Prohibition University

Prohibition University Providing training and experiential learning on the art of fermentation and distillation. My course curriculum is based on my studies from IBD....

There are many Distillery Workshops out there, all purporting to be the best. I don't play that game. The course content that I deliver is based on my rigorous studies at the UK based Institute for Brewing & Distilling. I ensure course participants are given a thorough grounding in the science of raw materials, the science of mashing, the science of oak aging, the science of fermentation and the p

hysics of fractional distillation. I then ensure that participants are given a rigorous look at marketing strategies for micro-distilleries. I even go so far as to explore NLP marketing techniques. I then also ensure that participants are given a thorough treatment of the Provincial requirements and Code requirements for start-up followed by a detailed look at Business Plan preparation and financial forecasts. I don't preach at classes and tell you my way is the only way. I don't try to impress classes with my swagger and ego. I don't suggest that your success will be guaranteed and that opening a distillery will be the greatest thing to ever happen to you. Craft distilling is a serious business with serious competitors nipping at your heels. Planning to open a craft distillery demands a serious Workshop. That's what I deliver. For 2017 my schedule will be very different than in the past. Please contact me directly to find out where I am set to deliver Workshops. If you are contemplating risking your hard earned capital on a distillery start-up, why take some budget-priced flimsy Workshop that promotes craft distilling as the dream you have been waiting for. Take the Workshop that offers you technical detail, business and marketing details along with serious hands-on time in a working distillery.

Data continues to show that the economy is slowing as interest rates rise. But prices of consumer goods are not coming d...
08/09/2023

Data continues to show that the economy is slowing as interest rates rise. But prices of consumer goods are not coming down. So, I say it is time to take action! Never mind buying your beverage alcohol from the big commercial brand names. Never mind the retail liquor stores whose employees are on strike or threatening to strike, demanding higher wages. Make your own booze instead! Remember that 1 kg of grain (plus yeast, enzymes etc...) will make you a bottle of 40% abv alcohol. The monetary savings are amazing! We are doing our next distilling workshop Sept 12-15 at Urban Distilleries & Winery in West Kelowna. The knowledge you will glean from this event will set you up well for the future. See you in September!

Non-alcoholic booze. If this sounds like an oxymoron, it is. But make no mistake, zero alcohol beverages are a hot commo...
07/13/2023

Non-alcoholic booze. If this sounds like an oxymoron, it is. But make no mistake, zero alcohol beverages are a hot commodity these days. In the coming September workshop, I will take the time to discuss solvent chemistry and I will explore with the class how a craft operator can go about making zero alcohol beverages to capitalize on this growing market.

The date is set. Mark your calendars. Sept 12-15 at Urban Distillery in West Kelowna (Urban Distilleries & Winery). Take...
07/10/2023

The date is set. Mark your calendars. Sept 12-15 at Urban Distillery in West Kelowna (Urban Distilleries & Winery). Take your beverage alcohol to a new level. Learn how the stuff is made. Learn the dark secrets of the big brand name commercial distillers (hint - you may never touch these brand names again!) As for the image you see in this post - this Gin is made by a gentleman from Quebec who took the workshop in 2017. He now calls himself Distillerie Vent du Nord.

The economy...that's what's on my mind. Inflation, interest rates, all that nasty stuff. I say never mind all of that st...
06/14/2023

The economy...that's what's on my mind. Inflation, interest rates, all that nasty stuff. I say never mind all of that stuff. So starting a craft distillery is not in the cards? No worries. You can still learn how to make credibly good alcoholic beverages at home (in your garage or she-shed...). What better way to learn that to treat yourself to a 4-day hands-on learning event in West Kelowna at Urban Distilleries & Winery. These 4 days are wicked! You will learn the science of grain, yeast, fermenting, and distilling. But it will be presented in an easy-to-learn manner. You will learn what basic equipment you need (it's not expensive...) and you will have unfettered access in the weeks and months after the Workshop to your instructor via email or phone (he really wants you to succeed at your new hobby...). So, September...West Kelowna...Urban Distillery... see you there!

