Monthly Mash November 2018 Part I

Education Program Announced for 6th Annual Distillers’ Convention & Vendor Trade Show

The preliminary education schedule for ACSA’s 6th Annual Convention & Vendor Trade Show is now available at the ACSA website. We’ve put together an extensive and eclectic program of nearly 50 hours of presentations and seminars for the convention, February 10-12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The education program features sessions for all levels of expertise on multiple tracks: Technical Fundamentals Track, Advanced Technical Track, Business Track, Legal/Compliance Track and Sales and Marketing Track.

A few of the education highlights include:

• How to Build a Sustainable Craft Spirits Business for the Long Haul

• Yeast Innovation: Old World Meets New World

• What to Expect During an OSHA Inspection

• Maintaining Healthy Fermentations and How to Deal with High Alcohol Fermentations in Distilling

• The Future of the Craft Spirit Landscape

• Stealing From The Big Boys (and Girls): Build a Killer Strategic Marketing Campaign Using Tips and Tricks Nicked from Million-Dollar Brands

• How to Build a Productive Sales Team

• Labor Law for Your Labor of Love: An overview of Labor and Employment Law

• Spirits Brand Ambassadors: What Can They Do For You?

• A Panel Discussion on Trade Policy

• Spent Distillers’ Grains: Nuisance or Value Proposition

JUST ADDED: Pre-Convention

Master Classes

We are pleased to announce that we will be hosting two Master Classes just prior to the official start of the Minneapolis convention. Each will require a separate ticket to attend. Both will be held Saturday and Sunday, February 9 and 10, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

• Essentials to Successfully Implementing an Occupational Safety Program in Your Distillery, Presented by Industrial Safety and Training Services

Join ISTS, the presenters of our “Distillery Safety Management 101” class to learn safety best practices for your DSP—from production to warehousing. ISTS has tailored a program to cover the safety concerns specific to distilleries. What can you expect to learn? OSHA reporting and expectations, common errors in distilleries, how to implement safety culture in a distillery and much, much more!

Sensory Master Class, Presented by Lallemand Biofuels and Distilled Spirits

For over 35 years, Lallemand has been educating fuel ethanol and distilled beverage producers in the multidisciplinary sciences of alcohol production. The course is designed to provide our delegates with detailed information on beverage alcohol unit processes. The program is designed for lab, plan and management personnel and are organized around lectures, laboratory demonstrations, seminars and lab visits. Our course is also appropriate for suppliers and government personnel to provide understanding and training. This important resource is becoming more valuable every year as the market growth is making the need for continual education a must.

Vendor Booth Space Is Selling Out Fast!

There’s still some booth space available for ACSA’s 6th Annual Distillers’ Convention & Vendor Trade Show, but it’s selling fast. Reserve your booth now to ensure that your company’s products and/or services will be able to be front and center before a gathering of craft spirits producers from across the country. We offer 8’x10′ single booths where suppliers to the industry can showcase their products, services and solutions before a gathering of craft spirits producers from across the country.

Convention Sponsorship Opportunities Available!

There are multiple ACSA Convention & Vendor Trade Show sponsorship opportunities still available to suit a wide range of marketing budgets. A sponsorship is an excellent opportunity to amplify your presence and further establish your credibility as a thought leader in the craft spirits industry, enhance your brand image and industry position, build new relationships with prospective customers and strengthen relationships with existing ones and expand your business opportunities. As a new benefit this year, we’re offering sponsors the opportunity showcase your products & services in sponsor-led live “TED Talks.” Those opportunities are limited to top-dollar sponsors. Come out from behind the booth to see and hear how your competitors position their products & services in an interactive sponsors-only program.

We can customize a package and work with you to maximum exposure and return on your investment.

CRAFT SPIRITS CLASSROOM: QUENCHING YOUR THIRST FOR KNOWLEDGE

COMPLIMENTARY WEBINAR:

GRAIN STORAGE & HANDLING IN THE DISTILLERY: QUALITY & SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS

Grain handling and storage presents many health and safety risks in the distillery. This webinar will discuss the risks and necessary precautions for handling malts and grains to ensure the safety of your facility and personnel.

