ADI Craft Spirits Conference & Vendor Expo – 2024 Highlights

Fred, I guess we’re here today to talk about a follow-up to the American Distilling Institute Craft Spirits Conference & Vendor Expo . It was a great show, with some interesting things happening. For example, we saw the Brewers Association was present at a distilling conference. What do you think about that?

I think it’s awesome to see their partnership and the evolution of both organizations focusing on the importance of collaboration between brewing and distilling. It was great to see Eric and Brandon at the Craft Brewers Conference in Vegas. They both mutually respect each other’s organizations, and there’s a lot of legislative importance where they can assist each other with their resources. There are also many overlapping customers that need to diversify their business to become more successful.

Absolutely, I would agree 100%. I think it’s good to see them at both events, and it will be interesting to see how they collaborate as time progresses. So, what were some of the big takeaways from customers or people at the event?

I think some of the biggest takeaways are similar to what we’ve heard in brewing. People, especially coming out of COVID, are focusing on the importance of automation, safety, and cost reduction. I think a lot of the solutions we had there—from controls to the mash cooker and its heating and cooling efficiencies, to the safety and efficiency of our new barrel dump technology—really fit those needs. A lot of people bring copper to these shows, thinking that’s the only thing distillers want, but it’s so much more than that when you think of all the A-to-Z issues people need solved in this industry.

Yeah, I heard the same thing from customers at our booth. They’re looking for particular things, and safety was a big one. Also, innovations in automation around mash houses and stills, and how they can diversify their distillery, were huge takeaways. It was very interesting to see people coming to our booth with similar problems and looking for similar solutions, whether they were small operations producing a few hundred barrels a year and getting more into on-premise production, or very large distilleries. It’s really cool to see ADI bringing all levels of the industry to the table. It’s important as a vendor to spend a lot of time and resources on these shows.

So, getting more into the overall show, where do you see the direction of the industry going? How was that represented at the show? Any observations?

The show is unique because it has a great networking component, a lot of events, great education, and the vendor expo. I think this year it was very evident that the education leveled up. I talked to a number of people who were very impressed by the speakers, some of whom are our customers, so it was really neat to have them there. Right now, people are able to still contract and get whiskey at a good price. There’s no question that there’s an abundance of it on the market. But there are also people who have a passion for the craft and are trying to enter the market at a small scale while planning where they’ll be in three to five years as they scale.

Gotcha, cool. For anyone who didn’t make it to the show, what were some of the key things we had in the booth that they may have missed out on, like equipment or anything we were displaying?

Specifically at the show, we unveiled generation three of our pneumatic dump trough. In that particular case, you can manage four barrels being dumped at the same time in a safe manner, both for the operator and from an electrical standpoint. The only electrical component is going to the air compressor itself. We also had a 300-gallon mash cooker, a live steam-injected cooker, with a heat exchange for the cooling loop—very efficient for both heating and cooling. A big hallmark for us was also the controls and automation component. We had an HMI demonstration unit that covered not only distilling components but also grain handling, running the cooker, cooling loops, and cooling towers, as well as basic distillation. There was even an additional interface to show how a brewhouse and distillery could be connected for those running a “brewstillery.”

You mentioned safety with the barrel dump trough. What makes it safer?

We see a lot of people with old habits that die hard. People use forklifts to lift full, heavy barrels over cheesecloth to filter out some of the particulate before packaging. Our pneumatic system eliminates the need for forklifts, reduces the risk of back injuries, and prevents barrels from falling off. You’re dealing with a high-proof liquid, and pneumatics use compressed air, making the system much safer. The air compressor is mounted out of the hazardous zone, and the lifting mechanisms use an easy bearing roll system. It’s a simple and safe way for operators to dump several hundred barrels a day.

You also mentioned efficiency around the mash house. Why would someone want to spend more money on additional components to make it more efficient? What’s the value?

There’s a misconception that live steam and heat exchangers add a lot of cost, but the system pays for itself pretty quickly. If you have a traditional mash tun, you’re also supplying a larger chiller or cooling tower to use a tube-and-tube heat exchanger, especially for whiskey mash. While our system may require a bit more investment in the single unit, it’s typically a smaller footprint with less capital and utility expense. The live steam lance and cooling loop for the internal cooling coil, combined with the standard heat exchanger, aren’t as big of a capital investment as some might think.

Got it. To wrap it up, any final thoughts on ADI or the future of ADI?

They haven’t announced where the next ADI will be, but they always do a great job covering all the different time zones. It’s nice to see different pockets of our customers, and it’s easy to travel to. Selfishly, it was really nice to have it on the East Coast this year—it made it easier for us to bring a larger group and more customers. Every year, ADI’s goal is to level up, and we hope to do the same. We’re proud to be a title sponsor and look forward to continuing our relationship with them and other valuable vendors in the industry. They have a great staff and organization, and they treat everyone well. If you haven’t been to ADI, it’s a great show to see our equipment and learn more. And if you have further questions, please feel free to reach out to us.

Excellent, thank you.

Thanks.