job.....
It seems to turn into "Work."
But Good Luck and I hope you land the position.

[bearriver]

I got union work lined out, which honestly will probably pay better than this distiller's assistant gig. We'll see how it shakes out.

[WhiteDevil504]

Welcome back bear, glad to see ha pull your stool back to the table. And congrats on the lead, hope it's as fun as it sounds!

[moosemilk]

Congrats, bear and welcome back! Sure nice to hear things are going well.

[goinbroke2]

Welcome back, you're not gonna get all high falutin' with us ifn ya start runnin a big rig are ya?

That's great, few people get to work at their hobby, just hope your hobby doesn't turn into a "job" on you and take the fun out.


Great to see you back.

[ranger_ric]

Good to see you back BR... Your posts have been a great educator to me. (And I have had some great laughs too)

[Bigbob]

Good luck bear! Hope it all works out. Great to see you back!!!

[DAD300]

Good Luck Bearriver, either way you'll get a chance to learn something.

[MoonBreath]

Distillery work is monotonous and hard ..Depending on size, type of equipment, and different quotas and deadlines ...Learning the business side is challenging and very worthwhile ...
All invaluable for folks like us all ...I say take the distillery job over the union job ..DON'T quit paying your union dues tho ...You will always be able to pick back up with the union ...Distillery jobs aren't as available ...Whatever you choose, very good luck to you and keep us inquiring minds posted.

[WooTeck]

wishing you all the best at the interview. keep us posted on how it gos

[Maritimer]

Hi Bear,

Man, I hope you get that job. Better than going to work is going to play. Having an electrician's license will put you doubly in demand. The more skills you can bring to the job, the more fun you'll have, too.

M

[bearriver]

Thanks fellas for all your support! I expect they might instead choose someone with a degree in biology, or commercial brewing experience. No matter my skills or knowledge in distilling I have no certification, or legitimate reference. Anonymously sourced references aren't really references. Given I got the interview, I'll either know my stuff and get the job or not. At least I hope so.

Just waiting to hear back from the master distiller to see when he wants to do the interview. I told him I'm open for anytime after today due to preexisting obligations. Been too busy to do much these days between getting setup with trade school and 60 hours a week working. Not my typical routine... Got a few members here that I am overdue to get in touch with.

The distillery is top notch in every respect, and I know it would be an amazing experience to be a part of. Every step involved in their process is done in house. The grains are from nearby organic farms, and the water is from a natural source. It's quite a special place and it successfully stands out among the other local distilleries. I tried their gin and vodka a few years ago, and really liked it. Albeit wasn't wasn't cheap. Now they got whiskey which I need to go try... It undoubtedly will be more expensive than the vodka was, plus mention the new sin taxes in this state.

[cranky]

WOW Bearriver, That's great! I cant believe I've missed this thread, but I've fallen a bit behind lately. Looks like you have been very busy. Sounds like potentially a great experience. Glad you found your way back to HD to update us.

[bearriver]

Well it's been a few weeks and he didn't contact me back about the interview date... It would seem that he is no longer interested or he found someone else for the job. It was a great opportunity, and it's too bad it didn't shake out. I'm not really disappointed, fish in the sea and all that.


Anyways, thisguy just got a job at a distillery! His thread is here: http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... =7&t=55870" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow Congratulations to him.

[WooTeck]

commiserations bear. keep on pushing and one day the dream will comne true

[BoomTown]

Tough miss, Bear, hope you took the union job. My son is an electrician, and we can't begin to come close to what he makes if he gets a few 'rated' jobs. I agree with what was said about the distillery work, it's hard work, but steady and predictable in most ways. Electrician-n pays good when your working, but there is that probability that you work yourself out of a job and have to go find another pretty regularly....

Better luck next time.

[thecroweater]

sux arse they didn't display the decency or ethics to notify you. I find that very telling, you may have dodged a bullet

[cranky]

Sorry to hear about that. It's a shame they couldn't at least let you know they didn't choose you, but it could be worse, I got turned down for a different position for the company I have been working for for many years and the form letter of rejection was written as if I had never even worked for the company and was actually insulting. I think no letter is better than a badly written form letter that is just plane insulting. Fortunately for you you are still young enough to have many more opportunities in your future.

[woodshed]

Sometimes no news is indeed good news. A freakin bear like you just gets another fish, bigger and juicier than the one you missed.

[ranger_ric]

Amen WoodShed! look forward at the one you are going to get and not at the one you missed.!!!

RR

[jedneck]

sux arse they didn't display the decency or ethics to notify you. I find that very telling, you may have dodged a bullet

Well said.

[bearriver]

Easy come, easy go.
Nothing ventured nothing gained.

Thanks fellas. Yall are very well spoken. I'm not disappointed or anything like that, its just not in my nature over things like this. I'll have an eye out for other opportunities in the future and keep on with what I've been doing. It is a growing industry after all.

[bearriver]

I put out resumes with two hiring distilleries yesterday, and already got a response from one. It's another great opportunity and makes me proud to have my skills considered.

[WhiteDevil504]

That's awesome bear, good luck! Any of these distilleries would be lucky to have your cranky ass on staff.

[Pyewacket]

Good luck my friend. They would be lucky to have you!

[woodshed]

Go get em bear.

[cranky]

Glad to see you are keeping at it. Hope it works out.

[bearriver]

Got an Interview tomorrow at 10am on the Canadian border. It is an awesome family farm that does a corn field, farm market, bakery, U-pick, events...ect To boot is has an onsite distillery that only uses ingredients from the farm. The people running that show should be proud, and I bet they are.

My wife, kids, and my brother's kids who are with us for the Summer will come with me tomorrow. We'll have lunch there and check the place out. It'll be a great day out for the whole family.

I am also getting my resume out to two other hiring distilleries that I found this morning. Being that I already have a job and am enjoying the search makes this a great experience for me. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" is a phrase frequently used around here.