2009 Brandy Distilling Conference at St. George

The American Distilling Institute’s (ADI) 6^th Annual Brandy Distilling Conference kicks off Friday evening April 3^rd with a reception at Anchor Distilling, San Francisco. The distilling conference hosted at St. George-Hangar One Distillery in Alameda, CA, gathers together distillers from across the United States and Canada involved in the process of hands on spirits creation.

ADI Director, Bill Owens, has chosen brandy as the theme for this year’s conference and distilling workshops. Various other spirits will be highlighted throughout the event. While interest in brandy distillation is not as popular as other spirits, part of the thought that went into choosing this particular theme was to raise awareness and appreciation for the diverse brandies being created around the country.

Sessions include discussions on “American Eau de Vie”, California Alambic Brandy, and the classic French Brandies: Armagnac, Cognac and Calvados. Consideration of white and brown spirits as well as flavored brandies and marketing for small brands will take place in smaller discussion groups. A few highlights of the event:

· Special industry only Brandy Awards Banquet and Tasting

· “Meet the Maker” Craft Spirits Festival open to the public beginning at 2:00pm Sunday April 5^th

· “Meet the Mixologist” for industry only to taste what the spirit can do behind the bar

· Hands-on Osocalis Brandy Distilling Workshop in Santa Cruz

For more information about the 2009 Brandy Distilling Conference go to the American Distilling Institute website. Click on Conference Schedule for a complete listing of speakers, sessions and times. Conference Registration and sign up for ADI Membership is easy online through the ADI website.

Now for the really interesting “people” part. The Intoxicologist is one lucky girl. I am extremely fortunate to have been invited to attend this event and meet the craft distillers from around the United States and Canada who will be participating and attending. At the moment all I know for certain is the Conference Schedule of speakers who will no doubt show up to talk about their craft. Second of all take a look at the Brandy Distilleries and Craft Distillers listing to see who else might be attending. The list is vast.

Below are a few photos taken from some of the distiller sites at random. Be sure to click on the photos for an enlarged view. Many of the Brandy Distillery sites are linked below the photos. Visit the sites for a closer look at all they have to offer. Coming soon: a closer look at Craft Distillers around the United States.