Craft beverage producers
Books and taxes for craft distilleries.
Whiskey aging in barrel for years, a barrel program that gets paid before the bottle exists, evaporation that quietly shrinks your inventory, and a tasting room pouring cocktails. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
December came in at $26,700. Holiday bottle sales and a new barrel program deposit both helped, and I kept that deposit as money held for a future barrel, not a sale yet.
- Tasting room and bar depositTasting room and bar sales
- Barrel program depositBarrel program deposits
- MGP IngredientsGrain and mash ingredients
- Independent Stave CompanyBarrels and aging
- Federal excise tax paymentExcise and alcohol tax
Why your books are different
A distillery's books go wrong around the barrel and the wait.
A generalist sees a tasting room and a bottle shop. Your business is spirit that quietly evaporates in the barrel, a barrel program that collects money years before the whiskey is ready, and mash bills that turn into inventory long before they turn into a sale. When the books do not know that, nothing about the year makes sense.
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1
Angel's share shrinks the barrel without a transaction
Spirit aging in barrel evaporates over time, sometimes a meaningful share of the barrel a year. That is not a loss, a theft, or a mistake, but if the books do not expect it, a barrel count that comes up short looks like an error.
What we doTracks expected evaporation against actual barrel counts, so a normal loss to aging does not get mistaken for a real problem. -
2
A barrel program deposit looks like a sale today
Customers who buy into a private barrel program often pay upfront for whiskey that will not be bottled for years. Booked as a sale the day the deposit lands, it inflates this year's revenue for a product you have not delivered yet.
What we doKeeps barrel program deposits as money held for a future delivery, not revenue, until the barrel is actually bottled and released. -
3
Years of aging cost lands before a single bottle sells
Grain, yeast, barrels, and warehouse space for a four or eight year whiskey are paid for now, while the bottles that come from it will not sell for years. Expensed the day it is paid, a big mash bill can make a strong year look like a loss.
What we doKeeps grain, barrels, and aging spirit in inventory until it is bottled and sold, so a heavy production year does not distort the return. -
4
Proof gallons and raw volume get confused
A gallon of spirit at barrel strength is not the same as a gallon once it is proofed down for bottling, and pricing a bottle off the wrong number quietly erodes margin on every case.
What we doKeeps production records tied to what actually gets bottled, so cost per bottle reflects the real yield, not a rough estimate. -
5
The tasting bar mixes house spirits with bought-in mixers
A cocktail bar pouring your own whiskey alongside purchased vermouth, bitters, and mixers can bury what the bar itself costs to run inside your general production costs.
What we doKeeps bar ingredient costs separate from distilling costs, so the tasting room's own margin is visible on its own.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a craft distillery.
Set up once for how you get paid and what you spend. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Tasting room and bar salesCocktails, flights, and bottle sales poured on site.
- Retail bottle salesBottles sold in the gift shop or off site to visitors.
- Wholesale case salesDistributor and bar account orders, tracked apart from tasting room and gift shop sales.
- Barrel program depositsHeld as future delivery until the barrel is bottled and released.
- Tour and tasting feesDistillery tours and guided tastings.
Money out
- Grain and mash ingredientsGrain, agave, or fruit and yeast from suppliers like MGP Ingredients.
- Barrels and agingNew charred oak barrels from coopers like Independent Stave Company.
- Bar ingredientsVermouth, bitters, and mixers, kept apart from distilling costs.
- Bottling and packagingBottles, corks, and labels for finished spirit.
- Warehouse and storageRickhouse or barrel warehouse space and upkeep.
- Excise and alcohol taxFederal and state spirits tax payments, kept apart from sales tax you collect at the register.
- Stills and equipmentStills, proofing tanks, and bottling lines, logged so they get written off right.
- Insurance and permitsLiquor liability coverage and your federal distilled spirits plant permit.
What we watch for you
- Barrels in warehouse
What is aging but not yet bottled, so a quiet-looking year during a long aging program still makes sense.
- Angel's share rate
How much evaporates from your barrels over time, so a real shortfall stands out from normal aging loss.
- Barrel program deposits held
Money collected for barrels not yet delivered, so it is never mistaken for revenue you have already earned.
- The excise set-aside
Federal and state alcohol tax sits apart from your income tax set-aside, on its own schedule.
