The biggest difference between a micro-distillery and a micro-brewery, besides what they make, is the permit. You can basically open a micro-brewery in your kitchen, but when it comes to distilled spirits the government gets very touchy. Getting ready to file our initial application felt a bit like sitting at base camp getting ready to climb Mount Everest: You can see the peak , but the mere thought of the journey makes you want to weep (full disclosure: I have never climbed Mount Everest). And so it was with a shrug of the shoulders and a shared look of “what do we have to lose” that we mailed off our package of paperwork. Preparing college applications paled in comparison to the blood, sweat, and tears we put into these documents. We could only hope the extra effort paid greater dividends than those personal essays and rosy faculty testimonials. Well I am happy to report that after much hand wringing and restless nights our hard work has paid off; we recently received our state “License to Manufacture Distilled Spirits.” All that remains is the arrival of our equipment and the interior finishing of our space, which means we’re still on target for an official opening later this fall. Hope all are enjoying their summer!!
