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Craft DistilleryCraft Distillery

and all process equipment become integral to the more cost-effective to expand within an established
visual experience and become central to the distill- building rather than building a new addition.
ery’s design. The distiller must remember, though,
that location-specific codes and safety regulations The Green Aspect
always have something to do with how far any dis-
tiller can go with this idea. Still, overall, visual inte- “There have been recent trends toward a more
gration is important.” environmentally responsible mentality with green
designs, carbon capturing or building to optimize
“We also see distillery designs drawn up to include the use of gravity in the flow of the distilling pro-
alternative types of income-producing activities like cess,” said Archer. “We’ve been asked to engineer
coffee shops, retail and brand marketing areas, and around all aspects of renewable energy, including
event spaces. We know bourbon has to be aged for wind, solar and geothermal energy solutions, while
a minimum of three years before it can be bottled, also considering CO2 emission reduction or collec-
so unless the distiller can just sit and wait, they tion for repurposing purposes. Fermenters naturally
have to generate income in other ways. Of course, give off CO2, as does the spent grain. We’ve seen a
they can always buy whiskey and sell or blend it as movement to capture and compress that CO2 and
their own during the initial aging period, but they market it to soft drink and similar use companies.
can also produce less time-consuming spirits, like Building so that your production process is mostly
gin, moonshine or rum. They can put on and hold powered by gravity, similar to the process used in
special events and, of course, market their brand’s moonshining days, is another option. Stillage has
swag.” become a big issue for distillers. Large quantities
are produced with dwindling opportunities for
recycling or disposal. Sending it down the sewer is
expensive, and because of the boom in craft spirit
production, some areas are producing too much
of it, even for animal feedstock. The green aspect
is very appealing upfront. Everyone wants to do it,
but without any incentives, it is cost-prohibitive for
the craft distiller, so ultimately, only a few actually
have the means to do it.”

Perfecting Your Product is Key

“A successful distillery design starts with the
product itself,” said Archer. “The first thing to do is
produce a good product at the target quantity goals
according to your business plan. From an engi-
neering perspective, you need to know the process
requirements to produce that product consistently.
You must then consider code requirements, safety
Photo Credit: Firestone and Robertson regulations and ease of operation. This method
Distilling Co. & VITOK Engineers delivers process repeatability and savings in man-
power through possible automation. After you
Distillery expansion is always on the minds of any perfect your product and process, you can focus on
distiller. Moving from a batch distillation to contin- building the visitor experience. Historically, if you
uous distillation puts the distiller in an immediate try to do this in reverse, you’ll have problems, and
position to sell spirits on the wholesale market. in today’s distillery, you need operational efficiency
Archer said that distillery expansion is typical, and along with an aesthetically pleasing visitor experi-
the key to successful growth is having the space ence. There’s an inherent tourism aspect to distill-
for the additional equipment, fermentation and ery life in the modern marketplace.”
grain storage. It’s better and more valuable to
consider the aspects of expansion upfront in your
design because it’s almost always cheaper and

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