Recently there has been an explosion of small-batch distilleries globally releasing spirits they claim are “Craft”. Unfortunately this has led to much confusion as to what defines a spirit as Craft or not and even resulted in law suits brought against producers using terms like “Hand Crafted” on their labels.
Important to keep in mind is the definition of the word ‘Craft’ as meaning an excellent product made by someone practicing their trade with skill, dedication and commitment – in other words a personal approach and care not found with larger multinational brands’ mass produced spirits.
Craft distilleries take great care in selecting their ingredients locally, producing in small batch sizes, and offering unique flavor combinations not found elsewhere. In addition, their bottling, labelling and packaging is often done manually and according to Craft standards; giving each bottle its own personal feel; this gives customers or drinkers the assurance that each bottle they receive was handled carefully by its maker and closed labelled with care by that same individual.
Making these superb products requires more than the right still; business setup and design must also account for the time investment necessary to produce consistently and safely with high levels of quality. Numerous distilleries burn to the ground annually; insurance providers will even deny coverage to those without professional setups – all indicators that proper preparations must be in place in order to produce great products.
