The Volatility of Whiskey Distilleries
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Threat of Fire:
The current proposal for a distillery at 1355 Kings Highway in Sugar Loaf, NY, serves as an imminent threat to the safety, health and wellbeing of both Sugar Loaf residents and the physical hamlet itself. To emphasize the dangerous placement of a distillery at 1355 Kings Highway, we would like to call attention to Town Code 52-4:B, where the very first definition for a Critical Facility is listed as “Structures or facilities that produce, use, or store highly volatile, flammable, explosive, toxic and/or water-reactive materials”. The research documented below explicitly details the flammability and volatility of alcohol distillation centers and thereby makes it undeniable that a whiskey distillery fits the definition of a Critical Facility entirely. Furthermore, Town Code 52-19clearly states, “In order to prevent potential flood damage to certainfacilities that would result in serious danger to life and health, or widespread social or economic dislocation, no new critical facility shall be located within any area of special flood hazard, or within any five-hundred-year flood zone… on the Community's Flood Insurance Rate Maps.” The declaration in question 16 of Mr. Donnelly’s Short Environmental Assessment Form clearly asserts that the property is located within the 100 year flood plain. Based on these definitions and criteria, it is abundantly clear that a whiskey distillery is precluded by town code from being constructed in this location.
Whiskey distilleries are extremely volatile and pose significant threats of fire. One only has to google the term “Distillery Fire” to find countless articles detailing massive explosions and blazes caused by other distilleries, both large and small, across the country. The links following this section of address will document just some of those many tragedies.
According to the presentation by Mr. Donnelly and his developer at the last Town Planning Board meeting, there is room in their plan for a 20 foot circumferential water silo specificallyto address the threat of fire, highlighting their foreknowledge of the dangers posed by a distillery. While to them, that may seem like enough, research shows it would be largely inadequate to protect their own property, as well as the surrounding properties and residents.
Hard liquor, which is generally 40% alcohol by volume, or higher, is incredibly flammable. Recent studies by the National Fire Protection Association, specifically in regard to alcohol distilleries, notes that storage of such highly flammable material poses specific and serious concern. The NFPA states,
The FM Global research shows that, while fire sprinklers are typically effective at suppressing flames for rack-stored spirits where barrels are stored on their sides, wide flue spaces are essential in palletized configurations where barrels are stored upright. The combination of the upright barrels, which trap water flowing from ceiling sprinklers, and a lack of adequate flue spaces between palletized stacks can prevent water from reaching the fire.
In other words, whereas in typical fires, ceiling sprinklers are effective at mitigating damage and extinguishing a fire before it spreads, they are NOT effective when it comes to extinguishing fires in regard to alcohol storage. This is because the way barrels are stacked and stored does not allow the water to reach between the barrels and put out the source of the flames. According to the presentation made by Mr. Donnelly at the last Town Planning Board meeting, the alcohol would be made and stored in not just the distillery itself, but also in a portion of the catering hall, and in the storage shed to be built just 5 feet away from the neighboring property. Not only is there risk of fire from storage in one location, this proposal increases that risk threefold by storing the liquor in multiple locations spread throughout the 2.1 acre property.
Still, the storage of the liquor is not the only threat posed by the distillery. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association states, “It's not just the storage of spirits that's a hazard. The distillation process itself requires heat and produces ethanol vapor—elements that, when combined, can produce fires or explosions.” The NFPA looks specifically at the energy created from alcohol burns and the liquid’s flash point in regard to the danger posed by distillation. The NFPA asserts,
The fire hazard of making and storing distillates can be significant. According to data in a 2005 version of the fire protection manual created by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), pure ethanol—the alcohol present in spirits, beer, and wine—releases more than half the energy of 100-octane gasoline when it burns; the gasoline releases 20,750 BTU per pound, while ethanol releases 12,800 BTU per pound. The figure is much lower for ethanol-water solutions measuring 40 percent ABV—the level of alcohol present in 80-proof distilled spirits—at about 4,300 BTU per pound. Flashpoints, or the temperature at which liquids give off enough vapor to ignite in air, also shed light on the dangers of distilling. The flashpoint of pure ethanol is 55 degrees F—well below room temperature—while the flashpoint of a 40 percent ABV solution is 79 degrees F.
