The day before the gin run
The gin bottling is on Wednesday. On Tuesday the team finds the new-season labels have not arrived, the stoppers in stock are the wrong finish for the new bottle, and two of the four people needed on the line are booked for a tour. The spirit is ready in the tank. The run moves to the following week and a retailer order waits.
In a small distillery, bottling is usually done by the same people who run tours, fill casks and pack web orders, which makes the planning fragile.
Why bottling runs slip
A bottling run depends on several people and suppliers, and each piece is checked by a different person at a different time. The spirit side is the distiller's. The dry goods are ordered by whoever does purchasing. Labels depend on design and printer. Staffing depends on the visitor centre rota. None of them look at the run as a whole until the day.
- Bottling dates are in a spreadsheet or calendar with no checks attached.
- Dry goods are checked against the run the day before.
- Label versions and artwork status are tracked in email.
- Line staff are shared with tours and the shop.
- Actual output is written on paper after the run.
What a slipped run costs
Orders waiting for stock, from retailers, distributors and your own webshop. Spirit sitting in a tank, taking up a vessel you need. Rushed runs with a skeleton crew. And rework when something goes wrong on the day, such as the wrong label or closure, which is slow and expensive at bottling speed.
One plan per bottling run
- Each run is created with the product, bottle size, target quantity and the spirit source, tank or casks.
- The bill of materials for that product lists bottles, closures, labels, capsules, cartons and cases, and the plan checks each against stock and incoming deliveries.
- Label versions are attached to the run, with artwork approval status, so an unapproved label shows as a risk.
- Staff needed for the line are requested from the rota, and clashes with tours or events are flagged.
- A countdown of checks with owners runs from a point you set before the run: spirit ready, dry goods on site, labels approved and delivered, staff confirmed.
- On the day, a run sheet shows setup, quantities and any lot or bottle codes to apply.
- At the end, actual output, rejects and dry goods used are recorded, updating stock and linking the bottles to the spirit source.
| Check | Owner | Status shown |
|---|---|---|
| Spirit reduced and ready | Distiller | Ready or not |
| Bottles and closures on site | Purchasing | Stock against need |
| Labels approved and delivered | Brand or design | Artwork and delivery status |
| Line staff confirmed | Rota manager | Names and clashes |
| Run sheet ready | Production | Printed the day before |
Bottling days that happen as planned
Problems appear days ahead while they can still be fixed. The line has the people it needs. Output goes straight into stock, so sales can promise it the same day. Over time, you can see which checks tend to slip and plan around them, which is the difference between planning and hoping.
Recognise your bottling planning?
- Runs have moved because a dry good or label was missing.
- Line staff are pulled from tours at the last minute.
- Dry goods are checked the day before the run.
- Label artwork status lives in email.
- Output figures are written up after the run.