Distiller magazine

4 [ distilling.com ] F orty-seven years ago Bill Owens had a vision of the future dierent from everyone else. In the early 1980s, beer brewing laws in the US began to change, and so in 1983 he opened the brew pub Bualo Bills in Hayward, CA — a brew- ery that is still in operation, in its original location. en once again, in 2003, years after selling Bualo Bills, he sensed the beginnings another movement. At that time there were about 60 distilleries in the US, and he drove around and visited as many as he could. Bill envisioned a future in which every city in the US would have a distillery. He founded the American Distilling Institute when he got home, and watched the industry grow. Within 5 years there were 100 distilleries. During the early years of ADI it was mostly just Bill, stand- ing at his desk, and Ashley, his part-time assistant. But around 2010, seven years after ADI was founded, a big inection point occurred. ere were ~200 dis- tilleries operating, but craft distilling and craft spirits were starting to really resonate with popular culture. ADI brought on more sta, and rapidly started grow- ing too. In the last decade the number of distilleries has grown by an order of magnitude, with just under 2000 active distilleries operating in the US. But this movement isn't only happening in the US. Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa all boast nearly a hundred craft distilleries each. Gin is a big reason, with nearly 2000 brands available in London. Suce to say, Bill has had a pretty good run. He is now 82, and as he likes to remind me "I'm doing pretty good for an 82 year old." Beginning January of last year, he decided to take on a dierent role, that of President Emeritus, and asked me to take the Pres- ident's seat. It is such a huge honor to continue the work he started. Since taking the helm in 2019, ADI has moved forward with some exciting new projects — and a lot has changed. As with many of you no doubt, recent events involving the coronavirus pandemic have prov- en to be perhaps the greatest challenge ADI — and the country — has faced in recent memory. For the rst time in ADI's history, and owing to a broad suite of health, safety and logistical concerns, we were forced to postpone our annual Conference & Vendor Expo, scheduled this year for New Orleans, Louisiana. As of this writing, we are working on a contingency plan for rescheduling the conference, but much uncertain- ty remains. We recognize how fortunate we are to have such a dedicated and enthusiastic family of ADI members and sponsors. It is with all of you in mind that we commit ourselves to moving forward, despite our shared setbacks, to capitalize on the momentum we've otherwise built over the last year. And I am excited to share with you here what we've been up to. First, in 2019 we restructured the silent auction held during annual Conference & Vendor Expo to now serve as a funding source for our non-prot Distilling Research Endowment. e endowment, designed to fund academic research in the distilling industry, will be distributed each year in the form of Distilling Research Grants. Since its earlier inception in 2018, $48,000 has been raised and $27,900 has been granted for research. Also starting this year we are transitioning our Distillers Resource Directory to the online "Directory." It is a member-only benet, where the print directory is now available online in a mobile-friendly format.And at the end of February, 2020, ADI hosted a webinar in partnership with Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA) to help craft producers better understand how to work with distributors. For the last 3 years, Nancy Fraley has been teach- ing a 3-day version of her Blending and Maturation class at Iron Root Republic in Texas, and I couldn't recommend attending it more highly. I have been to the class 3 times, and every time I come away with a deeper understanding of the crazy world that is barrel maturation. And nosing with world-class experts in person is the best way to increase your knowledge and understanding of spirits. ADI continues its work of building connections within the industry through partnerships with oth- er associations and industry players. Last year ADI joined a legislative advocacy coalition called Spirits United, which includes the Distilled Spirits Council of the US (DISCUS), and the TIPS Training Program. And in February I attended the inaugural DISCUS convention in Louisville, KY. ADI and DISCUS are eager to continue working together on the many issues our memberships have in common, and we will be A Letter from the President

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