Today we’d like to introduce you to George Daher.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
Founded in 2017, Shire Distilling Co. was founded on three core values: Honor, Integrity, and Continually Seeking a Better Spirit. We believe quality, locally-sourced ingredients make the superior spirit and we are driven to be best micro-distillery in the Southwest.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
This is a tough industry, making product is the easy and fun part of the business. The tough part is all the legal and tax responsibilities that are part of this highly regulated business and then of course you have to be able to sell your product. Today you can walk into any Craft Brewery or Winery in Texas and buy products to go daily with minimal restriction of how much you can purchase for on or off premise consumption. Distilleries however are bound by archaic laws that have not been updated in decades only allowing us to sell two bottles per person per month and all sales for off premise consumption must be logged and available to show auditors of the state. This is a hurdle that hurts craft distilleries and cuts a potential revenue stream from us being able to survive. We are allowed to open as a tasting room/bar and sell our spirits as on premise consumption. Currently, we are only open to the public on Saturdays so this hardly helps us as it relates to cash flow. Bulk of our sales is to distributors who then sell to retailers who then sell to bars, restaurants, hotels, individuals, etc… But if they are not buying we are not making money and struggling. So marketing is everything getting word out about us, but marketing is very expensive.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Shire Distilling Co. – what should we know?
We distill and rectify craft spirits. We are primarily a whiskey company but also have a vodka product. Our products are:
Shire Shine Premium White Whiskey
Shire Fire Cinnamon Whiskey
Shire Oak Premium Bourbon
Shire Percheron French Oak Bourbon
Shire Ice Ultra-Premium Vodka
We are a Locally owned, Family-owned, Veteran owned and Minority owned craft distillery. Where most folks getting into craft distilling start and stay with a 50 gallon still which makes them dependent on sourcing spirits from other distilleries; we built a 600 gallon semi-automated process controlled Distillery. We went into this with the mentality that if we start big we will be big and it paid off. Right out of the chute when we had products to sell we got into 30 different Spec’s stores in Houston and the surrounding area. We are also in another 42 independent stores around the state and that number is growing as more and more folks learn about us.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Our family and close friends were our cheerleaders. Our president George Daher was the president of the local homebrew club the Cane Island Alers (CIA) for three years and has over 20 years experience in brewing great beers. Tim Raines our VP of Operations and Distiller also came from a homebrew background and together when the two came up with the idea for opening a craft distillery went and trained at a production distillery in Virginia for two weeks to learn the ins and outs of operating the commercial equipment and learning how to make cuts to produce the best tasting spirits. Then there is Lynn Daher our VP of Administration without her our reporting and clerical responsibilities would be in shambles. She brings strong organizational skills and an extra set of hands wherever needed.
Contact Info:
- Address: Shire Distilling Co.
505 Bains ST ste 303
Brookshire, TX 77423 - Phone: 281-375-9151
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: #shiredistilling
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/shiredistilling
- Twitter: #shiredistilling
- Other: www.shiredistilling.com
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