Category Archives: Distillery Marketing

The Perils of Using Grain from the Farm-gate

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In our 5 Day Distillery Workshops we talk about the possibilities of going to the farm and sourcing different types of grains for use at a craft distillery. We caution to physically go to the farm to inspect the grain for evidence of molds or staining on the grain. Evidence of such should be reason not to purchase that particular grain as staining can be a result of fusarium molds which will be toxic to yeast during the fermentation.

I just had the week-end from hell and I am writing to share that experience.

I am assisting a small craft distillery start-up in Saskatchewan to formulate their recipes for their Moonshine. They are farmers and as such have ample access to plenty of grain. They recently provided me with 2 pails of grain ( winter wheat) and asked if I would mash it up, ferment it off and distill it into alcohol that was at or near 80%/volume. I agreed to do so.

As I was grinding the grain I could not help but notice the amount of weeds, seeds and chaff in the pails of grain. I thought to myself – this might make for some grassy type flavors, but for the purposes of this basic exercise I reckoned all would be fine.

I completed the mash, got a final Brix reading of 20 and was quite happy with the sweet goodness as I tasted the mash. I pitched my yeast and the ferment got off to a roaring start.

But, 3 days later, my ever observant wife ( who is now keenly aware of what a ferment should look like) alerted me that the ferments had stopped bubbling. I thought this rather odd, but decided to leave the fermenters alone for a few more days.

I have to sieve my fermented grain mashes though mesh so as not to introduce too many solids into my electrically heated Hillbilly still. As I was sieving the mash, I thought I could detect some occasional solvent odors. Nah!! …must be my imagination I thought to myself.

I loaded the still, turned on the heat and waited for the pot to warm up.

Soon enough, the temperature of my column started to heat up and when I peered into the windows at each plate all I could see was a dense fog. How weird is that, I mumbled to myself…

Eventually the distillate started coming off the still and yikes !!! it was the color of a weak cup of tea. How is that possible, I thought?

Well, the brown liquid kept coming along with a solvent like aroma. When I tasted the distillate, I could detect a faint whisky flavor, but the solvent was predominant and my tongue tingled. I also noted the temperature at the dephlegmator to be about 68C, well below the boiling point of alcohol.

Here is what happened. Evidently, during the mashing process, the artificial enzymes broke down the weeds, seeds and chaff in the grain. The yeast in the fermenter pails started eating this foreign debris along with the sugars from the grains. Yes, alcohol (ethanol) was made, but the Embden Meyer Parnhas Glycolytic Pathway somehow also produced an alcoholic solvent type molecule too. This solvent was what halted the ferment after 3 days. The distillation process simply concentrated the solvent and the brown color emerging from the still was the result of this harsh solvent stripping buildup off the interior of the still column. In fact, the solvent molecules when combined with the alcohol molecules made a mutation that had a boiling point of 68C – well below the boiling point of ethanol.

When I removed the column from the pot, I rubbed a paper towel on the inside of the column and the paper towel turned black from the copper-sulfide type residue that had accumulated in the column.

The rest of the day was spent dismantling the entire still and all it parts. I heated up some water to 60 C and added citric acid. I scrubbed all the still parts in the citric, rinsed them and re-assembled the still.

So, lesson learned. While there are many farmers out there growing very exciting varietals of grain, DO NOT buy grain from the farm-gate unless it has first been passed through a state-of-the-art cleaning plant. There should be ZERO evidence of weeds, seeds or chaff in your grain.

My client has been advised of this bizarre situation and is now busy obtaining some more grain, this time from a seed provider whose seed is certified by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to be free of foreign debris.

The following photos illustrate the color of the distillate, the dense fog in the column windows and the grime on the paper towels.

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Stand Together or Fall Together

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The craft distilling movement is still very much in its infancy. The consumer still has not whole-heartedly adopted craft distilled spirits.

