How to start building a distillery

Opening a distillery is a dream shared by more and more people, but it's not something you should take lightly or unprepared for. There are a lot of questions you need to ask and need to know the answers to before you drop a ton of cash into a property and a bunch of equipment. This article won't tell you everything you need to know to start a distillery and launch a brand (we'll need several books to do that), but it should at least give you a solid starting point on how to start your research.

Basic settings

If you're serious about your dreams, you're going to need some basic equipment. When we say basic, we mean it. This is pretty much the bare minimum, so depending on what you're extracting, how much you want to produce, and what your process requires, you may need to adjust this list.

Source of water

Alcohol cannot be made without water. Distillation is essentially a process of adding and subtracting it throughout the production process, so you need a good source of water for your still.

Fermentation tank

A fermentation tank is a large vessel in which you ferment grains, yeast, and water slurry. Basically, yeast eats sugar and produces alcohol in the process. After a few days (depending on your process) you will run the rest through the still.

DEGONG 1000L fermentation tanks

A still

This should go without saying, but in the interest of being thorough-ish, you’re going to need a still to actually make drinkable alcohol. Shocker, right?

It also might not hurt to have drains in your floors to process waste. Trust us when we say you can never have too many!

DEGONG 500L copper still

FAQS

The two main questions you’ll need to answer before you get started are 1) What are you going to make and 2) How much of it do you want to produce?

You won’t even be able to start looking at a building without knowing the answer to those two questions. Everything in your distillery will be based off of those two factors. And “everything” and “as much as possible” aren’t acceptable answers. Do some research so you can define your market and know what that market will support. A business plan is a must.

Of course, we’ve been asked what it takes to open a distillery countless times and usually there are follow up questions, so we’re going to go ahead and answer some of the most common:

How much does a distillery cost?

Distilleries, like cars, come in all shapes and sizes. Do you want a luxury sports car with all the bells and whistles, or a used van? The cost difference between the two options is huge, as do the distilleries. The cost will depend on a variety of factors. In our experience, we've found that it always costs more than you initially thought, but lock in as many details as possible in your research before you start investing! - will make a difference.

Don't forget the brand

There are a lot of things that people overlook, but one of the big ones is the branding. A lot of people think that after you make a good product that people will be beating down the doors to get it. And that is not the case. You’ll need good packaging and branding to stand up, and out from, your competition. And also think of who is going to be out selling the brand. If you have a distiller that is short on words and doesn’t like to talk to crowds, that’s probably not going to be the person who is out selling your product. So think about who is going to be selling your brand too. Keep in mind, this will be additional cost on top of actually opening the distillery.