One subject I tackle in a typical Workshop is that of Vodka. The average consumer has NO CLUE what Vodka even is. They l...
03/08/2023

One subject I tackle in a typical Workshop is that of Vodka. The average consumer has NO CLUE what Vodka even is. They look at the label on a bottle and see 40% abv. But, they have NO CLUE what alcohol even is. When I challenge people to tell me the chemical formula for "alcohol", the classroom falls silent. The picture in this post reinforces a critical idea. Vodka is a marketing game. If craft distillers somehow think they are going to make $$ by selling Vodka, they are in for a rude awakening. The Tito's product shown in the picture is NOT made by a man and his dog in a copper still in Texas. Nope! Sorry to disappoint. Tito's is distillate that comes from an ethanol factory in the US mid-West. The factory uses corn as its feedstock, hence the very subtle touch of sweetness that my tastebuds detect when I sip Titos. The #1 Canadian vodka shown at left in the picture is made in Alberta by the same distillery (owned by Japanese firm Suntory) that makes Alberta Premium Rye Whisky. The marketing schtick for this vodka even references locally grown rye, spicy notes etc... It is #1 because of massive marketing dollars spent to tell the consumers it is #1. Once you spend 4 days with me in a Workshop, I dare say you will be so pi**ed off with the games being played by booze makers that you will have an overwhelming urge to buy a Turbo 500 home still and start making your own vodka..... See you in May at the next Workshop in Kelowna, BC....

What's the difference between these two whiskies? I recently tried to explain the difference to someone in Mossbank, SK....
03/07/2023

What's the difference between these two whiskies? I recently tried to explain the difference to someone in Mossbank, SK. It was like I was banging my head against the wall. Consumers are brand loyal beyond belief. If they do not understand how a product is made, they will revert to drinking a product that their taste buds are familiar with. This is the kind of stuff you will learn about when you spend 4 days with me at a Workshop in Kelowna, BC. So what is the difference? For starters, Gibson's is Canadian. Edradour is Scottish. Gibson's is made from wheat and barley. Edradour is made from barley. Gibson's is distilled one time through an industrial process that creates distillate at 95% abv. The flavor is stripped out. It is then (by law) left to sit in oak barrels for 3 years. It is "tweaked" with caramel color and other legally allowed flavor enhancements. Edradour is distilled 2 X using traditional pot stills. The distillate coming off the process will be around 70% abv. It will have loads of flavor and mouthfeel. It is aged for at least 10 years in oak barrels. There are no color or flavor "tweaks" added. Because Gibson's (and other Canadian whisky products) are essentially brown colored vodka, consumers have learned to mix it with cola or ginger ale. By the way, my lecturers at Heriot Watt think that Canadian whisky drinkers are cretons and that Canadian whisky is "pish". Edradour is best enjoyed with a wee splash of water and nothing else. There is a lot of taste enjoyment from drinking a full bodied, 2 X pot distilled product. I like to say I am changing the way Canadians drink and I am doing it one person at a time. Slow going, but I will get there.....

03/07/2023

The next Craft Distilling experience will be held in early May. Details are on my website ProhibitionUniversity.com. Or, contact Urban Distilleries in Kelowna and speak to Mark for details. The knowledge you gain from learning how beverage alcohol is made will forever change how you drink, and what you drink.

01/12/2023

Distillery for Sale in southern Ontario.... If you have thought about getting into the craft distilling business, and if you live in Ontario, I am aware of a working craft distillery for sale. I have known the owner since 2015 when he took one of the Distillery Workshops in Kelowna. If you are seriously interested in exploring this opportunity please contact me by phone. Serious inquiries only please...

