The Monthly Mash: June Update

The Monthly Mash

Volume 1.8

Member-Owned, Industry-Driven

ACSA Mission:

To elevate and advocate for the community of craft spirits producers.

From the Desk of Margie A.S. Lehrman, Executive Director

I love the month of June.

It’s that time when concentrated planning begins for ACSA’s hallmark events that bring together some of the best and brightest in the craft spirits community, judging and convention. However, this year brings added opportunities to entice our producers and suppliers to gather NOW to collectively make a difference.

Whether you’re participating in the ACSA Legislative Fly-In, our June webinar with a focus on OSHA, or the newly designed Master Class series where you can improve your skills in fermentation, profitability, or sales, there’s something here for everyone.

Or, maybe you just need a reminder about member benefits.

Keep reading to see how you can continue to be active in ACSA throughout the year. Then, register. Let us continue to inspire so you can grow your business and realize your dream.

Oh…yes…I love June for another reason. Anyone else care to admit you’re a Gemini?

Cheers -

Margie

Craft Spirits Data Project

LAST CHANCE TO BE A PART OF OUR CRAFT SPIRITS DATA PROJECT: PLEASE DON'T LET THIS OPPORTUNITY PASS. SURVEY WILL CLOSE ON JUNE 30TH. CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY [SHOULD TAKE YOU 10 MINUTES TO COMPLETE]!

Do You Want More Capital to Reinvest in Your Distillery?

If so, please join us in Washington D.C. on July 24th and 25th for ACSA’s Legislative Fly-In. Help share your story on how you’d use funds to reinvest in your distillery rather than pay out in taxes.

A Summary of What’s at Stake: On February 2017, Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) re-introduced S. 236, the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act. The bill includes a reduction in the Federal Excise Tax (FET) from $13.50 to $2.70 for the first 100,000 proof gallons of spirits, an 80% reduction in the FET for craft producers. The House also moved forward and re-introduced H.R. 747, a companion bill to the House, with Erik Paulsen (R-MN) and Ron Kind (D-WI) introducing that bill. Currently, there are 45 sponsors in the Senate and close to 226 in the House with bipartisan support in each chamber. Let’s thank those already on the bill and encourage others to join.

Don’t be intimidated if you’ve never lobbied before – no prior experience is needed. We’ll provide any training you might need prior to meeting with your home state Senator or Congressman.

The Fly-In kicks off on Monday, July 24th with a member evening reception at 6:30 pm at one of DC’s newest distilleries: Republic Restoratives. On Tuesday morning we head to Capitol Hill for meetings and briefings at the House and the Senate. We will wind up the day at a Congressional reception where we can toast each other before we head out of town.

Not to be missed: A fundraising luncheon to honor the Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Hon. Kevin Brady (R-TX)--, which will take place on Tuesday, July 25th. We are asking all producers and suppliers to consider making a donation – even if you cannot attend -- to help us achieve our fundraising goal. If you aren’t aware, the Ways and Means Committee is considered the most important committee in Congress in the area of tax policy. Chairman Brady will be a key player in any effort to overhaul tax legislation and we can assist his understanding of why this matters to the small craft spirits producer.

Donate what you can, $1,000, $500 or whatever is appropriate for you. Let’s show our commitment to the cause for FET parity. You can contribute online to Chairman Brady’s campaign at http://bradyforcongress.com/donate (Please notify Tom Mooney, ACSA Fundraising Chair, if you do it this way so we can keep track of the spirits movement in support of Chairman Brady). You can also send your check to Tom Mooney at 65 SE Washington St, Portland, OR, and he will deliver it personally to Rep. Brady’s staff. [ As a reminder, any contribution must come from personal funds and cannot be a corporate check.]

Special Event for State Guild Leaders

Attend the upcoming State Guild Strategy Meeting in Washington, D.C. on July 23rd and 24th. State Guild representatives from across the United States will gather in our nation’s Capital to review, reflect, strategize, and prioritize initiatives to move forward an agenda to strengthen our craft spirits industry.

Accommodations: For your convenience, the American Craft Spirits Association has arranged a block of rooms at Hyatt Place Washington D.C./National Mall. To reserve a room, please call 888.492.8847 and mention ACSA while making your reservation. You can also book online here. Please complete your reservation soon as the discount room rate is only available until July 10th. Hyatt Place Washington D.C./National Mall, 400 E ST NW, Washington, DC 20024.

Contact the ACSA Legislative Committee if you have any questions.

ACSA announces its inaugural Master Class Series, offering advanced industry education designed specifically for you.

Join us for two, four, or six days from August 7-12, 2017 at Metropolitan State University of Denver. This members-only educational offering is divided into three tracks to build your knowledge in marketing, finance, and/or technical (distillation and fermentation) areas to help your distillery succeed.