If the craft distilling movement is to succeed, the quality of craft products will have to be top shelf. I hear many people comparing the craft distilling movement to the craft beer movement that got underway in earnest in the late 1980s. I hear the argument that the craft distilling movement has nowhere to go but up.

I do not agree entirely.

In the late 1980s, beer consisted of offerings from Molsons, LaBatts, Bud, Coors and the like. The craft beers that burst onto the scene were unique, unusual and tasted way different than anything the consumer was used to. Before long, the consumer adopted these unique offerings and became quite savvy. Soon enough consumers were asking how many IBU bittering units were in their IPAs. Soon enough consumers were evaluating the taste profiles of their stouts and porters much like a wine afficionado would dissect a fine wine.

Today, when one looks across the distilled spirits spectrum, there is nothing necessarily wrong with Alberta Premium Rye Whisky, nothing terribly horrible about Grey Goose Vodka and nothing amiss with all those Bourbons and Single Malt Scotches. If the craft movement is to succeed, craft distillers will have to create products that are as good as the commercial products on offer today and certainly more unique.

This leaves zero margin for poor tasting products from the craft scene.

I recently tasted a product called French Laundry Vodka from Sperling Distillery in Regina, Saskatchewan. To be perfectly blunt, I would be comfortable using this product to clean the carburetor on my lawn mower engine. I also sampled their Ole Jed’s Moonshine. I am not sure who Ole Jed was, but if this was his recipe, he is probably blind and impotent by now. This Moonshine was horrid! At one of my recent Workshops held at Urban Distilleries in Kelowna, BC I offered the class samples of Old Order Vodka from Old Order Distilling in Penticton, BC. Never have I seen an entire class of people all recoil in horror at the same instant. This Vodka was paint stripper to be quite blunt. This product should not even be on the store shelves it is that bad. Strangely enough, both Old Order Distilling and Sperling Distillery are running stills made by German firm Mueller. I am not sure if there is something wrong with Mueller stills or if the Mueller technical rep failed to properly train the distillers. I have extended an offer to both distilleries to work with them through a couple distillation runs to try to identify the problems. To date, neither have responded.

I have come under fire for posting these blunt posts in which I single out products based on their poor quality. But – I stand by what I do. If the craft movement is to grow strong legs and survive, there can be zero margin for poor quality. All it will take to damage the craft movement is a few distillers who insist on making bad product. Rumors will abound. The fragile consumer will revert back to his ‘go-to’ commercial brands that he is comfortable with.

We either stand together….or we fail together….

Gin – Mind the Definitions

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As I write this post, I have just returned from a short road trip from Kelowna to Vancouver where I was in search of new and unique Gins from craft distillers.

I was particularly disturbed during a pit stop at a new craft distillery in Oliver, BC called Dubh Glas. This recent start-up is making a Gin called Noteworthy Gin which they class as a New Western Dry style of Gin. When I flat out asked the distiller what this category of Gin really was, the stuttering, stammering and foot shifting began in earnest.

The reason I nailed him with this question is because – there is no such legal definition in Canada of a New Western Dry Gin. These legal definitions are but one of the things we explore in depth at our Distillery Workshopsin Kelowna BC.

In Canada, spirits definitions are tightly controlled by the Canadian Food and drug Regulations. In particular, section crc 870 of these Regs will tell you all you need to know. I encourage you to check these Regs out sometime to learn more about what you are really drinking.

In the case of Gin, crc 870 section B.02.041 is where you want to be. It says:

Gin,

(a) shall be a potable alcoholic beverage obtained

(i) by the re-distillation of alcohol from food sources with or over juniper berries, or by a mixture of the products of more than one such re-distillation, or

(ii) by the blending of alcohol from food sources, redistilled with or over juniper berries, with alcohol from food sources or by a mixture of the products of more than one such blending;

(b) may contain

(i) other aromatic botanical substances, added during the re-distillation process,

(ii) a sweetening agent, and

(iii) a flavouring preparation for the purpose of maintaining a uniform flavour profile; and

(c) may be labelled or advertised as Dry Gin or London Dry Gin if sweetening agents have not been added.

