I’m occasionally sent links to odd alcohol-related stories from around the U.S. And this week I received just such a tip from a colleague in Portland, Oregon – a city with the phrase “Keep Portland Weird” emblazoned on many billboards, buildings and bumpers in the metro area. While the story didn’t happen in Portland itself, it… Read More I’m from the Government. I promise.
Last night, I happened to be lawyering (I’m pretty sure that is a verb) at an excellent local distillery. Yes, I do know how lucky I am. And after we completed the agenda for our meeting, we stood around the beautifully crafted wooden bar in the distillery’s tasting room and I happened to notice something that… Read More Changing the Game
[Originally Published in the Spring 2017 issue of Artisan Spirit] In the course of advising entrepreneurs, Hooch and otherwise, I regularly receive this objection when offering suggestions about how to maximize the value of a business. This conversation springs from my belief — odd as it may seem — that one guiding principle for decision-making in… Read More But I don’t Ever Intend to Sell!
Over the past several days, I attended the American Distilling Institute annual convention – held this year in Baltimore. As expected, it was an active several days – filled with opportunities to meet and chat with spirits companies from around the U.S. (and beyond); talk with vendors about the latest and greatest in distillation technology,… Read More The Promised Land of Consumer Demand
Regular readers will know that I’ve several times mentioned the fight to reduce federal excise taxes on small spirits producers. That fight continues, and with the recent withdrawal before passage (before a vote, actually) of the American Healthcare Act of 2017, the Trump administration has indicated that it will next turn its attention to tax… Read More Fighting the good fight
As a young couple in central Florida, my eventual wife and I engaged in a somewhat unusual form of courtship. We spent a lot of time fishing – with her mother. There was live bait involved. As I said, it was unusual. Much of the time fishing was spent on a pier in the very small (and perpetually… Read More Blew out my flip flop
As regular readers (or anyone involved in distilling anything that needs to be aged) already know, the hooch business has a bit of a cash-flow problem. Startup costs are substantial. And once you’ve paid for that shiny copper behemoth, as well as the raw materials for your product, you have the pleasure of sitting it… Read More Trouble in Tasmania