The flash point of a flammable liquid is defined as the lowest temperature at which it can form an ignitable mixture in the air. The distillation process requires heat and produces ethanol vapor. As documented in the graphic below provided by the NFPA, the flashpoint for ethanol is only 55 degrees Fahrenheit! The flashpoint for 80-proof liquor is 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, that may be a bit higher than the flashpoint of pure ethanol or gasoline, but any resident of Sugar Loaf will tell you that temperatures regularly rise above 79 degrees. This will certainly be true in buildings that host large gatherings of people and cook food, like the catering hall, and can certainly be true of residences as well. The whiskey storage proposed for this site is hazardous.
Threat of Fire:
The current proposal for a distillery at 1355 Kings Highway in Sugar Loaf, NY, serves as an imminent threat to the safety, health and wellbeing of both Sugar Loaf residents and the physical hamlet itself. To emphasize the dangerous placement of a distillery at 1355 Kings Highway, we would like to call attention to Town Code 52-4:B, where the very first definition for a Critical Facility is listed as “Structures or facilities that produce, use, or store highly volatile, flammable, explosive, toxic and/or water-reactive materials”. The research documented below explicitly details the flammability and volatility of alcohol distillation centers and thereby makes it undeniable that a whiskey distillery fits the definition of a Critical Facility entirely. Furthermore, Town Code 52-19clearly states, “In order to prevent potential flood damage to certainfacilities that would result in serious danger to life and health, or widespread social or economic dislocation, no new critical facility shall be located within any area of special flood hazard, or within any five-hundred-year flood zone… on the Community's Flood Insurance Rate Maps.” The declaration in question 16 of Mr. Donnelly’s Short Environmental Assessment Form clearly asserts that the property is located within the 100 year flood plain. Based on these definitions and criteria, it is abundantly clear that a whiskey distillery is precluded by town code from being constructed in this location.
Whiskey distilleries are extremely volatile and pose significant threats of fire. One only has to google the term “Distillery Fire” to find countless articles detailing massive explosions and blazes caused by other distilleries, both large and small, across the country. The links following this section of address will document just some of those many tragedies.
According to the presentation by Mr. Donnelly and his developer at the last Town Planning Board meeting, there is room in their plan for a 20 foot circumferential water silo specificallyto address the threat of fire, highlighting their foreknowledge of the dangers posed by a distillery. While to them, that may seem like enough, research shows it would be largely inadequate to protect their own property, as well as the surrounding properties and residents.
Hard liquor, which is generally 40% alcohol by volume, or higher, is incredibly flammable. Recent studies by the National Fire Protection Association, specifically in regard to alcohol distilleries, notes that storage of such highly flammable material poses specific and serious concern. The NFPA states,
The FM Global research shows that, while fire sprinklers are typically effective at suppressing flames for rack-stored spirits where barrels are stored on their sides, wide flue spaces are essential in palletized configurations where barrels are stored upright. The combination of the upright barrels, which trap water flowing from ceiling sprinklers, and a lack of adequate flue spaces between palletized stacks can prevent water from reaching the fire.
In other words, whereas in typical fires, ceiling sprinklers are effective at mitigating damage and extinguishing a fire before it spreads, they are NOT effective when it comes to extinguishing fires in regard to alcohol storage. This is because the way barrels are stacked and stored does not allow the water to reach between the barrels and put out the source of the flames. According to the presentation made by Mr. Donnelly at the last Town Planning Board meeting, the alcohol would be made and stored in not just the distillery itself, but also in a portion of the catering hall, and in the storage shed to be built just 5 feet away from the neighboring property. Not only is there risk of fire from storage in one location, this proposal increases that risk threefold by storing the liquor in multiple locations spread throughout the 2.1 acre property.
