Chapters 1 and 2 touched on the economic importance of farm distilleries. I’ve often wondered: How different would the farm-country landscape be today if Prohibition hadn’t happened, along with the oppression of farm distillers that followed? Many thousands of struggling farmers and homesteaders lost their farms when federal agents descended and destroyed their stills. Little did the government care that selling whiskey was, for so many, the only possible means of generating enough cash to pay their property taxes and keep their land for one more lean, belt-tightening year. This expensive, inefficient and ultimately futile endeavor resulted in countless families being forced onto welfare; an appalling and painful example of short-sighted misuse of tax dollars.
Today there are many examples of farm wineries and breweries that are thriving. This could not have happened if laws had not been changed in 1978, allowing private individuals to make “non-commercial” quantities of beer and wine at home. To me it is ridiculous that the government persists in refusing to allow even a small amount of liquor distillation as a hobby. While I am actively working to change the laws to allow limited home distillation, I have a broader dream.
To me, farm distilleries, along with farm wineries and breweries, are the definition of “green” enterprise. Picture a rather small farm or homestead, with maybe just enough space to raise pastured animals and grow corn or other grains to feed the livestock. Some of the grain is used for making whiskey, and the mashed grains are then fed back to the animals. A small methane digester, fed on manure and other farm waste material, is used to generate enough fuel to power the still. The farm store includes a tasting room that attracts tourists, who enthusiastically buy the premium locally produced spirits.
Of course, there would need to be changes to the current laws to allow such things as farm distilleries. Which leads me to...
Prior to Prohibition, there were hundreds of distilleries in New York state. After Prohibition, there were none. Not one. Ralph Erenzo, who started Tuthilltown Spirits in 2003 (the only farm-based distillery in the state at the time), discovered an obscure law on the books since 2000. This law allowed distillers producing less than 35,000 gallons of liquor annually to be licensed for $1,500 per year. The one-size-fits-all distilling permit previously available cost a whopping $65,000.
Erenzo worked with state legislators to create the Farm Distillery Act of 2007. The bill allows farms to license an on-site distillery. The license requires distillers to source most of their ingredients within New York (Washington has a similar rule for distillers). The farm distillery can have a tasting room and is allowed, unlike large distilleries, to bottle and sell liquor directly to consumers in containers of one quart or less. The spirits may also be sold to wholesalers, restaurants and bars, other farm distilleries or just about anyone licensed to buy. It’s important to note that sales have to be face-to-face; no Internet, telephone or mail-order sales allowed. But distillers are allowed to hold tastings, not just at the farm distillery but at events such as state and county fairs, and farmer’s markets, and tastings naturally attract tourists as well as local customers.
Since the Farm Distillery Act became law in 2007, at least 40 new farm distilleries have been licensed, and more are planned. In addition, barley and hops production in the state is growing to help meet the demands of distillers and brewers who are required to use locally grown ingredients. Farm distilleries, like farm wineries before them, draw thousands of thirsty tourists every year.
There are additional provisions to the Farm Distillery Act, but you can see the point. The law recognizes what has been known for hundreds of years: Distilled liquor is an agricultural product. Allowing small distilleries on farms ultimately benefits local and state economics, not to mention putting more profits in the farmers’ pockets from sales of a true value-added product.
I have heard rumors that a few other states are reviewing similar legislation. I hope so. To me, the historical precedent is clear, and I’m looking forward to a day when farm distilleries are common in Washington State as well.
At first blush, having a farm distillery and the attendant methane digester might sound just great. However, every time a new piece of equipment is added to the mix, the additional time required to run that equipment and learn new processes has to be taken into account. Small farms and homesteaders may not have the manpower available for yet another chore. This dilemma could be addressed by relegating the distillery to seasonal operation.
But what if the farmer or homesteader simply isn’t interested in a distilling operation? After all, it seems to make sense only if the farm is producing enough grain or fruit to justify a distillery. Even then, we’ve seen the kind of time commitment it can take to end up with a saleable distilled spirit. That’s why I’m proposing some kind of central facility, perhaps one to each agricultural county. This facility, which ought to be subsidized by the government, would house one or more commercial stills, maybe an artisan pot still and a column still. Or, if the area’s main crops are apples or pears, one still could be an alembic style suitable for making brandy.
This facility could also be used to run classes for hobbyists seeking a non-commercial distilling permit (see my hobby distilling proposal in chapter 25); it could even be a training ground for those wishing to take their hobby to the next level and become licensed commercial distillers. Naturally the facility would create local jobs, since it would require someone with experience to run the distilling operations and teach classes, among other things.
Local farms, especially those not wishing to have their own distilling facilities, could bring their excess or substandard crops to this central facility, to be made into distilled liquor. The mashed grains would then be returned to the farms or resold to others for livestock feed; since this would happen locally, the grain would not need to be dried first, as it is at large commercial distilleries.
Naturally there would be a tasting room at the facility, as well as a retail shop. More jobs created to fill sales positions, tour guides and on and on.
A farm distillery provision in the law is only part of the picture, however. There needs to be provision for people like me, who want to make distilled liquor legally, but not commercially. Chapter 25 outlines my proposal for the addition of a non-commercial distilling permit; part of this proposal is requiring distillers to attend a class. I would be happy to offer my services to assist anyone seeking a distilling permit, provided such a facility existed in which to hold these classes.
Agriculture is a huge industry in Washington State. As of April 2015, there were at least 110 licensed craft distilleries in the state, far more than any other state. One of those distilleries, Dry Fly Distilling in Spokane, has won multiple awards for its whiskey and gin made from locally grown wheat. I heard recently that in the Skagit Valley, north of Seattle, at least 5,000 acres are now planted in barley, specifically for the benefit of local brewers and distillers.
One more time: We’re talking value-added product here. Local sales tax revenues stay in the local economy; state sales and excise tax revenues go into the state coffers. Local consumers and out-of-town visitors are thrilled to be able to buy a premium local product, boosting community pride. Jobs are created, in an industry making a product that nearly everyone wants to buy. Sounds like a win-win-win proposition to me.
Agriculture and spirits make sense together, on the farm or homestead. It’s as true today as it was 200 years ago. If home distilling must be a matter of legislation, it’s time to change the laws.