01/12/2023

Corn....and America. Several years ago (Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS2) in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007), the US gov't created a scheme whereby farmers would receive tax subsidies if they grew corn to feed the growing number of ethanol factories. The goal was to make ethanol to blend into fuel at a rate of 10% by volume. Oops! Farmers ploughed under 7.3 million acres of marginal land and dumped a sh*tload of fertilizer onto the soil to take advantage of this corn growing scheme. These 7.3 million acres were the home to migratory birds, bees, animals etc... Effective now, the corn scheme is being halted. It looks like farmers will be told to grow "biomass grasses" which are more environmentally friendly. The leaves and stems of the grasses will be processed slightly differently than the corn - the net result will be cellulosic ethanol. Easier said than done. The chemistry is complex. All of this could have an impact on the US craft distilling industry. As ethanol factories transition to making cellulosic ethanol, there could be a supply disruption. This will boost prices of the remaining stocks of corn ethanol. Craft distillers will be forced to pay more ($$) if they are sourcing corn ethanol to make their vodkas ( Hello Tito's Vodka...). The other unknown is the purity of the cellulosic ethanol. Will it be even get GRAS (Generally Regarded As Safe) approvals for human intake from the USFDA? Here in Canada we might even be affected. The ethanol factory in Unity, SK uses wheat as its feedstock. I do believe the factory in Tiverton, ON does likewise. But, a large percentage of this Canadian ethanol finds its way into the US fuel blending market. As the export market dries up, will these Canadian factories be able to survive? Stay tuned to this story....it is going to be fascinating.

P**s poor water flow valves...that's what's on my mind today. I am getting tired of doing big batches of distillate on m...
10/29/2022

P**s poor water flow valves...that's what's on my mind today. I am getting tired of doing big batches of distillate on my Hillbilly still. So I bought a Turbo 500 unit to mount atop my Grainfather brew kettle. All good...except the water flow valve to the condenser is super sensitive. Look at it with a scowl on your face and the flow rate will change! If anyone has managed to find a better flow control valve to replace the one that comes with the kit, please let me know. Otherwise, the distillate coming off the packed column was excellent.

Sometimes it pays to take the road less travelled. Yesterday we decided to take Hwy 148 from Gatineau QC and follow the ...
09/22/2022

Sometimes it pays to take the road less travelled. Yesterday we decided to take Hwy 148 from Gatineau QC and follow the Ottawa River. A "fromagerie" with excellent cheese and tourtiere meat pies in Montebello QC was just the start of the adventure. Next we found ourselves in the tiny village of Bristol QC at Cidrerie Coronation Hall Cider Mills. The owners were there and were gracious enough to offer me a tour. I have never seen an apple press up close with its heavy steel rollers and thick belts to drive the machine. I learned that they press up to 4 varietals of apple. I learned that a German wine yeast strain is used to ferment the pressed juice. The cider is dry and crisp. I am thinking it will pair well with pasta dishes and quite likely Indian curry dishes. In addition to cider, you can also buy cans of lightly carbonated apple juice, jars of apple butter (excellent on toast for breakfast), apple BBQ sauce, and apple pie (I should have bought more pies....the one that I did buy seems to be disappearing quickly....). All in all, a fantastic journey along the road less travelled.

09/19/2022

Hartland, New Brunswick. You gotta visit here. It is the home of the longest covered bridge in the world (1283 feet). The covered bridge theme was taken up by a local potato grower who decided to start making potato chips. Best chips ever! I even had a tour of the small factory where the chips are made. Across the street I spied a craft distillery. WOW! A long covered bridge, tasty potato chips, and now booze. I was ready to start looking at real estate in Hartland.... The distillery is Moonshinecreekdistillery and I was lucky to meet co-owner Jeremiah Clark. We soon struck up a serious conversation and that is when I learned that he uses a 2X distillation approach in making whisky. This is quite rare in craft distilling circles. Jeremiah understands the microbiology and chemistry of whisky making, which is another rare occurrence. The rye whisky and corn whisky were both phenomenal. I will be taking these products with me to Kelowna in early October (our Workshop is Oct 4-7th) to showcase to people how whisky should be made. I have been emphasizing for years now the importance of a 2X distillation technique. It is a pleasure to finally see a craft distiller who is using the technique. I am told that you can order on-line and Moonshine Creek will have your bottles sent to your house by courier. I highly encourage you to try Jeremiahs products. They are just plain damn good!

Address

Mossbank, SK
S0H3G0

Telephone

+13062166663

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