Still, the storage of the liquor is not the only threat posed by the distillery. In fact, the National Fire Protection Association states, “It's not just the storage of spirits that's a hazard. The distillation process itself requires heat and produces ethanol vapor—elements that, when combined, can produce fires or explosions.” The NFPA looks specifically at the energy created from alcohol burns and the liquid’s flash point in regard to the danger posed by distillation. The NFPA asserts,
The fire hazard of making and storing distillates can be significant. According to data in a 2005 version of the fire protection manual created by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), pure ethanol—the alcohol present in spirits, beer, and wine—releases more than half the energy of 100-octane gasoline when it burns; the gasoline releases 20,750 BTU per pound, while ethanol releases 12,800 BTU per pound. The figure is much lower for ethanol-water solutions measuring 40 percent ABV—the level of alcohol present in 80-proof distilled spirits—at about 4,300 BTU per pound. Flashpoints, or the temperature at which liquids give off enough vapor to ignite in air, also shed light on the dangers of distilling. The flashpoint of pure ethanol is 55 degrees F—well below room temperature—while the flashpoint of a 40 percent ABV solution is 79 degrees F.
The flash point of a flammable liquid is defined as the lowest temperature at which it can form an ignitable mixture in the air. The distillation process requires heat and produces ethanol vapor. As documented in the graphic below provided by the NFPA, the flashpoint for ethanol is only 55 degrees Fahrenheit! The flashpoint for 80-proof liquor is 79 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, that may be a bit higher than the flashpoint of pure ethanol or gasoline, but any resident of Sugar Loaf will tell you that temperatures regularly rise above 79 degrees. This will certainly be true in buildings that host large gatherings of people and cook food, like the catering hall, and can certainly be true of residences as well. The whiskey storage proposed for this site is hazardous.
According to the National Fire Protection Association, this fire risk does not only apply to large-scale facilities as some would like to think. As a matter of fact, the NFPA has noted that small craft distilleries pose a significant threat specifically because of their sizes, their staffing and their locations. The NFPA writes,
These concerns have taken on a particular urgency in recent years, during which small-scale distilling has become immensely popular around the country. Like the craft brewing movement before it, craft distilling is expected to keep growing. There are over 1,000 so-called craft distilleries—where liquor is made in typically small spaces by equally diminutive staffs, often just a few people—scattered across the country, and experts worry the production and storage of spirits at some of these facilities could be occurring with little regard for fire safety.
“These little craft distilleries can go almost anywhere,” says LeBlanc, who also chairs the NFPA 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code, technical committee. “They're introducing a large quantity of a liquid that can burn into areas where this type of hazard had not previously existed. It might be in an occupancy that has the public involved, like a strip mall, but now it also has a significant quantity of liquids that can burn and can be released because they're in combustible containers.
To simplify, craft distilleries, unlike their large counterparts that are generally isolated on huge parcels of land, are located so near the properties of other businesses and homeowners that it increases the danger of these facilities for the communities they sit within. Additionally, craft distilleries most often have very small, meagerly trained staff, who are not qualified to anticipate and mitigate the potential dangers of the large amounts of highly flammable liquid they’re working with. As Mr. Donnelly pointed out at the last board meeting in regard to parking, he too anticipates a very small staff for the distillery he’s proposing.
The NFPA goes further to emphasize the risk of craft breweries specifically. They write,
Although the Heaven Hill Distillery fire of 1996 was a massive blaze, jumping from one warehouse to another and decimating what was at the time two percent of the world's whiskey stock, it burned only on the facility's sweeping plot of rural Kentucky land. But that luxury of seclusion isn't afforded to the many smaller distilleries located in repurposed buildings on dense city blocks. What if, for example, a fire had broken out after the Wigle Whiskey boiler explosion and spread to nearby apartments or other businesses?
In summation, while the quantity of liquor stored at large distilleries may seem the largest threat, the location of these facilities on secluded parcels of land protects the neighboring community. The businesses and residents of Sugar Loaf would not be afforded that protection due to the incredibly close vicinity of this building to our homes and shops.
