RECENT News

  • March 20, 2019 8:33 AM | Anonymous

    Trey Blocker Show 

    In the latest episode of The Trey Blocker Show, we venture out to Hye, Texas and visit with Dan Garrison of Garrison Brothers Distillery- the first legal bourbon distillery in Texas!

    Listen to hear Dan's many stories including how he got $1.9 million dollars in company funding from a card game!


  • March 16, 2019 8:32 AM | Anonymous

    The Telegraph 

    Britain has been hailed as a gin tourism hotspot after distilleries reported seeing huge rises in international visitors.

    The gin market is worth an estimated £1.9 billion with more than 66 million bottles being sold last year - almost double the number in 2016.

    Fuelling this boom is an increase in the number of foreign visitors, who are flocking to the country for tasting sessions, tours of distilleries and even checking into hotels for an "immersive" weekend.

    Other holidaymakers are delving into the history of the alcoholic drink and foraging for ingredients to make their own recipes.

    Gin enthusiasts are flying in for a taste of the traditional tipple at such a rate that distillery guided tours are being offered in multiple foreign languages.

    The Ginstitute, a renowned distillery on the world famous Portobello Road in Notting Hill, has seen their number of bookings jump by a staggering 2,000 per cent since 2015.

    Built over four floors, it offers boutique rooms so tourists can settle down for the night, as well as a museum in its basement where guests can enjoy an "immersive gin history session".

    It even offers bespoke wedding packages "designed especially for betrothed gin-fans", which involves couples making their own unique blend for their big day and a pop-up gin bar so guests can do tasting sessions.

    Tom Coates, brand director, said: "As the world's love for the gin has increased, so has it's interest in the history of gin and how it is made. 

    "As such we have seen a significant increase in international tourists attending our gin experience, The Ginstitute, to learn all about the history of gin and make their very own unique blend. 

    "Since 2015, international visitor numbers have increased 20 times over. 

    "In 2016, we opened The Distillery on Portobello Road Gin which is a four floor mecca for discerning drinkers and gin lovers with two bars, a working distillery, hotel rooms and a number of experiences that include immersive dining, cocktail masterclasses and gin-making classes. 

    "It has been incredibly popular with visitors from both home and abroad, who will either join us for one of our experiences or simply to sample a Portobello Road Gin and tonics at one of The Distillery's two bars."

    Beefeater Gin, one of Britain's best-known brands, has welcomed tourists from countries across the world including Russia and Australia.

    Their distillery, based in Kennington, south east London, is visited by more than 2,000 people every month.

    A spokesperson told The Telegraph: "Our visitors come from all over the world, with the experience being particularly popular with tourists from the USA, Germany, France and Spain. We've also had a recent influx of tourists visiting from Australia, Latin America and Russia as the thirst for learning more about gin spreads worldwide."

    Sipsmith, based in Chiswick, west London, offers gin masterclasses, a sipping club and tours of their distillery.

    A spokesperson told The Telegraph that increasingly more people are visiting during business trips and holidays to the UK.

    And leading gin review site Gin Foundry agree that international visitors are "part and parcel" of the surge of people visiting British distilleries.

    The UK tourism board has confirmed that there is a "strong interest from international travellers" in trying British gin.

    Patricia Yates, the director of VisitBritain, added: "The growing and diverse range of gin distilleries and gin-inspired visitor experiences across the country, from tasting activities to trying your hand at distilling and mixing, is helping to boost Britain's profile on the international stage as a food and drink destination."

  • March 14, 2019 2:00 PM | Anonymous

    WLRN

    A number of bills that would make changes to Florida's alcohol rules are moving through the legislature. But many of them make exceptions to the state's three tier system that separates manufactures, distributors and vendors.

    When it comes to alcohol, Rep. Holly Raschein (R-Key Largo) says Florida's law need an update.

    "I think that this bill today, we are updating prohibition era laws, we are opening up the free market, we are removing barriers for the little guys, the small businesses," Raschein says

    Raschein is behind a bill that would let craft distilleries ship their products out of state, offer sales at festivals and fairs and let distilleries get licensed as manufacturers as well as a distributors or exporters. Jeremy Craig runs the Copper Bottom craft distillery with his wife and parents.

    "All we're really trying to do is level the playing field. We really just want to be able to sell our products. We're asked constantly, we're just outside of Daytona Beach in Holly Hill Florida, we're asked every day if we can ship our product out of state. Most of the people who come to our tasking room are tourists. Unfortunately, now with the regulations of baggage, most people can't take a bottle back with them so we're asked constantly if we can ship. The other thing that's to our disadvantage is we can't sell cocktails or any kind of mixed drinks," Craig says.

    Craig says letting craft distilleries do what other companies like craft breweries already do would help him grow his business, creating jobs and driving tourism. And Phil McDaniel with the St. Augustine distillery agrees. He says the changes in Raschein's bill could also help to highlight Florida's agriculture industry.

    "Florida will one day be famous not only for our beautiful beaches and sunshine but also the wonderful rum that's made from Florida sugar cane and the whiskey made from our wheat and corn,"McDaniel says.

    But the measure is getting pushback from distributors and retailers who say there's no reason to further interrupt the state's three tier system, which separately licenses manufactures, distributors and retailers. Scott Dick represents ABC Liquor. Despite what some distillers say, he's worried the measure won't result in a level playing field.