In plain English, what this definition really says is:

A distiller takes alcohol that has been made by fermenting and distilling cereal grain or surplus wine. This alcohol is placed into a still to be re-distilled. The distiller can either place juniper berries in the still with the alcohol or he can configure matters so that the alcoholic vapors rising up through the still come into contact with the juniper berries. The distiller can if he wishes add other botanicals to the alcohol in the still or to the still apparatus so the vapors contact them. These other botanicals can include the likes of coriander, cinnamon, lemon peel, orange peel, apple, lavender etc…. Some of the Gins that consumers are accustomed to drinking have up to 12 or 14 different botanicals added. At the end of the whole process, the distiller can even add a tiny touch of sweetener. If no sweetener is added, the distiller can call his Gin a Dry Gin or a London Dry Gin.

The expression London Dry Gin is not a new one. Consumers have seen it before. Take a wander through the aisles of your liquor store and look at Beefeater, Gordon’s, Tanqueray and Bombay – they are all labelled as London Dry Gins.

In the U.K., a London Dry Gin is properly defined as:

a Gin in which the botanicals are added during the distilling process rather than being added later as flavourings. Likewise, adding sugar or colourings is not permitted.

That’s it – pretty simple isn’t it?

So, to bring this post full circle – I think you can now see where the problem is. Manufacturer’s of Gin cannot just take it upon themselves to create a new name like New Western Dry Gin. The consumer has no idea what this product even is.

Yes, I will be the first to admit that craft distillers are all about putting some craftsmanship into the making of spirits. But, let’s face reality – this craft distilling movement is in its early stages yet. If craft distillers start going off half-cocked and creating new category names they will for sure raise the hackles of Government. The last thing this craft movement needs right now is the bad publicity that will come when the Government starts enforcing the legal definitions. And believe you me, the Government can be very strict if it wants to be.

As I sit here in Kelowna crafting this article, I have just returned from a run to the local liquor store to get some cold refreshments to help combat the 38 C heat. While at the store, I did some quick double-checking. It appears to me the whole notion of a London Dry Gin is falling out of fashion. Here is what I found:

Old Order Distilling is calling their Legacy Gin simply a Gin. Urban Distilleries has its Spirit Bear Gin. Fermentorium Distilling has a product called Coastal Forest Gin. Legend Distilling has their Doctors Orders Gin, Yaletown Spirits has their Yaletown Gin. Odd Society has their Wallflower Gin. Dillons has its Method 95 Gin (which by the way is perhaps the only in Canada made from surplus grape juice) On the larger commercial front, the very famous brand Martin Miller’s simply has a Gin. French distiller Citadelle also has a Gin. And even the famous Hendricks calls its product nothing more than just a Gin.

The only London Dry Gins were Tanqueray, Gordon’s, Bombay and Beefeater.

So, you see there are a host of craft distilling companies (small are not so small) out there that are respecting the definition. And so they should.

The next time you happen to see a Gin in Canada that is flaunting itself as a New Western Dry Gin (I have seen two of late and they are Dubh Glas from Oliver BC and Lucky Bastard Distilling from Saskatoon) – get on social media and openly quiz them. Ask them why they would flaunt the legal definitions. If they are side-stepping the name definitions, ask yourself what else they are side-stepping.

Do you really want to drink a product made by someone who openly dis-respects the law? I surely do not….

Marketing Strategies – Your USP

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In the last blog I posted, I pointed out the necessity of taking time to craft your personal story – a story that would resonate with consumers.

Now imagine you are at a social event and someone you barely know asks you – “what is it that you do?”

Can you tell them in 30 seconds or less? More importantly, can you tell them in such a way that your words open the door to more questions and perhaps even a full blown conversation?

At Prohibition University, I tell people that ” I work with people who are building craft distilling businesses to help ensure their success”. This more than often opens the door to a question – “how do you do that?”. I then ease into a discussion of the 5-day hands on workshops and the consulting services I offer.

