Yuval Hargil at the Jullius Distillery. Dan Perez photo.
Distinctive gin from foraged ingredients emerges from Israel's first craft distillery
by Ronit Vered,  Haaretz Newspaper in Israel.  Juniper berries from Mount Meron, leaves of the mastic tree, wild carrots and citron peels are just a few of the botanicals in a new Galilean gin.   Read story.
 

News from ADI
2017 ADI Conference
& Vendor Expo
April 3-6, 2017
Baltimore, MD
ADI Conference and Vendor Expo
2017 Judging 
of Craft Spirits
Registration deadline for
US Spirits: January 27, 2017

Spirits must be received by:
February 2, 2017

Click here to view
Judges' bios.

Distillers' Resource Directory: is your listing  up-to-date?
Jan. 27th deadline 

The ADI Directory has become the essential resource for distillers in finding supplies.
 
Join ADI to receive it  free!
To update your listing for our 2017 Directory, click here.
New 2017 ADI membership logos  
ADI Member logo

ADI Members: click here to access your new 2017 ADI membership logos for you to include on your websites, print collateral materials, etc. Two high resolution formats: jpg and png.

Events
Save the date:
Gin Summit
April 1-2, 2017
Washington, D.C. 
Join ADI at the Gin Summit prior to the Annual Conference and Expo Register.

Bavarian-Holstein workshop dates set
Bavarian-Holstein The LA Distillery
The next workshop, our Distillery 101, will be held on February 13-14th. The number of seats is limited, so please call (310) 228-0905 
to register.  More info.
Moonshine University lists 2017 courses
Distilled Spirits Epicenter
Course schedules/ More info.
Awards/Recognition
Bayou Rum Distillery named Best Large-scale Visitor Center  by Drinks International
Bayou Rum logo
Louisiana landmark receives prestigious recognition in
2017 International Distillery Experience Challenge. 
Read more
Four craft spirits brands 
to watch for in 2017
copper stills
Our [MyNorthwest.com] picks for top craft spirits reflect each brand's product innovation, recognition within the craft industry, room for growth in the market, ability to scale to meet increased demand and unique or interesting products or business models.  Read more
Marble Distilling Co. wins international Master Medal for green initiatives
Marble Distilling Co.
The Global Spirits Masters series produced by UK-based The Spirits Business has created the Global Distillery Masters to celebrate the achievements and innovations of the distilleries themselves, beyond their spirits.  Read more
New Releases
Jos. A. Magnus & Co. releases their Limited Edition Reserve Bourbon at $1000 a bottle
J.A. Magnus Reserve
J.A. Magnus Reserve offers a truly remarkable experience for those who seek to possess rare bourbon. Only 192 bottles were made.  Read more
Dark rum
Blackwater Distilling introduces Picaroon
Dark Rum

Picaroon Maryland Rum, is distilled from unadulterated sugar cane syrup--nothing added, nothing removed, unlike many rums which begin with blackstrap...  Read more
Detroit Still Works - Hot Rod video
Detroit Stillworks introduces the Hot Rod

The Hot Rod - the only still that can grow with your brands. Detroit Steelworks' hand built high performance distillation equipment that helps you succeed.   Watch video.
Distilling Biz
Assistance for industry members impacted by recent storms
TTB logo
TTB recognizes that the devastation caused by recent storms, flooding, and other related events in California, may have affected industry members' operations. As a result, they may not be able to timely file excise tax returns or timely pay or deposit the excise taxes administered by TTB, as required by the Internal Revenue Code. TTB will consider waiving late filing, payment, or deposit penalties on a case-by case basis. Read more.
Drinky.ca logo
Drinky.CA looking to expand to US market 

Drinky.ca, a site to browse for, discover and purchase unique and unlisted alcoholic beverages in Canada.  More info.
Cocktail Recipes
Corbin Cash Sweet Potato Liqueur
Killer winter cocktails with Sweet Potato Liqueur
by Carey Jones and John D. McCarthy, Food and Wine.com

The smell of sweet potatoes always makes us think of winter - so when you're looking for winter cocktails, a sweet potato liqueur would fit right in. The unusual Corbin Cash Sweet Potato Liqueur...  Read more.
ADI's Certification Program now has 2,207 spirits listed!

View the stats here.
Apply today  and join the 443 micro-distilleries who are truly  craft.
Connect With Us
Pining for a cozy winter drink? 
Try evergreen liqueur
by Tove K. Danovich, NPR
Colorado-based Dram Apothecary makes an evergreen syrup from local trees that can be used for both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.
Colorado-based Dram Apothecary makes an evergreen syrup from local trees 
 that can be used for both alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverages.

Though the great outdoors becomes more inhospitable when winter winds rise and temperatures drop, there's nothing like wandering through an evergreen forest as snow squeaks underfoot. And once people have trudged stiffly back inside, they can keep those forests with them by imbibing one of the world's many pine liqueurs.

These liqueurs have been a longtime fixture in European hotels and ski lodges. Under the umbrella of "schnapps" (essentially any strong, clear alcoholic drink with little resemblance to the sweetened stuff marketed as schnapps in the United States), Austrians have been brewing their own pine-flavored varieties for generations. Yet it wasn't until the early 2000s that these evergreen spirits finally made their way to America - 2005, in particular, seems to be... 
Read more.