SCHEDULE

August 7th and 8th: Finance - Two-Day Profit Mastery Course with Steve LeFever

August 9th: Technical - Yeast and Fermentation with Dr. Pat Heist from Ferm Solutions

August 10th: Technical- Barrel Aging and Blending Techniques from the Brandy/Cognac Tradition with Dan Farber, Osocalis Distillery, and a tour and panel session at Leopold Bros.

August 11th : Marketing - “Refreshing your Brand” and “Promoting a Unique Spirit” with Mary Kathryn Lo Conte, The Merz Group, and other marketing material (more information to follow).

August 12th : Marketing - One day seminar on marketing and sales topics with Susan Mooney, Spirits Consulting Group, alongside Matt Baris, Altitude Spirits.

The Series' class size is designed to enhance the profitability of 20 registrants, and to ensure hands-on, participatory learning. You can purchase tickets for one, two, or all three tracks while space is available.

Additional speakers will be announced as details become finalized.

ACCOMMODATIONS

SpringHill Suites Denver at MSU Denver, 1190 Auraria Parkway

For your convenience, the American Craft Spirits Association has arranged a block of rooms at SpringHill Suites Denver at MSU Denver. To reserve your space, please call Marriott reservations at 1.877.249.9279 or SpringHill Suites Denver at MSU Denver directly at 303.705.7300, and mention ACSA while making your reservation. You can also book online by clicking here.

Please complete your reservation prior to July 24th as the discounted room rate of $174 will expire.

Craft Spirits Classroom Presents:

OSHA Citation Patterns for Safety and Health Auditing and the Do's and Don’ts of Report Writing Tickets

OSHA frequently conducts inspections of workplace accidents in which employees are injured and then issues citations. Based on the citations issued by OSHA against other distilleries, the members of ACSA can audit their facilities with the eyes of a compliance officer and detect potential violations and help to prevent accidents. Prevention of injuries is the goal. During inspections, OSHA uses audit reports and incident reports as road maps to find violations and issue citations. This presentation will also review the best way to draft accurate reports and to prevent them from becoming a road map for OSHA.

The target audience for this presentation are safety and health professionals, safety and health auditors, supervisors and managers of facilities that distil spirits.

The key learning objectives are:

1) Improving the safety and health of your workplace by conducting a proactive audit for the violations that have caused injuries in other distilleries in the United States. The key is to prevent the injury and the resulting OSHA inspection, citations and injury related costs.

2) OSHA frequently uses audits and incident investigation reports as road maps to find violations and issues citations. This presentation will review the “Do’s and Don’ts” for writing audit and incident reports so that these reports will accurately describe the incident and the corrective measures and so that the reports can be used as a roadmap for violations.

Who: Mark Dreux, the head of the OSHA Group in Arent Fox's Labor & Employment practice

When: Wed., June 21, 2017, 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM (EST)

(ACSA members email us to request your $20 off code)

ACSA Gives Back

ACSA held its last convention in the vibrant state of Tennessee. While convention attendees were learning, networking, and striking up new friendships, others in another part of the state were trying to put their lives back together. As you may recall, during 2016, East Tennessee was ravaged by several devastating wildfires. These wildfires destroyed communities and structures but locals responded with resilience and a resolve to fight to not just return to status quo but improve on where they were beforehand. During the Tennessee Toast, a tasting event that kicked off our 2017 convention in Nashville, a silent auction was held with proceeds going toward the victims of these wildfires in East Tennessee. We spoke with Trudy Hughes, the Director of Regional Advancement at the East Tennessee Foundation, about how the donations from ACSA and others helped the communities of East Tennessee.

Trudy shared that ETF had provided grants specifically to rebuild housing. She explained that a lot of rental housing units where low income workers had lived were destroyed. Also, many of these areas were at capacity for rental units. Going forward, ETF wants to aid the communities in providing even more housing options by offering grants toward more affordable housing. Also many grants were provided to fire and rescue departments, heroes who responded to these tragedies quickly. ETF collaborated with other organizations, like Volunteer East Tennessee and Mountain Tough, in supporting the affected communities. Trudy explained that a lot of their work wasn't just fixing what had been broken but also helping the community improve and find ways to prepare for the future. ETF talked with other cities and regions around the country that have experienced natural disasters and have had to rebuild their communities. Thanks to all who bid during the Tennessee Toast silent auction.

A Q&A with Your ACSA Team

We asked three members of the ACSA family to answer a few questions about how they started their craft spirits career, what a normal day looks like, and some Netflix recommendations. Read below to find responses from Colton Weinstein, Head Distiller of Corsair Artisan Distiller (TN), Martin Duffy, U.S. Brand Representative for Glencairn Crystal, and Carason Lehmann, ACSA's Executive Assistant.

