Every distillery that has ever gone through an ERP implementation has gone in with the same belief: that choosing the right software is the hard part.
It isn’t.
After years of distillery software demos, implementation conversations, and post-go-live check-ins across dozens of spirits producers, from small craft operations to multi-brand portfolio companies, I’ve watched enough of both outcomes to say this confidently: the software is rarely what separates distillery ERP success stories from cautionary tales. The organizational decisions made before, during, and after implementation almost always are.
That’s not a knock on platform evaluation. Distillery-specific functionality matters. TTB compliance, barrel program management, multi-warehouse operations, and lot traceability are all critical components of a system built for spirits production.
But I’ve seen producers choose the right platform and still struggle, and I’ve seen producers extract real business value from an imperfect start because they approached the process with the right disciplines in place. The difference is worth understanding before you commit.
What Do Distillery ERP Success Stories & Cautionary Tales Actually Have in Common?
Distillery ERP success stories and cautionary tales typically have real operational pain. Both have production complexity that spreadsheets and disconnected systems can no longer support. Both have leaders who understand that ERP is the right move.
I recently sat down with Breckenridge Distillery, Colorado’s largest distillery, to discuss their move to Crafted ERP. With roughly 120 employees spanning a full tasting room, restaurant, and nationwide wholesale operation across all 50 states, Breckenridge is a pragmatic example. The distillery was running production and compliance in Whiskey Systems while accounting ran in QuickBooks.
As Randy Schieber, senior supply chain manager, described it, “There was a big disconnect as far as following the cost of everything. It could do the basics very well. It could do tax calculations very well. But what it couldn’t do is tie it all together.”
Their story also illustrates one of the more common triggers: an acquisition. When Tilray acquired Breckenridge, SOX compliance requirements created an urgent, non-negotiable need for audit-ready financial controls, and the existing patchwork couldn’t support it.
The business case was clear. The question was finding the right platform and partner to make it happen quickly.
The Three Questions Every Distillery Should Be Able to Answer First
Before any distillery commits to an ERP platform, there are three questions I always want to hear answered clearly. They reveal not just system readiness, but organizational readiness.
ERP implementation touches every department — production, compliance, finance, inventory, and sales. If the project lead can’t make cross-functional decisions without constant escalation, the project will stall. Ownership has to come with actual authority.
Distillery data, such as barrel records, lot traceability, proof gallon calculations, and multi-warehouse inventory, is particularly complex. Producers who give an honest assessment of their data quality before implementation starts are the ones who don’t get ambushed by it mid-project.
This is where Randy put it best. His litmus test for any ERP vendor was simple. “One of the very first questions I always ask is, do you understand the concept of a proof gallon? And that’s usually a qualifier or a nonstarter,” he said.
If the software vendor couldn’t answer that, the conversation was over. If they could, and if they could walk through the rest of the production process with him, it signaled something worth pursuing.
Why Do C-Suite Expectations Derail More Implementations Than the Software Does?
Executive sponsors often expect ERP to be largely invisible, something the operations or IT team handles while they focus on the business. In practice, implementation requires executive engagement at key decision points throughout.
At Breckenridge, the challenge was compounded by Tilray’s ownership structure, which required the distillery’s IT and audit teams to be involved alongside production and finance in every system decision. COO Ken Bohnet described it as a significant coordination challenge, but one the implementation team adapted to.
“They did a great job of understanding how our distillery, audit, and IT teams all needed to be involved. We worked through that very quickly, and now it’s just part of the normal process,” said Ken.
That level of cross-functional ownership isn’t unique to companies with parent-company oversight. It’s the standard every distillery should hold itself to, and one of the most reliable predictors of whether an implementation succeeds.
The Distillery Variables Generic ERP Consistently Underestimates
Industry-specific implementation experience matters more than most distillery owners realize going in.
Randy’s team evaluated other platforms and walked away from several. He explained, “There are many solutions out there, but there are very few that can actually do the taxes, the accounting, and the production process for distilling, specifically, very well.”
Three variables consistently trip up generic ERP implementations.
- TTB compliance data structure isn’t a reporting layer. It’s foundational to how production data needs to be organized from day one.
- Barrel program complexity, from fill counts and angel share to harvest scheduling across multiple warehouses, requires full integration into production, inventory, and financials.
- Multi-warehouse operations in the spirits industry carry compliance implications that most platforms simply aren’t designed for.
Stephanie Miller, Breckenridge’s controller, described what changed when the systems finally began to talk to each other. “We can be much more certain that our data is accurate, that our numbers are accurate, our financial reports are accurate,” said Stephanie.
For a finance team operating inside a SOX-compliant parent company structure, that certainty isn’t a convenience. It’s a requirement.
What Does a Great Distillery ERP Outcome Actually Look Like?
The distilleries I’m proudest to work with didn’t just implement successfully — they changed how they operate at a fundamental level.
At Breckenridge, the audit process transformed. While the audit team previously required extensive supporting documentation for every approval, those controls now reside within the system.
Ken described the shift directly: “It speeds up all of our audit processes because they can rely on the system, and they don’t have to ask us for supporting documentation on approvals and things like that. It’s all contained within the system.”
Randy’s view of what the platform became captures the broader shift. He said, “It’s more than an ERP system. It’s a planning tool, a project management tool — and there are many modules we haven’t even unlocked yet.”
That’s the description of a system that’s been adopted, not just installed.
Built in NetSuite, Built for Distilling
Crafted was built for exactly these moments: purpose-built distillery functionality in Oracle NetSuite’s enterprise-grade infrastructure, designed around TTB compliance, barrel management, and multi-warehouse operations as foundational requirements. It’s built in, not as an afterthought.
A word on timing: not every distillery is ready to get full value from ERP right now. If your data is in disarray, your leadership isn’t aligned on scope, or your production processes aren’t stable enough to systematize, address those gaps first. An implementation will surface every crack in your operation. The ones fixed before you start will cost far less than the ones discovered mid-project.
If you’re working through what your next phase of growth actually needs operationally, I’d enjoy that conversation. Reach out to my team to set up a business analysis or personalized demo.
About Dan Reese
Dan Reese joined Doozy Solutions and Crafted ERP as chief revenue officer in 2024, where he leads customer-facing teams including sales, marketing, services, and client success. Dan has spent 10+ years in revenue management and business development in the craft beverage industry, recently serving as CRO for Longmont, Colorado-based CanSource.
