200proofcraft

Very accurate. With vodka, you're just looking for purity... it is scientifically possible to make a perfect vodka. Please never pay much for vodka.

Here's the worst scam I've ever heard: a marketer buys bulk Grain Neutral Spirits from a provider (there are lots). This gets shipped at 95%abv. The marketer receives it, and then cuts it down with local water. Once you cut down the GNS to 40%abv, presto, you have vodka. Pass it through some still you picked up and all of a sudden you can say "Locally Distilled Vodka with Fresh Local Water"

Edit: My response to huxley2112 got buried, so putting it here. In my example I used GNS interchangably with high proof bulk vodka, and perhaps I shouldn't, but in my context of misleading labeling it's the same deal: i.e., pretending that a spirit was distilled somewhere it wasn't. Here is the ultimate thread by people in the know on the issue of what it means to "make" vodka: http://adiforums.com/index.php?showtopic=2369

I'd add - given that literally no other jurisdiction in the world has given an off-premise beer & wine retail license to just one company, why is that the right fit for Ontario?

Hey, just got my liquor license Jan31, and haven't really done much marketing, for the time being am focusing just on sourcing spirits from small micro-distilleries across the country. When I build up my catalog, then I'll spend some money on marketing.

No guilt!!! I'm only selling stuff I believe in. This wouldn't have been possible with a standard B&M liquor store, so I asked the District of Columbia Alcohol Beverage Control Board to issue me an "online only" license, and they did!

• Not difficult to become owner/operator if you can get a loan in the low 3 digits. B&M liquor stores are for sale all the time, in DC I've seen prices range from $150k-$350k for a functioning stocked liquor store. Biggest challenge is overhead. In DC, most liquor stores rely on lotto to help out.

• Favorites is a tricky question, I like trying new things all the time, so I guess I appreciate anything that's unique and diverse. My favorite rye whiskey right now is something I can't even stock - Delaware Phoenix Rye Whiskey, distilled by an elderly woman and her 45 gallon pot still, amazing. Can't get it outside of NY. Rick Wasmund of Virginia has an amazing distillery. His unaged Rye Spirit is probably my favorite unaged whiskey. -Favorite beer? Right now probably the seasonals from 21st Amendment. Their Christmas one (Fireside Chat) was amazing. -As for wine, I really don't know much about wines... whole other world!

Yes, shortly after law school I offered to help out the American Distilling Institute (an association of small, independent micro-distilleries) with some legal & advocacy work (did it pro bono, just looking to gain experience). Got to know many authentic distillers across the country - awesome people who support the economy, manufacturing, local farming, rural tourism, yet face huge uphill battles. Actually started my liquor store so I could work alongside them, and help them build their businesses (prefer being a business partner than just asking for money for advice!). (Also - whole other story here about liquor distribution in US, and loopholes I'm using to source their spirits).

I'm now very involved in craft spirits. I started Federal Spirits here in DC first, and am now even helping a friend start a distillery in Toronto. This has helped me understand the challenges they face even more.

Yes, "Distilled & Bottled By" are words the government (specifically the U.S. Alcohol & Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau, or "TTB" for short) takes seriously. There's no requirement that they be on the label, but if they are there, then you can put some credence in them.

Beyond that, you can consult the TTB's Standards of Identity: http://www.ttb.gov/spirits/bam/chapter4.pdf

The TTB doesn't have the resources it needs to stay on top of all the tricks of the trade though... so if you've got a moment to spare in the liquor store, look up the Facebook page of the distillery.