Stark Spirits Distillery facts for kids

Stark Spirits Distillery is a special place in Pasadena, California. It makes different kinds of drinks. Greg Stark is the main person who makes these drinks. He is called the Head Distiller.

This small distillery is owned by a husband and wife team, Greg Stark and Karen Robinson-Stark. It's located close to the Pasadena Rose Bowl. Stark Spirits was the first small distillery in Pasadena. It is also one of only two distilleries in Los Angeles County.

Stark Spirits is known for making small batches of drinks by hand. These drinks include whiskey, rum, gin, and brandy. They are also a Certified Craft Distillery. This means they meet special rules for small, independent makers.

How Stark Spirits Started

The Still area. This is where Stark Spirits Distillery makes its drinks in Pasadena, California.

Planning for the distillery began in late 2011. In 2012, they found a good spot for it in Pasadena. This area was set aside for small industrial businesses.

In April 2013, they rented the space. They then sent in applications to the government to get their licenses. This took several months. The government even shut down for a while, which caused more delays.

Finally, Stark Spirits got its licenses in November and December 2013. But they still couldn't start selling right away. Local city rules about making alcoholic drinks caused more delays. Stark Spirits sold its first products in December 2014.

The distillery is quite small, less than 1200 square feet. It's called a "nano-distillery" because it can't make a huge amount of drinks each year. Even when working at full speed, they make fewer than 5,000 cases of drinks annually.

People in the local community were very interested in the distillery. For example, three cases of their Sunshine Orange Brandy sold out quickly when they first appeared in stores.

Greg Stark is the main distiller, and Karen Robinson helps him. Greg started making drinks after many years of making his own wine and beer at home. Stark Spirits aims to make excellent single malt whiskey. They also make rum, orange brandy, and gin.

Stark Spirits is known as a certified craft distillery. This is because the owners also make the drinks themselves. They also bottle all their products and make less than 50,000 cases a year. They like to use traditional ways to make their small batches of drinks.

The World of Small Distilleries

Making drinks on a small scale has been a real business in the United States for about 20 years. This type of small distillery started in California. Now, you can find them in all 50 states.

These small, craft distilleries make up only a tiny part of the whole drink-making industry in the U.S. It's about 1% of all spirit manufacturing. The government rules for making drinks are the same for huge companies and tiny ones.

The government group that makes these rules is called the TTB. This stands for the Tobacco and Trade Bureau. They have many rules, even about how small the letters on bottle labels can be!

States can also make their own rules about selling drinks. One important rule is the "3-tier system." This rule was made after Prohibition ended. It was meant to stop big companies from controlling all the stores.

The 3-tier system means that drink makers must sell their products to special distributors. These distributors then sell to stores. People can only buy drinks from these stores. However, in 42 states, small distilleries can sell directly to customers at their location. But California, where Stark Spirits is, is not one of those states.

A "micro-distillery" usually means a place that makes no more than 100,000 cases of drinks a year. But some people think a "craft distillery" should make even less, like 50,000 cases or fewer.

Many groups have formed to help small distilleries. They want to make it easier for these small businesses to succeed. Sometimes, big drink companies buy small brands. This can make it confusing to know what "craft-produced" really means.

Small distilleries across the U.S. hope new government rules will pass. These rules would lower the taxes they pay on the drinks they make. Right now, big and small distilleries pay the same high tax per gallon. For example, they all pay $13.50 for each "proof gallon." "Proof" tells you how much alcohol is in a drink.

Small breweries and wineries already get tax breaks. For example, small breweries pay much less tax on their first barrels of beer each year. This helps them compete with huge breweries. Small distilleries hope to get the same kind of help.

Small businesses are very important for the American economy. Groups like the American Craft Spirits Association are working to change laws. They want to help small distilleries grow and succeed.

Awards

• 2015 Bronze Medal for Packaging - ADI
• 2016 Best of Category & Silver Medal - Overproof Rum - California Silver 151 Rum
• 2016 Silver Medal - Sunshine Orange Brandy
• 2016 Bronze Medal - Peated Single Malt Whiskey
• 2016 Bronze Medal - California Gold Rum

Products

Drinks They Make Now

• Sunshine Orange Brandy
• California Silver Rum
• California Silver 151 Rum
• California Gold Rum
• California Single American whiskey
• Peated Single Malt Whiskey
• Skyline Gin
• Traditional Aquavit

Drinks Coming Soon

• Rye Whiskey