The Top 3 Craft Distillery Tools

The Top 3 Craft Distillery Tools

Before you establish your product distribution, hire your distilling team, or think about logo designs, your product must speak for itself. In starting or growing a craft distillery there are so many details to think about, we want to make buying your equipment as straightforward and painless as possible. That way it’s your experience, hard work, and schmoozing distilling techniques that will get you the rest of the way.

To help streamline your research process we’ve put together information on our top three most purchased products for distilleries. Basically, this is what you need to have if you are expanding or starting new. These products are ideal for when you have your space in mind, you know your budget, have your packaging, and you’ve determined the amount of product you’ll be producing. Once you have these things then review these products and consider them to help you ramp up. These will help get your spirits to market quickly and efficiently because you don’t want to think about your equipment. You just want it to be dependable and straightforward.

1. The Mori 6-Spout Bottle Filler

Mori's four and six-spout gravity fillers have gained wide acclaim. They have become a staple in hundreds of distilleries across the United States. Their simplicity, ease of cleaning, and sanitary all-stainless steel construction have made them the go-to filler in many commercial distillery bottling lines.

Bottle fill levels are adjustable by simply adjusting the level of the tray. The filler's reservoir is kept at a constant level by one of the following means: gravity-feed, electronic level control, or an air-driven level control. Distilleries choose from one of the following models:

Gravity-fed Level Control - As long as gravity works, the basic model Mori Filler works. A vessel containing your product should be above the filler's reservoir level. A mechanical float senses the level of the reservoir and opens a valve to replenish it as necessary. Nothing complicated, and you can keep filling even if your electricity goes out.

Pneumatic Level Control - An excellent choice for most distilleries, the air-driven level control features a pneumatic level sensor and our ATEX-rated Flojet Air Diaphragm Pump to keep the reservoir level topped off. No electrical outlet needed. It just requires an air compressor capable of delivering about 3 CFM of compressed air, and 60 psi. Compressors this small are normally available off the shelf at your local tool store, or some of our customers like the quiet compressors available from California Air Tools. Again, just look for a compressor in the 3 CFM range.

With our Mori fillers, you also have the option of including an in-line filter which allows you to make a final filter pass immediately prior to bottling. We mount a 20" stainless steel filter housing directly to the filler body, allowing you to connect a standard P7 cartridge.

2. The Air Diaphragm Pump

Our SimpleSpirits pumps feature body, diaphragm, and valve materials that are specifically suited to transferring high-proof spirits. SimpleSpirits pumps are ATEX-rated (Atmosphere Explosive) when used as instructed, ensuring your safety and compliance with regulations requiring ATEX-approval. Hytrel® diaphragms provide long life and excellent compatibility with ethyl alcohol.

SimpleSpirits pumps’ bodies are manufactured by VersaMatic, with excellent technical support and spare parts that are easily accessible. The all-stainless steel carts are manufactured here at our shop in Northern California. All pumps feature air regulator controls to change the liquid flow rate and Tri Clamp in/out connections.

3. MiniMax: The Closed Loop Bottle Rinsing Station

The MiniMax is a recirculating bottle rinser that allows you to use your own product or a sanitizing solution for bottle rinsing. It is ideal for distilleries who use either their own product to rinse bottles. Unlike a typical bottle rinser or sparger, the MiniMax represents the next step forward. It is redesigned from the ground up to be simple to use, self-contained, and with as small a footprint as possible.

Bottles are placed on the two stainless steel nozzles. This starts a semiautomatic rinsing cycle. Cycle lengths are user adjustable from 0-7 seconds. 3-5 seconds is a normal cycle time for our customers. Run-off liquid is recaptured in the 5.3 gallon stainless steel keg, where it is pumped through a 5µ Graver QMC filter cartridge (included). After filtration, the cleaning/sanitizing solution is then recirculated for rinsing. MiniMax Pneumatic runs entirely on compressed air. No electricity required so it is completely safe for any hazard area that needs explosion proofing.

Learn more about the TCW craft distillery bundle - Click here for more information

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