Hmmm...

We finally got our German still, but it didn't come with instructions. At least we had a bunch of guys standing around giving opinions. How do you get 2500 pounds of hand made copper and steel into a small doorway? Sawsalls.

We'll figure it out.

Hopefully.

We've got gin!

Here it's Christmas eve, and my buddy Doug came to the distillery early to help me get the new gin bottles in and filled for liquor stores before New Years. Colby showed up as well to lend a hand where he could and Jeff Howard stopped by to say hello and ended up being invaluable. I wanted to bottle ten cases of gin, and then make the three hour drive to my mothers' house for Christmas. I couldn't believe it when my mom and sister, Sam drove down to surprise me and they even jumped in to help. We bottled twelve cases and were able to go home for Christmas. I'm so grateful to be the recipient of such love.
Rich

pulling an all-nighter

We have finally gotten listed by the state of Oregon. It happened more quickly than we expected which resulted in a lot of freaking out. We needed to get stuff to market, and now so we worked from 8 am till 10 pm, cooked a little food (I burned my red beans and rice beyond recognition because I fell asleep), and returned to the distillery at around 1 am and bottled vodka until 7:45 in the morning. I had hoped to get more sleep, but alas two hours would have to do... We still have construction going on, and I had to deliver 30 cases (10 vodka, 20 hazelnut vodka), to the state warehouse. Although we're pretty exhausted, It feels great to finally get product out. Here are a few pictures taken at around 6:30am last Sunday night
Rich

The Green Dragon opens

Our neighbors are finally pouring beer, but haven't yet got spirits. Either way, it's worth mentioning that they are rolling. They are specializing on Artisan beer that you've never heard of and fare that belies a european eatery rather than some bar in inner s.e. Portland. They, and us, seek to revolutionize the way that we eat and drink: Be aware and be concentrated upon educating your tastebuds. The sensate experiences here will challenge you and change your life for the better
Rich

Getting toward production

We had a deadline laid on us by a shareholder. Get this place looking like you can be in production in 10 days. We have a stock-holder's party tomorrow and it needs to be cleaned up. Months of planning and sweating, and now we are at the edge where we start making booze...
Vodka, then Trillium, and when The Christian Carl still arrives at the end of this month, gin. (Not to mention the stuff we have to "Play around with".
It is sufficient to say that we've been tired and tried with the dance of bottles, cork, label design & printing, Federal Bureaucracy, and people asking "How hard can it be; you're just making booze..." My answer? get a doctorate in chemistry. We worked hard for the last two weeks to clean the place up for this suarée, and I'm ready to drop. At least we are getting somewhere.
Rich

Fund Raiser party

One of our partners has a friend that fell off a ladder and hurt himself to the tune of more medical bills than we could pay if it happened to us. His wife and daughters are trying but what can they do? If we have any integrity, we would try to help, and so it goes. We held a fundraiser for them and raised a paltry $4000., but at least we tried, and had a nice party in his honor. If you can help, they are still taking money for Pat at 2756 ne 36th ave Portland, OR 97212. Here are some pictures...
Rich

Painting and painting

Another day of toil and tumult , juggling barrels, feds, ad agencies and worrkers, but we muddle on and shall eventually prevail. We have been painting for what seems like forever, but is realy only two weeks, and the difference is palpable. Cheers to our workers who show up every day with no idea what lays before them, except for the drama of the over-stressed owners, distillers, et al...
Everything will be just fine...
Rich

barrels have arrived

We received 70 barrels from Jack Daniels for our rum today. Kieran wasn't ready as we have no racks. We have been painting and not welding, but you can't stop progress... At least The paint is almost done and all that we await are the federal approvals. They can come any day, which signals the time whe we hit the ground running.
Rich

ID Branding genius

ID Branding is a company that has bigger fish to fry than our little venture, but they have taken us on. I'll try to get as many of them as I can, but am constrained by throughput. I'm sure you and they, will understand if I didn;t get them all. Either way, they are stellar people who are putting our little city on the map of great innovators and people who embrace beauty and life itself.

ID Branding genius

We had a presentation today. It wasn't the first and it won't be the last, but this was the presentation where these crazy geniuses placed a diaper in our seats. At first I wondered if the meeting was really going to take that long, but learned that that wasn't the point at all. They have worked as people on fire to come up with not only bottles and labels for us, but have dug deep into us: who we are and what sets us apart from everyone else. They even welcomed Jackson, our drooly spoiled mascot with open arms. These people are not your wannabes or yokels, but a powerful and heartfelt machine who can read the people they serve, toward the end that they capsulize who they are in a most beautiful way. Just wait until you get the bottles in your hands and then you'll understand why I am ever at the verge of tears in gratitude for what can happen if you have even a little faith.
Rich

The Green Dragon

It seems that the public house is spinning with activity. There is a bit of a party scheduled tonight, and the brewers are reeling to get the house ready it can be at this time for shareholders and lookers-on. Kieran has leant his hand and those of our boys in our employ to help. I wish I could be there for the party, but at least took some pictures of the activity to share with you.

Rich

Independance day

We took a break from all the running around to celebrate the fact that we are free, and able to do so much more than so many others throughout the world. Our nation offers us this freedom not because of any edicts from figures of authority, but by laws written on the hearts of everyone who llives here.
"We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness."
With that in mind, we celebrated as any American should with the institution of the bar-be-que at Kieran's folk's vineyard. It's really a beautiful place, and they are truly the salt of the Earth. I thought I'd show some pictures for your enjoyment of the fourth of July in Oregon.
Rich