HDA at the ADI Conference

First things first- Thank you Eric for inviting us to the ADI 2026 Conference, and your hospitality.  It is very much appreciated!

As we have mentioned a few times, the Hobby Distillers Association was invited to the American Distilling Institute conference this year.  With the legal wins and our continued work on forging a path for home hobby distillers to have a legal path to distill at home as a hobby, it was great to be recognized for those efforts.

I was also asked to deliver a keynote address at the conference, which was a very flattering offer.  Obviously, I was thrilled to get the opportunity to speak directly to the craft industry at what is likely the largest craft distilling conference of the year!

We were fortunate enough to get a one-on-one interview with Steve Grasse of Tamworth Distillery and Quaker City Mercantile.  Steve has been in the distilling industry for decades, and is highly respected, so to get a chance to sit down with him was both enlightening and exciting for me.  It turned into a great chat about everything hobby distilling to where the craft is headed.  We have posted the interview on our YouTube channel:

Several current HDA members stopped by our booth to say ‘hi’ and thank us for the work we are doing to try to create a path for hobbyists to distill at home legally.  Several craft distillers also stopped by to show their support and tell us they were behind this.

We were also invited to meet with representatives of distilling guilds from several states, and we were welcomed very warmly.  They all expressed their support in our efforts, even telling us to let them know if they are able to be of help.

Overall, we had a great time meeting everyone at the show, and appreciate the show of support.  We know that most of the people in the hobby and craft industries are very welcoming, and those at the ADI conference just proved that again.  We look forward to seeing you again, the next time our paths cross.