What is your spirits history? Where did you start and how did you get to where you are now?

Weinstein: "While finishing up my degree in Fermentation Science at Oregon State University, I was lucky enough to be offered an internship at Corsair Distillery. I guess they liked me because they brought me on full-time and I’ve been with them ever since. "

Duffy: " As far as the overall spirits industry goes, my start was as a bartender back in the 1990s. In the mid '90s I started working with various promotional companies on spirits promotions. Two of these companies would eventually lead me down two very different paths within the industry. One company U.S. Concepts (now MKTG) was the promotional arm of Diageo. From there on went on to spend 14 years as a Sr. Master of Whisky for such brands as Johnnie Walker, The Classic Malts, Bulleit Bourbon, Crown Royal Canadian whiskey, George Dickel Tennessee whisky and Bushmills Irish whiskey (I spent 2 years in Dublin as the Diageo Ireland Reserve Brand Ambassador). I left Diageo in 2010, and in 2011 I went to help Dave Schmier with his 3rd annual Indie Spirits Expo in NY and loved it! I convinced Dave to bring the Indie Spirits Expo to Chicago, and have co-produced the event in the Windy City for 7 years years, making it by far one of the largest tasting events in the country and the largest gathering of international independently owned spirits suppliers in the world."

How did you come to work at ACSA?

Lehmann: " Before joining the craft spirits industry, I worked at an entertainment production company in Charleston, SC that films for various networks including HGTV, CNN, MTV, and ESPN. I decided to leave my job, my home state, and the entertainment industry because of my desire to move to Washington, DC. I did not have anything lined up before moving here but was optimistic I’d locate a fun, exciting job. "

Can you describe your work with ACSA?

Weinstein: " A few years ago I started helping out as a steward during the annual spirits judging competition hosted by the ACSA. Watching a competition helped me realize how useful and important it is to have your work professionally judged and critiqued. After that first competition, I jumped in head first and got much more involved—joining the competition committee, volunteering where I could to reach out to potential judges and stewards, and working towards improving our transparency/quality. "

What insights can you share about glassware or proper serving techniques?

Duffy: " One's choice of drinking vessel can be extremely personal, which is fine if it makes the act of drinking an enjoyable one. However, some glasses can heighten the experience by illuminating the rich color & body of a spirit, channeling and enlivening the aromas (which play such a huge part in our sense of taste), and delivering the spirit properly to the lips & palate. As for servings, I know a number of industry folk who once again have their personal preference, so a standard is difficult to peg. Usually, I will ask a bartender for a whiskey neat in a Glencairn glass, with a side of water and a small glass of ice. I like to always try a spirit neat a few times at room temperature, then add just a drop of water or two to open it up. If it feels like it can hold up to a large chunk of ice, I will add that as well. With some whiskies, I prefer to add two or three small ice cubes and let them slowly melt releasing water and revealing levels of flavor with each sip. With a gin, I test it with 50/50 - gin to tonic - just to see if the flavors of the gin hold up for a mixed cocktail."

What is one fun fact about you?

Lehmann: " There are only two foods I couldn't live without and that's cheese and potatoes, preferably together! (and red wine if we are counting drinks)."

What does a typical day in the life of Colton look like?

Weinstein: "Like many of us distillers, a typical day usually consists of trying to juggle the chaos of running mashes, ferments, distillations, barrel warehousing, tastings and bottling, while keeping up with quality control programs, paperwork, and more paperwork all simultaneously. Best job ever!"

What does a typical day in the life of Martin look like?

Duffy: " Because of the nature of my job(s), I don't usually have a typical day. Some days are spent corresponding with distillers looking for glassware, asking advice, or looking for information on the Chicago Independent Spirits Expo (and its sister events in NYC, NOLA & Las Vegas). More often than not, I travel to whiskey/spirit shows around the country & Canada, while also visiting the local distilleries in the region. In any case, I am always doing something.

What are some of your hobbies?

Lehmann: "I enjoy reading books that have been turned into television shows or movies then comparing the two. I just finished reading "Big Little Lies" by Liane Moriarty (two thumbs up) and started "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood. I also play tennis in my spare time, even though I am very rusty. ”

Duffy: " For the past 25 years or so I have been an avid collector of vintage barware (pourers, shakers, bottle openers, etc.) & smoking paraphernalia (old cigarette dispensers & lighter). Whenever I get a chance, I travel."

What is your favorite cocktail and/or spirit?

Lehmann: "I love mango mojitos!"

How have you seen the craft spirits community grow in the past few years?