Ask Gus
Things distillery owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
Likely not. Spirit aging in barrel evaporates over time, and your numbers land close to what normal angel's share would predict for barrels this age.
Not yet. I am holding those deposits as money owed on a future delivery. It becomes revenue when the barrel is actually bottled and released.
Less than you would think, since most of it is aging in barrel and stays in inventory until it is bottled. I can show you what already sold versus what is still in the warehouse.
The tax side
The tax side of running a craft distillery.
Most of what goes wrong here is timing, since aged spirits can sit for years before a bottle ever sells. Barrel program deposits booked too early, and an excise tax bucket nobody separated from income tax.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Federal excise tax on spiritsA licensed distilled spirits plant generally owes federal excise tax on spirits removed for sale, separate from its income tax return and based on proof gallons and how the spirit is sold. Rates are not something to guess at. Goatkeeper keeps the books clean for whoever files that return, it does not file it.
- Grain, barrels, and aging spirit as inventoryGrain, barrels, and spirit still aging only reduce taxable income when the finished bottle is sold, not when the mash or barrels are bought. This matters more here than almost anywhere else, since whiskey can age for years.
- Stills, tanks, and bottling linesProduction equipment can usually be written off the year you buy it, with bonus depreciation at 100 percent for property placed in service after January 19, 2025.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operated distilleries can take up to 20 percent of business profit off taxable income. It comes out right when tasting room, wholesale, and barrel program revenue are kept separate all year.
Deductions craft distilleries miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Grain, agave, or fruit for mash
- New charred oak barrels
- Warehouse and rickhouse costs
- Bottling and label costs
- Bar ingredients and garnishes
- Liquor liability insurance
- Federal distilled spirits plant permit fees
- Lab testing and proofing equipment
- Tasting room glassware and furniture
- Tour signage and guide materials
- Still repairs and maintenance
- Staff uniforms with your logo
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A distillery year, kept every month.
Some of your whiskey will not be ready for years, but your return is due every April regardless. Gus keeps the two on separate, well-tracked paths. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, barrels aging in the warehouse get counted, and you get a monthly set-aside so the excise tax bucket stays separate and April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your income tax return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January regardless of what is still aging in barrel.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether a barrel release or a new barrel program changed the number.
- October
Before the holiday push
Before holiday bottle and gift sales pick up, Gus looks at equipment worth buying and anything to do before December.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for craft distilleries. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions distillery owners ask first.
Do you track angel's share evaporation?
Yes. Gus tracks expected evaporation against actual barrel counts, so a normal loss to aging never gets mistaken for a real shortfall.
We sell barrel futures to customers. How does that get booked?
As money held for a future delivery, not as a sale, until the barrel is actually bottled and released. That keeps this year's revenue honest about what has really shipped.
Why doesn't a big mash bill show up as a loss this month?
Because that grain and the spirit it becomes are inventory, not an expense, until the finished bottle sells. A heavy production month does not distort the return.
Does the subscription cover filing our federal excise tax return?
No. Spirits excise tax is its own filing, based on proof gallons and separate from your income tax return, and it stays with whoever prepares that return. Gus keeps your production and barrel records clean for them.
We just bought a new still. Do we write it off this year?
Possibly all of it. Gus logs the still as equipment the moment it posts and flags it for the accountant, who decides how much to write off based on your whole year, not just this one purchase.
Our tasting bar and our distillery have always shared one set of books. Can Gus separate them?
Yes. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts bar ingredients from distilling costs from here forward, and the accountant checks it.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in craft beverage producers
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Bottle shops & craft beer stores
- Cideries
- Custom-crush & alternating proprietor wineries
- Homebrew & winemaking supply shops
- Kombucha brewers
- Meaderies
- Vineyards (grape growers)
- Brewpubs
- Coffee roasters
- Craft breweries & taprooms
- Liquor stores
- Non-alcoholic beverage brands
- Wineries & tasting rooms
- Arcade bars (barcades)
- Artisan cheese makers
- Bagel shops
- BBQ sauce & rub brands
- Beer gardens
- Candy & chocolate makers
- Charcuterie board & grazing table businesses
- Cigar lounges
- Commissary & shared commercial kitchens
- Cottage food producers
- Custom cake studios
- Dive bars & neighborhood taverns
- Farmers market vendors
- Food hall vendors
- Fudge & candy shops
- Honey producers & apiaries
- Hookah lounges
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever