SCOPED Award

The local paper in Watkins Glen featured a story about an award we received at the recent SCOPED dinner, the Entrepreneur of the Year Award. I was honored to receive the award and also very surprised since there is so much left to do before we even open the doors. SCOPED is the local economic development agency in Schuyler County - they have been incredibly helpful in getting our business started.

The article can be found here.

Ron White

We just caught Ron White of Blue Collar Comedy Tour Fame at the Clemens Center in Elmira tonight. Ron didn't disappoint and had the sold out crowd laughing hysterically for almost an hour and a half. That's my wife Jenny and me pictured with Ron, below. We put together a little care package from Finger Lakes Distilling that included a sample of our upcoming corn whiskey release and a few FLD-branded cigars. For those of you that haven't seen Mr. White, he likes to indulge in scotch and cigars during his comedy routines. Pretty awesome night.

Thomas Earl's Distilling 101 - Part 3

All spirits - whether they be vodka, gin, whiskey, tequila, rum, etc - come off the still as a clear liquid. This may come as a surprise to a lot of people because they are accustomed to drinking "brown" spirits such as whiskey and brandy. The spirit starts as a clear liquid because regardless of what the raw material is that is distilled, it is vaporized and re-condensed in the still. The color does not carry over in this vaporization.

So where does the spirit pick up its color? In the case of whiskey, brandy, or dark rums, the color comes from time spent in a charred oak barrel. The clear spirit, or white dog, is barrel aged for a period of time that can range from months to decades. While in the barrel, the spirit interacts with the wood picking up new flavor profiles from the tannins and vanillin in the wood.

The spirit also oxidizes and some will be lost to evaporation. This is commonly known as the angel's share.

A home for our whiskey

This past weekend we raised our first barrel rack. It will accommodate 30 barrels and stands at just over 12 feet tall. We are working quickly to get it filled up with a variety of whiskies and brandies.

Still Installation

It's been a pretty incredible week. Last weekend we started uncrating the still which was a major undertaking in and of itself. The actual installation started Tuesday morning under the guidance of our sales person from Bavarian Holstein. Andrea insisted that it wasn't going to be too bad, but I was not looking forward to taking heavy (200+ lb) pieces of copper up 20 ft in the air.

The whole process was exhausting, but proved to be a lot of fun, as well. Everything turned out fine and we tested the still for leaks before the end of the week. Ed and Cindy Atwill at Seneca Springs Resort provided just the hospitality we needed after long days at the distillery.

The equipment really is a piece of art and it looks fantastic in our gable window overlooking Seneca Lake. Take a look at the slide show below to see how it all went together.

The Still arrives

Yesterday was a BIG day. In addition to getting septic approval, our propane tank installed, and water line bored under SR 414, we received a 4,000+ lb shipment. The centerpiece of our operation, our pot still and rectification column, arrived after a long trek from the Holstein factory in Markdorf, Germany.

It was a nerve-wracking day, as we had to pull 2 enormous crates off of a tractor trailer. Our excavation crew from KRP helped us get the largest (8x10x16') crate off. It took almost 6 hours to move the crates from the truck to our building.

We cracked open one of the crates and saw the copper column gleaming. Our next adventure will be erecting the still - hopefully sometime next week. More pics to follow.

Equipment move

We spent the weekend moving tanks and kettles over to the building in anticipation of setting things up over the next week or so. Big day tomorrow, as the still is set to arrive.