As anyone with knowledge of our beautiful hamlet can tell you, many of the adjacent businesses and artisans reside within the barns and buildings original to the community, some which date back to the 1700s. These buildings were not constructed with regard to current fire code and may be particularly vulnerable to fire. Furthermore, the loss of any of these buildings would absolutely devastate the historical beauty and integrity that serves as the very foundation that draws people to Sugar Loaf. These buildings, however well insured, are irreplaceable gems and pillars of the community and it would be incredibly negligent to put them at such risk.
Aside from the threat to adjacent businesses, the property at 1355 Kings Highway neighbors the residential community of Creamery Pond and Fox Hill rd. which together, total over 66 homes. This distillery would therefore serve as a fire risk to all residents, many of them children, within those homes. In addition to business owners, patrons and local residents, the location of the distillery directly next to the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center is also a risk. Not only is there a danger to the physical facility that tax payers were generous enough to approve the purchase of, but there is also a risk to the community members at large who are being encouraged to take advantage of the beautiful property for its scenic views and walking trails. Overall, the placement of this distillery directly among historic buildings, businesses, residences and town-owned property is exceedingly hazardous and may prove negligent should an accident ever occur.
Reflecting on past distillery fires, which go back for decades, the NFPA firmly asserts that the nature of these fires is not just a threat to property and assets, but can lead to a substantial loss of life. The NFPA declares,
When fires involving spirits do break out, they can result in much more than a monetary loss. One of the largest firefighter fatality incidents in history occurred during a fire in a warehouse where whiskey was being stored in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1960. Nineteen firefighters died in the blaze, known as the Cheapside Street whisky bond fire. “As the temperature of the fire increased, the spirit casks in the warehouse had begun to rupture. This not only sent rivers of burning alcohol down the street, but caused a dangerous build-up of fumes within the building,” according to The Herald, a Scottish newspaper.
As stated in the excerpt above, the casks of whiskey can create “rivers of burning alcohol”. Not only is this a serious concern in regard to our local firefighters, but the proposed distillery would be located on a sloping parcel of land, with its direct downhill neighbors being a highly populated residential community. The gradient of the rear of the property, according to topographical maps, varies from a 6:1 to nearly a 3:1 slope, making potential runoff dangerously likely.
Additional concerns regarding the distillery center on the multiple uses of the buildings occupied. The NFPA writes, “
Besides location, there are also concerns over who owners are willing to let inside the facilities. A feature common to almost every craft distillery is a tasting room, where visitors of legal drinking age can sip free or inexpensive samples of the business's products. Some distilleries offer tours as well, where participants can get face to face with the equipment used in the distillation process. These different uses create a mashup of occupancy types and classifications, like an assembly occupancy merged with an industrial occupancy containing hazardous materials. Elliot Gittleman, a fire protection engineer who consults for both the public and private sectors in the San Francisco area, tells the story of a distillery in Nevada that wanted to have visitors walk onto a deck overhanging the whiskey processing area. “I said, 'Unless you want to buy a lot of expensive fire-rated glass, you will not be able to get building department approval,'” he says.
The mixed use of 1355 Kings Highway would be even further complicated due to the fact that the distillery would not only be producing, storing and selling the liquor, but also house a tasting room, a full-fledged catering facility, multiple structures for storage and a residence all on the same small property.
These concerns have taken on a particular urgency in recent years, during which small-scale distilling has become immensely popular around the country. Like the craft brewing movement before it, craft distilling is expected to keep growing. There are over 1,000 so-called craft distilleries—where liquor is made in typically small spaces by equally diminutive staffs, often just a few people—scattered across the country, and experts worry the production and storage of spirits at some of these facilities could be occurring with little regard for fire safety.
“These little craft distilleries can go almost anywhere,” says LeBlanc, who also chairs the NFPA 30, Flammable and Combustible Liquids Code, technical committee. “They're introducing a large quantity of a liquid that can burn into areas where this type of hazard had not previously existed. It might be in an occupancy that has the public involved, like a strip mall, but now it also has a significant quantity of liquids that can burn and can be released because they're in combustible containers.