    "We can't as retailers ship product out of state and we favor that restriction. However, if there is going to be lifting of restriction we ask that all retailers be treated the same and allow not only ABC but also the independent retailers to profit from that side of the business," "Dick says.

    Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) has a similar bill in the Senate. He says the changes to the three tier system will be minimal.

    "Look if it was up to me we would get rid of the three tier system because it is an archaic prohibition era issue, but this doesn't seek to do that. This seeks to allow craft brewers and craft wineries to implement," Brandes says.

    And Brandes says the overall impact on the state will be small because only a handful of craft distilleries are in operation. Palm Coast Republican Senator Travis Hutson says for him the issue is simple.

    "Too many times a lot of say we're free market principled, we're for small business and then all the sudden an alcohol bill gets up and some of us get really weak kneed. You have to be for your principles, you have to be for what you campaigned on and I believe this bill does that," Hutson says.

    Brandes' bill also increases allows wine to be sold in larger containers. Another with similar bill language in the House is also moving forward.


  • March 11, 2019 9:56 AM | Anonymous

    Crosscut

    To reach customers, makers of Washington spirits say they need more tasting rooms and fewer serving limits.

    Ryan Hembree cradles a bottle of vodka in one palm, telling two customers about the 17 pounds of potatoes that went into it. The couple sits across from him, their stools pulled up to the bar Hembree and his cousin made from slabs of cedar.

    Just a few feet away, the production floor of Skip Rock Distillers is piled high with pallets of local rye. Barrels of rye whiskey are stacked against the far wall, set aside to age. Lining the wall behind Hembree are bottles of his house-made raspberry liqueur, blackberry liqueur and nocino, a liqueur made from walnuts.

    It's all part of a movement craft distillers call "grain to glass" - the liquor version of "farm to table." Like other craft distillers throughout the state, Hembree makes his spirits on site, primarily from raw materials grown locally in Washington.

    "Working with the farmers and securing the raw materials, and seeing the raw materials come in - I love that part of it," said Hembree, 45, who started his business in Snohomish 10 years ago.


  • December 04, 2018 9:54 AM | Anonymous

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  • September 30, 2018 12:00 PM | Anonymous

    Five years ago, Still Austin Whiskey Co. Co-founders Lisa Braunberg and Joanna Salinas were working in respective careers in technology and law. Today, along with head of R & D/distiller Ali Block and brand director Cassidy Mora, they’re part of the rare but growing ranks of women working in whiskey in the United States. Still Austin opened its doors in September 2017 as the first legal grain-to-glass whiskey distillery located in Austin since Prohibition. The spirits are 100 percent scratch-made using grains provided by Texas farmers. Twenty years ago, a very small percentage of whiskey drinkers were female. Today, according to Fred Minnick, author of Whiskey Women, women are 37 percent of whiskey drinkers. It’s an exciting time to be on the ground floor of the craft-distilling movement in Austin.

    Link to full article in Austin Woman Magazine.
  • August 06, 2018 12:00 PM | Anonymous

    Since 1982, WinStar Insurance Group’s dedicated staff has provided customized insurance for select niche businesses in the Southwest. We understand your industry, value your time, and are committed to making the insurance process straight-forward and simple. You take pride in your craft. We take pride in ours. The Craft Beverage Insurance experts, we insure almost 200 wineries, breweries, & distilleries in the Southwest. We provide distilleries a Package policy that includes Property & Equipment Breakdown as well as General & Liquor Liability coverages. We can also provide Quotes on Commercial Auto, Workers Comp, Health & Life Insurance, and more. Our cost-effective comprehensive Distillery Insurance Program gives you the confidence that you are protected by the most reputable and complete insurance available to assist you in quickly resuming operations after a loss.

    To learn more or to get a Free Quote, visit www.winstarins.com/distilleries or contact us at (800) 252-9435 or info@winstarins.com.

  • August 03, 2018 12:00 PM | Anonymous

    G & H Financial Insurance Svcs, Inc. is an independent insurance agency that provides complete commercial and personal insurance to fit your needs. We have a passion for protecting your business from the risks unique in the craft distillery industry, so that you can focus on what you do best. Our accessibility to a variety of insurance companies means we can offer distilleries specialized insurance packages to address the specific needs of the operations from along with the flexibility to tailor specific coverage enhancements for unique risks. We work in tandem with our client's management and staffs to review specific exposures and issues essential to protecting and growing your business. Having worked with various distilleries, we have the experience and expertise to keep your business, your employees, and your customers safe.

  • August 02, 2018 12:00 PM | Anonymous

    Austin American Statesman | August 2, 2018

    Garrison Brothers Distillery has created a bourbon not quite like the others in its award-winning lineup — a whiskey infused with Texas honey.

    See full article here.

  • July 31, 2018 12:00 PM | Anonymous

    Culture Map Dallas | July 31, 2018

    A Texas whiskey distillery will open its very first bar and North Texans will get first sip. Balcones Distilling will open its first bar at Texas Live, the Arlington entertainment complex opening in August, with an assortment of whiskey expressions and cocktails.

    Link to full article.

CONTACT US

919 Congress Ave., Suite 730
Austin, TX 78701

Amber Hausenfluck, Government Affairs 

info@texasdistilledspirits.org
www.texasdistilledspirits.org

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