What do beer and whisky have in common? They both come from grains. What about wine and brandy? They both come from fruit. If you are already producing beer or wine, then you have already completed 80% of the process of making good whisky or brandy. Adding a distilling business to your brewery or winery can not only provide a new source of revenue, but it can also help you salvage expired, substandard, or excess beer and wine.
There are two main types of equipment commonly found in breweries and wineries: mash barrels and fermentation tanks.
Mash barrels: Brewers use mash barrels to produce wort from barley, while winemakers use them to make pomace. Although the equipment is the same and the starting materials are very similar, the end results are different.
Fermentation tanks: Fermentation is a key process for all three operations. If your winery or brewery is already operational, you can still utilize your existing stainless steel, conical, temperature-controlled fermenters. These state-of-the-art fermenters are likely the same type used in modern distilleries.
ACE fermentation tanks
To transform your wort, saignee, wine, or beer into spirits, you will need to add a still equipped with whisky heads and/or columns. For vodka production, tall towers are the best choice as they reduce the number of distillation runs necessary to achieve the desired purity.
One downside of starting a distillery solely focused on spirits is that it may take time to build enough traction and generate revenue, as the brand is relatively unknown. On the other hand, an existing brewery or distillery already has an established customer base. This advantage cannot be overstated. If your brewery business is already covering your fixed costs, it makes good business sense to install an additional revenue stream. The return on investment should be particularly quick if you can turn out-of-spec materials from a cost center into a profitable product.
Distillation systems for spirits production do not cost significantly more compared to the tanks required for brewing beer. However, it is important to assess your existing utility capacity to ensure an adequate supply for the new stills without disrupting the primary operations of the brewery or distillery. We offer various models that can be customized to meet your production needs and help expand your current business.
If you are interested in maximizing your existing resources, please contact us so we can assist you in getting started!