 
The distillery boom is exploding
on the streets of New Orleans



With New Orleans' well documented attachment to the cocktail, it just makes sense microdistilleries would be the next step in the city's entrepreneurial alcohol industry.

Spirited entrepreneurs are taking a page from the booming brewing industry in the area and creating a fast-growing trend of microdistilleries. New Orleans is perfectly poised to be a powerhouse for both the production and consumption of spirits. We already have the consumption part down, and production is ramping... 
Read more.
 
Father and son starting Over-the-Rhine distillery 
by  Andy Brownfield, Cincinnati Business Courier

Mike and John Funcheon are opening Stadt Distilling in Over-the-Rhine.

A father-son team is turning a passion for homebrewing and distilled spirits into a new venture in Over-the-Rhine ["the heart of Cincinnati's locavore movement and one of the city's largest tourist destinations"].

Mike and John Funcheon plan to open Stadt Distilling in Over-the-Rhine by fall of this year. They haven't selected a final location - three are in contention - but are firm that the neighborhood is where they want to locate their distillery. "Many Cincinnatians are aware of the brewing heritage of the city, but what people might not be aware of is there were at any given year more distilleries operating out of Cincinnati than breweries. Largely they were German-... 
Read more.
 
Surrey's Central City distills first single malt whisky
by David P. Ball, Metro News Canada

Central City Brewers and Distillers brewmaster Gary Lohin _left_ joined forces with the Surrey craft company_s head distiller Stuart McKinnon.
Central City Brewers and Distillers brewmaster Gary Lohin, left, joined forces with the Surrey craft company's head distiller Stuart McKinnon in their Whalley facility.

When Central City Brewers built its Surrey beer-making facility in 2013, its brewmaster predicted the public's appetite for small-batch craft beverages wouldn't just be "hoppy" - but that craft alcohol's future in B.C. might also taste a bit more "peaty" too.
Award-winning brewer Gary Lohin looked south to the U.S., home of North America's craft brewing surge, and saw that local spirits were also taking off apace with their hoppy cousins.
"We knew it would only be a matter of time before it came to Canada," he told Metro in a phone interview. "We had the opportunity to design a distillery into our brewery, it was a... 
Read more.
 
State of the states: 2016 banner 
year  for DTC shipping
  by Erin Kirschenmann, Wine Business.com

The direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping business is booming, and 2016 proved to be one for the record books. The latest Sovos ShipCompliant /Wines & Vines DTC shipping data showed that both value and volume of wine shipped across the country soared: Volume rose 17.1 percent to reach more than 5 million cases and the value of those cases increased by 18.5 percent, worth nearly $2.33 billion. Read more.  

Editor's Note:  don't miss the presentation by John Henry, Owner, 
El Buho Mescal at the ADI Conference this April in Baltimore:  Direct Shipping: the Do's, the Don'ts and the Future.  More.

 
WA Lawmakers look to loosen sales restrictions 
for craft distilleries, wineries
  by Mike Richards, The Lens news
Westland Distillery barrels

A bipartisan group of Washington state lawmakers is aiming to lessen barriers to sales growth for Washington's wine and spirits industry. Two new bills, to be heard Thursday January 12 in the House Commerce and Gaming Committee, would benefit boutique wine and beer sellers, craft distilleries, and wineries. However, some stakeholders say one of the bills accents a divide between craft distillers and non-craft, or general-licensed distilleries. Read more.  

 
Newly formed CT Spirits Guild and Trail
by Elliott Davis, Mine Hill Distillery

CT Spirits Trail map

In 2016, Connecticut craft distilleries formed a Spirits Guild and launched a Spirits Trail to promote their individual businesses as well as the craft movement in general. There are now 10 distilleries in the state, from the first, farm based Westford Hills Distillers in Ashford, to the newest, Mine Hill Distillery that has restored a 19th-century landmark property in Roxbury. 

Producers are making classic vodka, gin and aged whiskeys, as well as moonshine, eau de vies and flavored liqueurs. Most are centered around Hartford, while others are located in beautiful New England villages. The Spirit Trail is emulating the successful wine and beer trails and the owners believe a rising tide will lift all boats. The Spirits Guild is lobbying for more flexible tasting room regulations that would allow more bottle sales, tasting cocktails and other measures that would level the playing field with CT wineries and breweries or with surrounding states that have supported the growth of craft distilleries. 2017 looks to be a banner year.  More info.
 
Distillery 291 expands with two Louisiana 
cypress fermentation vessels 

Distillery 291 expands with two Louisiana Cypress fermentation vessels

Distillery 291 enters its first phase of distilling expansion this year with the addition of two 1500 gallon Louisiana cypress fermentation vessels. 291 is currently using two 750 gallon stainless steel vessels for its fermentation and the addition of the cypress vessels will triple the fermentation capacity of the distillery.

"We are growing at a rapid pace, and when looking into fermentation options, we knew we needed to choose cypress. Louisiana cypress is a renewable resource, traditional for making whiskey, and it resists rot and fungus. Stainless steel is a fine option for distilling... 
Read more.
 

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