Craft Whiskey Continues to Thrive: Takeaways from the ADI's 15th Annual Conference
Above_ a collage of images from the 15th ADI Conference and Expo in Portland_ Oregon
Above, a collage of images from the 15th ADI Conference and Expo in Portland, Oregon.
Read story, by Margarett Waterbury, The Whiskey Wash. Photos by Carl Murray.

Awards/Recognition
Eden Prairie's Flying Dutchman Spirits wins two national awards
The still in the Flying Dutchman distillery was manufactured in Hungary.
Flying Dutchman Spirits recently won silver medals for two of its products in the American Distilling Institute 2018 Judging of Craft Spirits competition.  Read more

Hoosier Spirits Earn Hardware
18th St. Distillery building exterior
Indiana winners from the 2018 Craft Spirits Conference and Vendor Expo that was held in Portland, Oregon include: 18th Street Distillery, Cardinal Spirits, Spirits of French Lick, Starlight Distillery, Three Rivers Distilling Co Read more

Long Road Distillers Honored as One of the 2018 "Michigan 50 Companies to Watch"
Long Road Distillers logo

Long Road Distillers has been recognized as one of the 2018 "Michigan 50 Companies to Watch," an awards program presented by Michigan Celebrates Small Business.
Read more
Also:  Long Road Distillers was awarded eight new honors at the 12th Annual Judging of Craft Spirits...  Read more.
New Awards Announced for Myer Farm Distillers Spirits
Myer Farm Distillers logo

The American Distilling Institute recognized Myer Farm Distillers, in Ovid, N.Y., with eight medals in its 2018 Judging of Craft Spirits competition. 
Read more.

MurLarkey Distilled Spirits wins American Distilling Institute's Prestigious Awards
MurLarkey logo

MurLarkey's certified craft distilled spirit Imagination Gin won a silver medal, while its certified craft blended spirit Heritage Old Country Whiskey won a bronze medal. These add to the company's Gold medal (Divine Clarity Vodka) and 4 Bronze medals awarded to MurLarkey last year More

Seattle whiskey company named best craft distillery in America
Left to right: Vice President Jeff Kanof and co-founders Micah Nutt, Jason Parker.
Two Seattle brewers who started out making pale ales have won one of the top honors in the spirits industry. The American Distilling Institute has anointed Copperworks Distilling Co. the Distillery of the Year, praising not just the quality of their whiskeys but also a "well-conceived" business...  Read more

South Hollow Spirits earns high marks at Denver International Spirits Competition
South Hollow Spirits distillery logo
South Hollow Spirits won the following medals at the Denver International Spirits Competition:
Twenty Boat Spiced Rum - Double Gold; Twenty Boat Amber Rum - Gold; Twenty Boat White Rum - Silver; and Dry Line Gin - Silver.

New Releases,
Events & Milestones
Frederick Craft Spirits Festival 
Frederick Craft Spirits Festival

Featuring over 10 of Maryland's finest distilleries. Sat., April 21  Tickets / info.
Montanya Rum's 10th Anniversary Release + Events
Ten years ago this month, in the tiny Colorado mountain town of Silverton, in an 800 square-foot stone building that was a brothel a hundred years ago, Karen and Brice Hoskin hatched a crazy idea to start a craft rum distillery called Montanya Distillers.
(incl. event details)
New Holland Spirits Announces Texas Distribution 
New Holland Spirits logo
New Holland Spirits  announces spirits distribution in the state of Texas. The Holland, Michigan-based company currently distributes their spirits brands in 21 states across the USA. with the newest territory being Texas.  Read more.
Discount to ADI Members at Indie Spirits Expos in Las Vegas, New York and Chicago 
Independent Spirits Expo logo

Organizers of the Independent Spirits Expo have created a discount for members of ADI.  ADI member distillers/brands should use the code "ADI" to save $100..at any of the following events:   Las Vegas - May 3, 2018
New York City - June 11, 2018
Chicago - October 9, 2018
Falls Church Distillers and Operation Turbo to Co-host Memorial Day Distillers Festival 
Memorial Day Distillers Festival

Falls Church Distillers and Operation Turbo will co-produce the Memorial Day Distiller's Festival, on Saturday, May 26th in Falls Church, Virginia.
More info.
Distillers: want to be in a Whiskey Book?
American Whiskey Book Questionnaire