This 30 second descriptor is called your Unique Selling Proposition (or USP for short).

Even if you are still in the planning phase of your craft distillery, I strongly urge you to start crafting your USP. It will not be easy. You may have to seek the help of friends, family and close associates.

Consider the following:

The marketplace has many Tequila varieties available. One that managed to carve out some market share for itself in the USA was Arrogante Tequila. Their USP was: We make our Tequila using only traditional stone ovens and not stainless steel autoclaves to cook the agave plant. Now, that’s unique. This is a USP that would quickly lend itself to a conversation with another person.

Consider the following USP from Kings County Distillery in New York State: We are the first distillery to open in New York since Prohibition. We make whisky using traditional copper stills fabricated in Scotland, wooden fermenters built locally by Isseks Brothers and corn and barley grown onsite. We are a model of sustainable and traditional whiskey production.
 Again, a conversation starter with its focus on tradition, local and sustainable.

Lastly, consider this one from a Canadian Vodka maker who uses neutral grain spirits from an ethanol factory and dilutes that alcohol down to 40% alc using water: We produce Vodka from Ontario sweet corn harvested at the peak of its sugar content and we use water freshly harvested from the purest source possible: high Arctic icebergs from glaciers over 10,000 years old. Catchy isn’t it? Such is the power of a Unique Selling Proposition.

At Prohibition University, we are here to work with you. If you need help to craft your USP or if you just need a set of ears to listen to your USP- give us a call. We would love to hear from you.

Marketing Strategies – Your Story

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The craft distilling movement is growing in leaps and bounds across North America. While at first glance, this appears to be a good thing there is also a hidden pitfall or two in such rapid growth. Many seasoned veterans of the craft beverage movement are cautioning that they have seen this type of growth profile before in craft beer in the 1990s. These same veterans are also saying they have seen this type of growth profile before – with the Internet in the 1990s when everyone was beating their drum about their latest dotcom setup.

At Prohibition University we devote one full day of our 5-day Distillery Workshops to a thorough discussion of Marketing. I find it troubling how this Marketing session causes such pain to so many people. I have even had class participants suggest to me that they see no need to market. They will build a craft distillery and people will come to their door. I have had class participants who simply just do not take part in class exercises or take-home assignments. I can see why the industry veterans are issuing their words of caution.

If you are seriously thinking about launching a venture into the realm of craft distilling, I urge you to first sit down with a pencil and paper and write out your story. Who are you? What is driving you to get involved with craft distilled spirits? What type of spirit would you like to produce? How will it be different? Reality says that the marketplace does not need another spirit. Diageo, Smirnoff, Bacardi, Grupo Campari and the lot are quite capable of making enough alcoholic beverage to satisfy our needs and wants. If you cannot set down on paper your compelling story that crisply says who you are and why you are making a unique spirit and why it is different, then I hate to tell you – but maybe the craft distilling movement is not for you. If you are simply seeking to get involved in craft distilling because it is the latest greatest thing (just like the dotcoms were…), then please, please don’t go there.

Consumers buy on emotion and later justify that purchase with logic. Your compelling story is what will stir their emotion. With emotional jets stirred, the consumer will follow you and your lineup of spirits with devotion. Consider the following examples:

Heritage Distilling, Gig Harbor Washington: Have a look at the website for this craft distiller sometime. Owners Justin and Jennifer vividly talk about who they are and how their growing-up experiences shaped who they are today. This is the type of story that people like to follow. Small wonder then that Heritage Distilling is enjoying such good success.

Shelter Point Distilling, Vancouver Island, Canada: Have a look at the website for this craft distiller and in particular, look at the short video that tells their story. This is a touching tale of getting in touch with nature, growing barley and using it to craft a distilled spirit. This is what the consumer can emotionally connect with.

At Prohibition University, we stand ready to work with you to help you finesse your marketing story and get your craft distilling venture off to a roaring start. Give us a call. We would love to hear from you.