To simplify, craft distilleries, unlike their large counterparts that are generally isolated on huge parcels of land, are located so near the properties of other businesses and homeowners that it increases the danger of these facilities for the communities they sit within. Additionally, craft distilleries most often have very small, meagerly trained staff, who are not qualified to anticipate and mitigate the potential dangers of the large amounts of highly flammable liquid they’re working with. As Mr. Donnelly pointed out at the last board meeting in regard to parking, he too anticipates a very small staff for the distillery he’s proposing.
The NFPA goes further to emphasize the risk of craft breweries specifically. They write,
Although the Heaven Hill Distillery fire of 1996 was a massive blaze, jumping from one warehouse to another and decimating what was at the time two percent of the world's whiskey stock, it burned only on the facility's sweeping plot of rural Kentucky land. But that luxury of seclusion isn't afforded to the many smaller distilleries located in repurposed buildings on dense city blocks. What if, for example, a fire had broken out after the Wigle Whiskey boiler explosion and spread to nearby apartments or other businesses?
In summation, while the quantity of liquor stored at large distilleries may seem the largest threat, the location of these facilities on secluded parcels of land protects the neighboring community. The businesses and residents of Sugar Loaf would not be afforded that protection due to the incredibly close vicinity of this building to our homes and shops.
As anyone with knowledge of our beautiful hamlet can tell you, many of the adjacent businesses and artisans reside within the barns and buildings original to the community, some which date back to the 1700s. These buildings were not constructed with regard to current fire code and may be particularly vulnerable to fire. Furthermore, the loss of any of these buildings would absolutely devastate the historical beauty and integrity that serves as the very foundation that draws people to Sugar Loaf. These buildings, however well insured, are irreplaceable gems and pillars of the community and it would be incredibly negligent to put them at such risk.
Aside from the threat to adjacent businesses, the property at 1355 Kings Highway neighbors the residential community of Creamery Pond and Fox Hill rd. which together, total over 66 homes. This distillery would therefore serve as a fire risk to all residents, many of them children, within those homes. In addition to business owners, patrons and local residents, the location of the distillery directly next to the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center is also a risk. Not only is there a danger to the physical facility that tax payers were generous enough to approve the purchase of, but there is also a risk to the community members at large who are being encouraged to take advantage of the beautiful property for its scenic views and walking trails. Overall, the placement of this distillery directly among historic buildings, businesses, residences and town-owned property is exceedingly hazardous and may prove negligent should an accident ever occur.
Reflecting on past distillery fires, which go back for decades, the NFPA firmly asserts that the nature of these fires is not just a threat to property and assets, but can lead to a substantial loss of life. The NFPA declares,
When fires involving spirits do break out, they can result in much more than a monetary loss. One of the largest firefighter fatality incidents in history occurred during a fire in a warehouse where whiskey was being stored in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1960. Nineteen firefighters died in the blaze, known as the Cheapside Street whisky bond fire. “As the temperature of the fire increased, the spirit casks in the warehouse had begun to rupture. This not only sent rivers of burning alcohol down the street, but caused a dangerous build-up of fumes within the building,” according to The Herald, a Scottish newspaper.
As stated in the excerpt above, the casks of whiskey can create “rivers of burning alcohol”. Not only is this a serious concern in regard to our local firefighters, but the proposed distillery would be located on a sloping parcel of land, with its direct downhill neighbors being a highly populated residential community. The gradient of the rear of the property, according to topographical maps, varies from a 6:1 to nearly a 3:1 slope, making potential runoff dangerously likely.
Additional concerns regarding the distillery center on the multiple uses of the buildings occupied. The NFPA writes, “
Besides location, there are also concerns over who owners are willing to let inside the facilities. A feature common to almost every craft distillery is a tasting room, where visitors of legal drinking age can sip free or inexpensive samples of the business's products. Some distilleries offer tours as well, where participants can get face to face with the equipment used in the distillation process. These different uses create a mashup of occupancy types and classifications, like an assembly occupancy merged with an industrial occupancy containing hazardous materials. Elliot Gittleman, a fire protection engineer who consults for both the public and private sectors in the San Francisco area, tells the story of a distillery in Nevada that wanted to have visitors walk onto a deck overhanging the whiskey processing area. “I said, 'Unless you want to buy a lot of expensive fire-rated glass, you will not be able to get building department approval,'” he says.