About the Presenter: Aaron MacLeod has been involved with malting and brewing quality testing and research for 12 years and is currently the Director of the Hartwick College Center for Craft Food and Beverage.

The Center provides quality testing for beer and brewing raw materials including barley, hops and malt. Aaron was previously a chemist in the Canadian Grain Commission’s Grain Research Laboratory where he provided quality assurance for malting barley grown in western Canada and conducted research on factors affecting malting barley quality and quality measurement methods.

Aaron is also a member of the Technical Committee of the American Society of Brewing Chemists and presents frequently on topics related to malting and brewing science and quality testing methods.

Sponsored by:

When: Tuesday, December 18, 2018, 2pm-3pm EST

Where: Online Webinar

Who: Aaron McLeod, Director, Hartwick College Center for Craft Food & Beverage

How Much: Free! Thanks to the generous support of our friends at Haskell

Help Us Celebrate Craft Spirits

Weekly’s 100th Issue!

Next week, the American Craft Spirits Association will be publishing the 100th issue of Craft Spirits Weekly. To celebrate this milestone, next week’s edition will be an All Member News Issue! And we want you to be a part of it! We invite all member distilleries to send us your press releases on latest company news, new product launches, market expansions, special events or anything else that’s newsworthy! Please send all press releases to membership@americancraftspirits.org no later than Monday, December 3. This is an exclusive benefit for ACSA distillery members. If you’re not yet a member and would like to become one, click this button:

ACSA Members Pay Tribute to Dave Pickerell

On November 1, the distilling world lost a true icon when Dave Pickerell passed away.

A visionary and pioneer, Dave’s impact can be felt across the entire craft spirits industry. He helped bring to market countless small brands, enabling craft distilling to become an industry unto itself. Dave left Maker’s Mark as master distiller a decade ago and, through his company, Oak View Spirits, brought his expertise to many new, up-and-coming distilleries. His work at WhistlePig helped ignite a new wave of rye whiskey producers and consumers.

He was a founding affiliate member of ACSA and an original member of our Board of Directors (ex officio). A number of ACSA members offered their own personal tributes to Dave:

“Dave was always an open door. He answered when you called and said yes to any help or assistance you asked for. Our industry can be cagey and cold and he was so very confident, he never shied away from sharing his expertise, resources and insight with his peers. I am glad he modeled that for me and I carry that with me, aspiring to open doors for others.” —Maggie Campbell, President, Privateer Rum

“We have lost one of the kindest, most giving and most talented distillers I have ever met. Dave Pickerell has had a huge impact on our industry and on so many of us that work in it. And he will be sorely missed. Dave was my friend, mentor, consulting partner and he provided invaluable advice counsel and wisdom to me and Golden Moon as both have grown in the distilled spirits world. Dave, I don’t think I’d be the Master Distiller I am without you (yes, Dave, you told me to use the title and I am). I miss you. You lived on your own terms and died “with your boots on”—doing what you loved. I guess it’s fitting that I learned of your passing, while doing much the same thing: talking whiskey at a whiskey show. To those reading this, please take a moment and raise a glass in Dave’s honor.” —Steve Gould, Proprietor/Distiller, Golden Moon Distillery

“Dave Pickerell and I met a couple of times, but I will never forget him unexpectedly showing up to my distillery. I was very surprised to see him. He was so kind and never made me feel like I didn’t know what I was doing. He was very supportive and gave me a few pointers along the way. The reason he was so beloved by our industry members and consumers alike was his authenticity. He talked the talked, he walked the walk. Without him there would be NO craft spirits industry, he was an evangelist of our industry—a true embodiment of ‘Rising Tides raise ALL ships”. He will be missed.”—Jake Holshue, Head Distiller, Old Trestle Distillery

“I met Dave in an elevator in Louisville in 2012. Before the elevator even reached the lobby, he was a mentor, a friend and clearly a legend of whiskey. Regardless of how many distillery projects he had, or consulted for, Dave would stop and talk distillation anytime. I’ll never forget how much I had to learn, and how much you had to share. You’ll be remembered, Dave.”

—Ryan Christiansen, President and Head Distiller, Caledonia Spirits

SPIRITED RESPONSE: MONTHLY POLL