Over the past year I have mentioned that the micro-distillery movement in the US has started to pick up rapidly over the last few years. From only a handful a few years ago, there are over 100 presently in business and many more on the way. Laws in various states have changed, with micro-breweries starting up distilleries and making premium spirits. In this article at the NY Times they talk a bit about the scene. Expect to see the number of micro-distilleries grow even more rapidly. Bill Owens at the American Distilling Institute is helping these businesses start up and grow, sharing information, publishing newsletters, providing resources, and providing moral support as well. Colleges and Universities Like New York's Cornell University are giving courses and workshops on Artisan Distilling. (I hear there are a few openings left in this years workshop going on next Monday. I'll be there.)
Heck, even I'm opening a micro-distillery early next year. I partnered up with a winery and we are rapidly growing into a brewery, distillery, and hard cider-works. Our additional licenses are well on the way, and I am ordering my custom built, hand crafted, copper still. As soon as the still arrives I'm going to be making premium brandy, gin, rum, and whiskey of all types. Sorry no vodka, that market has so many new entrants that it is ridiculously overcrowded. By the way, the photo shows approximately what my still will look like.
By the way, using the term "craft distiller" is a no-no. One crafty micro-distillery has trademarked the name and successfully won a couple of legal battles over the terms use. I won't make any comments on that at this time, but I expect to see some major battles come up over appropriate use of the various terms associated with micro, craft, and artisan distilling over the next few years. So for now the appropriate terms to use are micro-distillery and artisanal distillery.
Here are a few places where you can take courses or workshops on brewing and distilling.
Department of Chemical Engineering
Kris Berglund, Ph.D.
206 Farrall Hall, MSU
East Lansing, MI 48824
517-353-4565
Berglund@msu.edu
The MSU distilling program is aimed at research, education and outreach for the advancement
of artisan distilling.
Enology Extension/Cornell University
Dragana Dimitrijevic, M.Sc.
Food Research Laboratory
630 West North Street
Geneva, NY 14456-0462
315-787-2262
dd233@nysales.cornell.edu
Artisan Distilling Workshop at Geneva Experiment Station.
Ethanol Technology Institute
Liz Ward
6120 W. Douglas Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53218
800-583-6484
institute@ethanoltech.com
ethanoltech.com
The program covers the science of alcohol production through a combination of lectures, seminars and laboratory demonstrations.
Institute of Brewing & Distilling
Roger Putman
33 Clarges Street
London W1J 7EE
UK
44 20 7499 8144
ibd.org.uk
Brewing and distilling education and qualifications.
Executive Director: Simon Jackson, simon.jackson@ibd.org.uk
Training inquiries: Andrea Williams, training@ibd.org.uk
Examinations inquiries: Rekha Sandal, exams@ibd.org.uk
Editor of the IBD magazine: Roger Putman, editor@ibd.org.uk
International Centre for Brewing and Distilling
Paul Hughes
Heriot-Watt University
Riccarton
Edinburgh EH14 4AS
SCOTLAND
011 44 131 451 3184
p.s.hughes@hw.ac.uk
sls.hw.ac.uk/staff/hughes.htm
Heriot-Watt runs brewing and distilling workshops. For information on MBA, MSc and distance-learning programs, visit the web-site for details.
UC Davis Extension
Debbie Roberts
1333 Research Park Drive
Davis, CA 95616-4852
530-757-8691
droberts@unexmail.ucdavis.edu
Short courses coming a few years.