The mixed use of 1355 Kings Highway would be even further complicated due to the fact that the distillery would not only be producing, storing and selling the liquor, but also house a tasting room, a full-fledged catering facility, multiple structures for storage and a residence all on the same small property.
The town of Chester acknowledges in the 2015 Comprehensive Plan, that the lack of central water and sewer in the Sugar Loaf Business District limits the development of more restaurants as they have higher water, sewage, and fire protection demands.
Sources Regarding Whiskey Volatility and Fire |
Below, please find the link for the National Fire Prevention Association frequently referenced in this research. You will also find many other links and excerpts detailing the hazardousness nature of whiskey distilleries.
Sources and Supplemental Information:
1) Small Scale, High Proof
As craft distilleries proliferate around the country, concerns grow over the scarcity of safety guidance offered for distillers and AHJs
BY ANGELO VERZONI
https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Publications/NFPA-Journal/2018/March-April-2018/Features/Safe-Distilling?fbclid=IwAR3Q8uqv4i4V55CR_dY-Kat5hk073Y8hfxFB6FRtCEgJZO-56uRmJ8xx5Bg
2) From 'bourbonado' to big spills: Kentucky's historic bourbon Sarah Riley and Zahria Rogers, Courier JournalPublished 5:00 p.m. ET June 22, 2018 | Updated 3:39 p.m. ET July 4, 2018
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/food/spirits/bourbon/2018/06/22/kentucky-bourbon-disasters-through-years/726491002/
3) Jim Beam Distillery Fire Under ControlA fire that destroyed a whiskey warehouse _ leaving behind only smoldering oak barrels that had held 800,000 gallons of Jim Beam bourbon _ continued to burn but was contained Tuesday.
AUGUST 5, 2003
https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/10532338/jim-beam-distillery-fire-under-control
4) Ky. distillery disasters made headlines, historyBY STUART W. SANDERS
July 08, 2018 02:31 PM
Read more here: https://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article214528839.html
5) WORKER INJURED IN EXPLOSION AT WHISKEY DISTILLERY5th January, 2018 by Phoebe French
https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/01/worker-injured-in-explosion-at-whiskey-distillery/
Sources and Supplemental Information:
1) Small Scale, High Proof
As craft distilleries proliferate around the country, concerns grow over the scarcity of safety guidance offered for distillers and AHJs
BY ANGELO VERZONI
https://www.nfpa.org/News-and-Research/Publications/NFPA-Journal/2018/March-April-2018/Features/Safe-Distilling?fbclid=IwAR3Q8uqv4i4V55CR_dY-Kat5hk073Y8hfxFB6FRtCEgJZO-56uRmJ8xx5Bg
2) From 'bourbonado' to big spills: Kentucky's historic bourbon Sarah Riley and Zahria Rogers, Courier JournalPublished 5:00 p.m. ET June 22, 2018 | Updated 3:39 p.m. ET July 4, 2018
https://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/food/spirits/bourbon/2018/06/22/kentucky-bourbon-disasters-through-years/726491002/
3) Jim Beam Distillery Fire Under ControlA fire that destroyed a whiskey warehouse _ leaving behind only smoldering oak barrels that had held 800,000 gallons of Jim Beam bourbon _ continued to burn but was contained Tuesday.
AUGUST 5, 2003
https://www.firehouse.com/home/news/10532338/jim-beam-distillery-fire-under-control
4) Ky. distillery disasters made headlines, historyBY STUART W. SANDERS
July 08, 2018 02:31 PM
Read more here: https://www.kentucky.com/opinion/op-ed/article214528839.html
5) WORKER INJURED IN EXPLOSION AT WHISKEY DISTILLERY5th January, 2018 by Phoebe French
https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/01/worker-injured-in-explosion-at-whiskey-distillery/