Duffy: " I am not alone when I say that the growth of the distilling community both in the U.S. and abroad is down right dizzying! There are some people out there making outstanding spirits and pushing the boundaries of what was previously thought acceptable or doable. At the same time I worry that many are getting into the industry without fully understanding all that it takes to open a distillery, create a brand, and then grow it in the marketplace. Back-bars are straining to hold all of the spirits that are currently on the market, and the darker side of Darwin's Theory of Natural Selection will eventually come calling for those that could not develope the ability to compete & survive."

What were some of your highlights from the ACSA Convention in Nashville?

Weinstein: " The highlight for me was hands down the spirits tasting after the awards dinner. Getting to spend a night trying product from all over the country with the people who make it is hard to beat!"

What do you get with your ACSA membership?

ACSA is proud to be 100% member-owned, which means every member of the ACSA community has a voice in the organization. All voting members, qualified licensed distilling members of ACSA, have the privilege of electing our Board of Members. Members also receive discounts for various ACSA programs, like the Craft Spirits Classroom and the Annual Distillers Convention and Vendor Trade Show.

Thanks to our wonderful sponsors, members are also eligible for discounts at Moonshine University and the IWSR. Members receive 10% off all Moonshine University courses and a 20% discount on IWSR products simply because of ACSA membership. One such Moonshine University course, Nosing for Faults, is an advanced sensory analysis class. Attendees will be able to better train their senses to find faults in spirits and troubleshoot products. Contact Moonshine University concerning ACSA discounts for any of their courses.

Welcome Newest Voting and Affiliate Members!

ACSA extends a warm welcome to a few of our newest members:

12.05 Distillery (IN)
Pittsburgh Distilling Co. (PA)
Barnstormer Distilleries (IL)
Highway 101 Spirits (CA)
Fifth Third Bank (MO)
Fruge (LA)
Croze Nest Oak Barrels (MI)
TurnKey Brewery & Restaurant Consulting (OR)

Find out more about becoming a member here.

Regional Focus: Denver, Colorado

" Denver Skyline nighttime from Speer and Zuni"-Larry Goodwin / Flickr

It's become pretty obvious but it bears repeating, the nation's best spirits scenes pop up in some of the best food scenes in the country. Denver, Colorado's restaurant and culinary industry has been surging over the past few years. Denver itself has been voted one of the best places to live in the US, coming in second place this year according to U.S. News & World Report. It makes sense then that locals would want to pair quality spirits and cocktails with their food and their livelihood.

Self-described as a "chef driven cocktail joint," the Green Russell is well-known for its creative concoctions. The chic cocktail bar is located in Larimer Square and has the atmosphere of a modern speakeasy. The Green Russell team recommends being adventurous and trusting the advice of the well-equipped and knowledgeable bar staff. Not too far from Green Russell is The Nickel, a bistro housed within the Hotel Teatro. The Nickel dishes out meals created with fresh and natural ingredients appropriate for the season. And its cocktail program reflects the care that goes into the food menus, making use of craft producers and local distillers. In the RiNo district of Denver is Curio, a neighborhood spot with creative drink options.

The City of Denver hosts a few craft distilleries serving locals and tourists. Leopold Brothers, started by Scott & Todd, has been operating in Denver since 2008. The tasting room is open to the public Wednesday through Saturday in the Northeast section of Denver. Across town is Bear Creek Distillery, a craft distillery in Platt Park. Bear Creek offers a diversity of spirits including different bourbon, rye, vodka, and rum varieties. Bear Creek will be teaming up with three other Colorado distilleries, State 38, Woody Creek, and Wood's High Mountain, to craft a straight rye whiskey in the first-ever Colorado Whiskey Collaboration Project. Ultimately, the bottled colab whiskeys will be donated to local charities to be auctioned off at their fundraising events.

Denver's craft spirits scene is continuing to grow with another distillery set to open soon. Ironton Distillery is expected to open in the fall of 2017 tapping into the spirit of adventure latent in the Centennial state. Travel a little outside of Denver to visit some of the other amazing Colorado distilleries. The Colorado Distillers Guild is preparing to launch the Colorado Distillers Trail in the next few months with over 50 participating distillers.

Did You Know?

The TTB has issued over 2290 DSPs! Find the full list here.
Decline of Global Beverage Alcohol Consumption Accelerates, according to IWSR research.
Colorado is home to 98 DSP's with over half of these as members in the CO Distilers Guild. Venture a little outside of Denver while you're at the ACSA Masters Class to visit a few of them.
The Pittsburg Penguins just won the Stanley Cup! We'll be hosting the 2018 ACSA Distillers Convention and Vendor Trade Show in the Steel City so come out and celebrate with some local distilleries.

Social Media

Do you have a new spirit release, an upcoming event, or some news to drop?

Follow our social media channels and Tweet at us (@craftspiritsus), connect with us on LinkedIn, or post to our Facebook Page and we'll be sure to share it! Make sure to use the hashtags #ACSA and #CraftSpirits!