Craft Spirits Weekly
Welcome to the 38th issue of Craft Spirits Weekly, a service dedicated to bringing you 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 the American Craft Spirits Association.
Call for Entries: ACSA Craft Spirits Competition
The American Craft Spirits Association is calling on all craft producers to enter their spirits to be considered for gold, silver, and bronze medals in ACSA's annual competition. Judges have been selected and will convene at District Distilling Co. in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 7 and 8. Enter by Sept. 30 for the Early Bird rate of $200 per spirit for ACSA members and $300 per spirit for non-members. After Sept. 30 the member rate rises to $250 per spirit and the non-member rate increases to $350 per spirit. Winners will be announced during the ACSA Distillers Convention & Vendor Trade Show in Pittsburgh, Pa., March 5-6, 2018.
Stillhouse Creek Teams with Musician Zac Brown, Now Z. Brown Distillery
The nearly year-old Stillhouse Creek Distillery in Dahlonega, Ga. has rebranded to Z. Brown Distillery in what it is calling a “strategic alliance” with the Grammy-winning Zac Brown of the Zac Brown Band. The distillery, located in Brown’s hometown, is slated to re-open sometime this fall. (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)  
Northwest Distillers Embrace Eaux de Vie
In towns throughout Europe, making fruit brandies is a vibrant part of life. In the Northwest, Portland’s Clear Creek Distillery has made early inroads with its pear and other fruit brandies. But this style of brandy is now being made in Washington state as well, with distillers starting with the state fruit, the apple. (Seattle Magazine)
Alaska Cracks Down on Tasting Room Cocktails
Martinis are extra dry today in Alaska’s distillery tasting rooms, and all cocktails may soon go off the menu based on a new interpretation of the 2014 law that legalized tasting rooms. On Wednesday while meeting in Nome, Alaska’s Alcoholic Beverage Control Board affirmed a new analysis of tasting room rules. The ruling affects Alaska’s nine distilleries, including four in the Interior. (Daily News-Miner)
Conecuh Ridge Distillery to Build $13.5M Troy, Alabama Distillery
Conecuh Ridge Distillery plans to build a $13.5 million artisan distillery, rack houses, and a bottling hub in Troy, Ala. The makers of Clyde May craft whiskey also plan a "tasting experience center" for tourists, and will employ 50 within five years, according to an announcement from the Alabama Department of Commerce. (AL.com) 
Virginia's Copper and Oak to Open Next Month
It’s been around three years since Skyler Pittman first ventured into opening his own distillery. And now that he’s getting closer to opening in mid-October, Pittman said he hopes he won’t cry when the doors are finally opened. It will be a change of scenery for the Portsmouth, Va. resident and owner of Copper and Oak Craft Spirits. (Inside Business)
Still Austin Whiskey Co. Opens Saturday
Still Austin Whiskey Co . , Austin proper's first whiskey distillery since Prohibition, is opening on Saturday, Sept. 23 within the Yard, the growing mixed-used warehouse development on St. Elmo Road. Along with the liquor production, the space will include a tasting room with sips and cocktails, whiskey garden, and tours of the property. (Eater Austin)
New Book Showcases Distilleries' Feline Muses
“Cooper” roams the storage areas and tasting room at Albany Distilling Co. in New York’s state capital. He's just one of the Upstate New York representatives in a new book called “Distillery Cats.” The book, subtitled “Profiles in Courage of the World’s Most Spirited Mousers,” tells the tails, or tales, of felines at 30 distilleries (and a few breweries) across the United States. (NewYorkUpstate.com)
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