Justin Koury of BevFluence, is seeking distillers' profiles, cocktail and culinary recipes, histories and samples. Contact Justin or simply fill out the google survey in order to be  included in the book.
Google survey link

Victoria Caledonian Distillery launches Contract Manufacture Services and Private Label Whiskey Production 

Victoria, Canada, March 26th, 2018. Victoria Caledonian Distillery & Twa Dogs Brewery (Vic. Caledonian) is pleased to announce the launch of its CMO services...    Read more.
Rule-Breaking Craft Distillery Takes Over Nob Hill [SF] Hotel Bar
bar at Stanford Court hotel in San Francisco
Seven Stills is checking into the Stanford Court Hotel... Read more
New Riff's Barrel Warehouse Campus Sneak Peek Tour sells out 
construction on barrel warehouse at New Riff distilling
Barrel warehouses capable of holding over 20,000 barrels of whiskey, take in the angels share, see the turn of the century architecture that will be home to our future bottling hall and tasting rooms... Read more
Pig out at Willie's Distillery, MT 
mash dump
Spring doesn't necessarily mean things thaw out here in Ennis [Montana], but that's when things start heating up here at the distillery. Ever wonder where our spent grains go? Read more
TTB News
Registration is open for TTB Trade Practice Seminars 
Are you concerned that you may be operating in violation of the "tied-house" rules? Should you be? 
San Francisco, CA - May 9
Chicago, IL - June 13
Boston, Massachusetts - July 18

New DSP Permits issued 
New DSP permits issued as of 1 April  2018.
New Distilled Spirits Plant permits issued as of April 1, 2018.   Enlarge/more info

ADI map of distilleries 
on Distilling.com
Map of distilleries.
Be sure that your distillery is listed; if not,  add your distillery here.

Winter issue of Distiller magazine on newsstands
Distiller magazine_ Winter 2017_2018

Distiller is available at 400 retail locations including Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, and various newsstands. Contact us for copies for your tasting room or gift shop.
Join ADI to receive Distiller for free!

ADI's Certification Program now has 2,812 spirits listed!

View the stats here.
Apply today  and join the 578 micro-distilleries who are truly  craft.
Craft Maltsters Guild logo

Thank you for making the 15th Annual Craft Spirits Conference & Expo another success! 
Sellers manufacturing booth at 2018 Vendor Expo
The 2018 American Distilling Institute's Annual Craft Spirits
Conference and Vendor Expo was held in Portland, Oregon from March 26-28 at the Oregon Convention Center with yet another record attendance. The week kicked off with the ADI Gin Summit at McMenamin's Edgefield property, followed by the Oregon Distillers' Guild TOAST public tasting event at the Tiffany Center in downtown Portland on Saturday night.

On Monday, our attendees were greeted by a welcome tasting hosted by more than 25 members of the Oregon Distillers' Guild, and 75 "spirited" women participated in the third annual Women's Summit. The ADI Conference included more than 70 educational sessions, tastings and hands-on workshops, plus lively get-togethers with our vendors (more than 160 vendors on the Expo floor) on Tuesday afternoon before the Awards Gala and Wednesday morning. The 2018 Awards Gala for ADI's Annual Judging of Craft Spirits was held at the Convention Center Ballroom in front of 650 people, where Marty Duffy of Glencairn announced our 2019 destination, in true Oscars-style.

We look forward to seeing you in  Denver in March 2019 !

Colorado Spirits Trail - Now Open: Watch Video
image from Colorado Spirits Trail promo video
The trail is quite extensive with 52 distilleries statewide and focuses on a wide range of spirits from Breckenridge Bourbon to Montanya Rum in Crested Butte, to State-38 vodka made from agave in Golden, Colorado.

Join ADI in Denver in 2019  for the  16th Annual Craft Spirits Conference & Expo on  March 16-19, 2019

Kentucky Lawmakers Pass Bill to Allow Direct to Consumer Shipments of Bourbon  B Distillery Trail
graphic showing states allowing direct shipment of distilled spirits.
Six states and the District of Columbia allow the direct shipment of distilled spirits. With the addition of one more signature, we can soon add one more state to that list, Kentucky. Ironically, the state that produces 95% of the world's bourbon and is home to the city known as the "Bourbon Capital of the World" cannot ship distilled spirits outside of its borders until now.

