Welcome to the 276th issue of Craft Spirits Weekly. This newsletter is dedicated to bringing ACSA members the news most important to the craft spirits distiller. Check your inbox every Thursday to find a curated selection of articles and news pieces from CRAFT SPIRITS magazine and the American Craft Spirits Association.
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Register for the 9th Annual Distillers' Convention and Vendor Trade Show |
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Our 9th Annual Distillers' Convention and Vendor Trade Show is less than two months away! ACSA is planning a stellar convention with three-plus days in New Orleans, where you will gain from tailored educational content from subject matter experts and be given opportunities to mix and mingle with suppliers and friends in our craft spirits community!
Visit our website to see the full convention schedule; learn more about pre-convention education; sign up for distillery tours; book your hotel room; and download our app.
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STEPUP Foundation Now Accepting New Applications |
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The STEPUP Foundation is now accepting applications for 2023 interns, mentors, DSPs, and wholesalers from June 1 through Sept. 1, 2022.
STEPUP stands for Spirits Training Entrepreneurship Program for Underrepresented Professionals and its purpose is to increase talent through the facilitation of workplace diversity. Specifically, STEPUP, working with distilleries and wholesalers throughout the United States, provides a comprehensive, hands-on training program with a living stipend and provides job exposure for those of different races, color, national origins, genders and sexual orientations.
Eligible mentors will have passion, willingness and time to guide and coach the intern throughout the internship. They must have experience in the hospitality industry, but no previous mentorship experience is required.
DSPs and wholesalers will help train and expose interns to learning the spirits business. It requires a time commitment of 8-12 weeks, dedication, and willingness to guide interns through how a spirits business runs from front to back end of operations, sales and marketing, finances, and distributorship. Curriculum and materials will be provided.
We encourage all to apply to this unique and life-changing internship program!
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Milam & Greene Releases The Castle Hill Series Batch Two |
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Milam & Greene Whiskey of Blanco, Texas, is introducing The Castle Hill Series Batch Two, the second release of its limited-edition batch of 13-year-old hand-selected straight bourbon whiskies bottled at barrel proof. (CraftSpiritsMag.com)
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Answer Our One-Question Survey on Inconsistencies in Permitting |
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The American Craft Spirits Association is reviewing the application of TTB regulations regarding the location, occupancy and design of tasting rooms in relation to the permitted facilities of DSPs. Please answer our one-question survey to let us know of any issues or inconsistencies you may have faced in either the permitting or ongoing use of your facilities.
For example, it is generally accepted there must be a barrier between a tasting room and DSP premises. In some cases TTB has required a solid, complete and permanent wall. In some cases less permanent barriers have been allowed. And in one case, a permittee was told they could not have a door between the two.
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Register Now for the 2022 ACSA/DISCUS Public Policy Conference |
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We are excited to announce that registration for the 2022 ACSA/DISCUS Public Policy Conference is now open! This virtual conference is an opportunity to make your voice heard on the issues most impacting your distillery! We’re looking forward to joining the best and the brightest from the distilled spirits sector to meet virtually with lawmakers and advocate on the issues impacting distilleries across the country.
On Tuesday, September 20, join us for a legislative issues overview and state delegation meetings to prepare for Congressional meetings.
On Wednesday, September 21, we will meet virtually with officials from Capitol Hill and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau before setting off for virtual Congressional meetings. We will close the conference with a virtual closing toast—offering the chance to connect with one another and raise a glass with industry luminaries.
We hope you’ll join us virtually on September 20-21, 2022.
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Chemist Spirits Shines as Official Gin of the 49th Daytime Emmy Awards |
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Nominees attending the 49th Daytime Emmy Awards will celebrate one of the industry’s biggest nights on June 24, in Los Angeles with handcrafted gin from Chemist Spirits, an artisan distillery located in the heart of downtown Asheville, North Carolina. (CraftSpiritsMag.com)
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Laws to Release Bottled in Bond Centennial Straight Wheat Whiskey |
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Denver-based Laws Whiskey House announces the fourth release of its Bottled in Bond Centennial Straight Wheat Whiskey, available in key markets starting June 1. (CraftSpiritsMag.com)
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Bear Fight Single Malt Whiskey Launches |
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Next Century Spirits (NCS)—a Raleigh, North Carolina-based full-service distilled spirits company—has launched Bear Fight American Single Malt Whiskey with an online national rollout across Reserve Bar and ForWhiskeyLovers.com. (CraftSpiritsMag.com)
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Register for a Free, In-Person Course on Fire Protection and Prevention |
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Seeing a gap in industry-specific training, the American Craft Spirits Association applied for and was awarded a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Susan Harwood Training Grant. ACSA’s Capacity Building Pilot Program grant aims to educate the craft spirits industry at large on fire protection and prevention.
