What is a Craft Distillery?

Craft brewery has many meanings, depending on who you ask. The Craft Spirits Association of America defines a craft distillery as "a distillery that values the importance of transparency in distillation and maintains a positive attitude in the use of its ingredients, the location and process of distillation, the location and process of bottling, and the aging process."

The American Distilling Association defines craft spirits as "the product of an independent distillery whose product is physically distilled and bottled on-site, with annual sales of up to 100,000 standard gallons."

In general, this small-batch focus allows distilleries like ours to focus on the quality of ingredients and distillation methods, while supporting the communities in which we live.

The history of craft distillation

Craft distillation dates back centuries to the first spirits making. However, when distillation technology came to the United States, large distilleries took over and began mass-producing bourbon and whiskey. In response to these mass-produced spirits, the craft wine industry emerged.

The craft distillation industry in the United States has grown rapidly over the past few decades. There are now more than 2,000 micro or craft breweries in the United States. Each winery has its own unique story to tell, its own unique craftsmanship and spirit, and its unique connection to the surrounding community.

The same is true for DEGONG. We care about the communities we support as much as the spirit stills we create. We don't just make distillation equipment, we make a difference.

DEGONG craft alcohol distillation equipment

Now that you've ordered your distillation equipment, and you're making plans and starting to develop your production schedule, the only thing you may be thinking about is when is the best time to distill your alcohol. The short answer to this question is that the best time to drink alcohol is the best time to drink still alcohol! Between mashing, bottling, selling, marketing, and organizing your books, finding the time to do it all can be a challenge, so the "best" time will vary from operation to operation. There is no hard and fast rule about when is the best time, so use your best judgment and use different schedules to see what works best for your operations.

One thing to consider is any special consideration based on limited release or seasonal products. Certain botanicals or other produce may have a peak season that you will want to take advantage of to create unique products. You may need extra fermenting capacity to really take advantage of high season seasonal produce. This raises a good question: Do you have enough mashing and fermentation capacity to supply your distillation equipment during normal seasons? If you can't produce enough wash to feed your alcohol, keeping it running efficiently can be a little difficult. Everything has to work together to be an efficient process, you can't rush a fermentation process, like an aging process, so making sure you know where your bottlenecks are to help you plan accordingly.

Cheers!