The Kentucky Distillers' Association in partnership with state legislatures just passed House Bill 400 that will soon change all that. Read more.

How to Avoid Pay-to-Play Violations
The TTB has increased its enforcement budget - here's what you need to know
to stay in the clear.
 B y Ryan Malkin, SevenFifty Daily
illustration
"If you swipe your credit card for $2,000, I'll put you on our menu right now," said the bar manager at a high-volume bar and restaurant. Sitting at the bar, listening to sales pitches from suppliers and wholesalers, you occasionally overhear proposals like this one. Read more.

Rep. Wool needs to rethink stance on craft distilleries
By Brandon Howard, co-founder of Amalga Distillery
Brandon brings in the first batch of Juneauper Gin.
FAIRBANKS - Rep. Adam Wool does well in pointing out the original intent of the three-tier system. The system was built to prevent monopolies in which large beverage companies controlled all aspects of the alcohol business, smothering opportunity for competition, opportunity for smaller brewers and impacting consumer prices and choices. Now, nearly 90 years later, times have changed significantly. 

In an age of acquisitions, one whiskey distiller is thrilled to be an indie again  by Tony Sachs, The Whiskey Wash

While we American whiskey drinkers are enjoying a golden age for craft distilleries, craft distillers are enjoying a golden age of acquisition. High West, Smooth Ambler, and Westland are just a few... Read more.

Louisiana agriculture spurs spirited growth
in distilleries 
by Nora McGunnigle, Know Louisiana
Reiniel Vicente_ Trey Litel_ and Jeff Murphy of Louisiana Spirits.
Reined Vicente, Trey Litel, and Jeff Murphy of Louisiana Spirits.

The lush deltas and fertile farmland of Louisiana support a rich variety of agricultural products. Rice, citrus, sweet potatoes, hot peppers, seafood, and sugarcane have all made indelible impressions on Louisiana's history and economy over the past two hundred years. Now, a new... Read more.

The Pennsylvania Rye Revival 
by Richard Thomas, The Whiskey Reviewer

Rye whiskey from Pennsylvania.
The meteoric rise of craft whiskey distilling in America has yielded many fruits, and among the most talked about have been the spirit of innovation and (recently) the emergence of American single malts. While... Read more.

Craft cocktail scene blossoms under watchful eye of Utah's liquor laws  by Charlie Friedmann, The Globe and Mail

The Salt Lake City skyline at night.
...About 60 per cent of Utah's population identifies as Mormon, and the church's enormous influence on the political sphere has long led to tough liquor laws. Until last summer, the so-called Zion Curtain law even forced restaurants to install opaque glass partitions at their bars to block the view of alcoholic drinks being mixed and poured. Today, state laws still control the amount of alcohol in certain drinks: Cocktails can technically only have 2.5 ounces... Read more.

Floor Malting Gives Distillers a Direct Connection to Whiskey History  by Margarett Waterbury, The Whiskey Wash
sprouted barley
Heritage is important in the spirits industry, and few practices loom larger in the historic consciousness of the whiskey industry than floor malting. This hands-on process uses nothing but water, muscle, and a kiln to transform raw barley grain into the sweet, nutty malt that makes single malt whisky possible... Read more.

  Bill's Corner   Miscellany from  ADI Founder/President, Bill Owens
Signs of Peace in Portland 
Christy Howery and Natasha Nieves-Gonzalez holding (Conference Director) Anne-Sophie Whitehead's Golden Hand Award.
Conference Director Anne-Sophie Whitehead receiving award of service from ADI President Bill Owens
Conference Director Anne-Sophie Whitehead receiving award of service from ADI President Bill Owens


to our Title & Platinum Sponsors:

 

Allied Beverage Tanks

American Beer Equipment logo
American Spirits Exchange
Big Sky Packaging logo
2017 Bruni Glass logo CIE logo DYE logo

Fisher _ Company logo
Fort Dearborn Glencairn Crystal logo Great Western Malting logo
ISC logo Labrenta logo Lallemand Biofuels and Distilled Spirits logo MGP logo

SaverGlass logo Sellers manufacturing logo
verallia logo
Neenah Packaging advertisement