Based on member feedback, ACSA is using OSHA grant funds to create a one-day, in-person course on fire protection and prevention, customized to address the needs of craft distillers, and presented by Industrial Safety and Training Services on Aug. 31 at Watershed Distillery in Columbus, Ohio.
The class will be free of charge for members and non-members alike, because we believe there should be no barrier to safety in this industry. As a requirement of the grant, all materials for the course will be submitted to OSHA for approval, so attendees can be assured that the course will not only be scaled to craft distilleries, but also compliant with federal OSHA requirements. While ACSA plans to expand this training program to reach distillers where they are, this inaugural class is limited to 40 attendees (per the grant’s requirements) and only a few spots remain.
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Wonderbird Spirits of Taylor, Mississippi, has expanded distribution to Georgia.(CraftSpiritsMag.com)
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Provi and SevenFifty Complete Integration |
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Provi, a Chicago-based B2B e-commerce marketplace in the beverage alcohol industry, announced it has completed the first phase of integration between Provi and SevenFifty for its new expanded marketplace. (CraftSpiritsMag.com)
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O’Neill Vintners & Distillers Creates Vodka Brand to Benefit Ukraine |
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Family-owned O’Neill Vintners & Distillers of Larkspur, California, announced the introduction of Saint Javelin Vodka, a new premium vodka that will go on sale in mid-August, to support Ukrainian relief efforts and help rebuild a country and people brought down by a horrific war. (CraftSpiritsMag.com)
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Wyoming Whiskey Releases National Parks No. 2 to Benefit Yellowstone |
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Wyoming Whiskey of Kirby, Wyoming, announces the release of its limited edition National Parks No. 2 straight bourbon whiskey in tandem with the brand’s continuing partnership with Yellowstone Forever, the official nonprofit partner of Yellowstone National Park. (CraftSpiritsMag.com)
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Crack Open the May/June Issue of CRAFT SPIRITS Magazine
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The May/June issue of CRAFT SPIRITS magazine is here, and our cover story examines the skyrocketing popularity of spirits-based ready-to-drink cocktails. This issue also features stories about creative packaging, smart branding, e-commerce solutions and more!
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Join Us In The V.I.P. Lounge and Hang Out with Lisa Laird Dunn |
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Our V.I.P. Lounge members receive each issue of CRAFT SPIRITS magazine one week early, and our $40- and $60-per-year supporters are invited to join craft spirits icons for virtual happy hours. To unlock additional bonuses, like a set of CRAFT SPIRITS-branded Glencairn glasses, join us in the V.I.P. Lounge today.
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Send News to CRAFT SPIRITS Magazine
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Do you have exciting stories to share about your distillery? Keep us posted on new products, events, trends, tips and more by sending us a note at news@americancraftspirits.org.
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ACSA Starts Facebook Group for Voting Members |
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In an effort to use the platforms that you most often use, ACSA started a private Facebook group for voting members only (open to all employees of member DSPs). The group will be an environment to not only ask questions without judgement, but to provide input and feedback to colleagues based upon members’ experiences and best practices. If you would like to be added to the group, please send an email to carason@americancraftspirits.org.
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The ACSA PAC Needs Your Support |
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ACSA’s public policy advocacy on behalf of its members is critical to making sure our community’s voice is heard on Capitol Hill and in state legislatures. A crucial piece of this strategy is a strong Political Action Committee (PAC) and to maintain this presence, we need your support, particularly during a mid-term election year.
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The American Craft Spirits Association is the only national registered nonprofit trade association representing the U.S. craft spirits industry. Its mission is to elevate and advocate for the community of craft spirits producers, and membership in ACSA is open to anyone.
ACSA is governed by a Board of Directors elected by the eligible voting members of the Association. Voting members must be independent licensed distillers (DSPs) annually removing fewer than 750,000 proof gallons from bond (the amount on which a Federal Excise Tax is paid.)
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ACSA would like to thank all of our annual sponsors and our key supporters of education. We are grateful for all of your support throughout the year. Cheers! |
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