
Distillery Workshops
2-DAY INTRODUCTION TO DISTILLING COURSE AND WORKSHOP
The two-day introductory course covers the beginnings of commercial distilling logistics from building codes to regulations through sales and distribution, which is followed by a hands-on workshop that covers commercial production from top to bottom.
Introduction to Distilling Day 1: Distillation
Pre-Production
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Water quality, water testing, and pH adjustments
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Grain mashes and sugar washes
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Enzymes, yeast, and infusions
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Record keeping and data management
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Malting vs. cereal mashing
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Temperature and time management
Distillation
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Types of stills, columns, and infrastructure
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Types of runs, stripping, and proof
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Heads, hearts, and tails
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Whiskey, gin, rum, and vodka runs
Post-Production
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Filtration of vodkas and rums
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Infusion of vodkas and rums
Introduction to Distilling Day 2: Logistics
Commercial Logistics
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Facilities selection, building, and fire codes
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Regulatory jurisdictions, and Federal/State licensing
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Local rules, self-distribution rights, and tasting rooms
Marketing
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Developing a budget, pricing and promoting your spirits
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Defining your market, reaching your market
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On-premise and off-premise, promotions and product placement
Sales & Distribution
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Supplier responsibility, distributor expectations
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Distribution types, selection, forms, and channels
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Contract, franchise, and control states
This workshop will be led by Mitch Abate, Head Distiller at Down Slope Distilling in Colorado and Dr. Kallie Stavros from Falls Church Distillers.
Accommodations will be available at the Hilton Garden Inn - 706 W Broad St, Falls Church, VA 22046