WITH ROCHESTER'S BLACK BUTTON DISTILLING MISSING OUT ON BARRELS OF BUSINESS FROM FEDS HOLDING UP EXPANSION PLANS, SCHUMER CALLS ON TTB TO CUT THROUGH RED TAPE & APPROVE PLANS TO HELP BLACK BUTTON EXPAND

Letter

"I write to request the expeditious approval of two applications submitted by Black Button Distilling to the Federal Tobacco and Trade Bureau (TTB) which are necessary to enable a significant expansion of this growing Rochester, NY business. Black Button is a staple in the Rochester region; they started as a one-man operation over a decade ago and have since grown into a nationally-renowned distillery with 87 employees making 40 barrels/day of bourbon produced with New York grown ingredients.

These two applications (a corporate change notice and a new noncontiguous bond approval) are vital for Black Button to continue their ongoing expansion projects. The distillery is currently in the process of opening a new barrel warehouse on Lyell Avenue in Rochester, NY which will hold 15,000 barrels of Bourbon and be the largest purpose-built barrel storage warehouse in all of New York State. However they cannot proceed until the bond approval has been processed and approved by TTB.

Unfortunately, Black Button has been waiting over three months for their applications to be reviewed. This has caused significant strain and has delayed their ability to both grow their business and hire more workers. The opening of the new barrel storage warehouse is an integral part of Black Button recent expansion including it's opening of a new expanded production and tasting room at a new 28,000 square foot location in the heart of Rochester. The associated new barrel storage facility site complements the new expanded production/tasting room and is vital to enable Black Button to execute on their expansion growth plans.

It's crucial that these applications be reviewed and processed as quickly as possible. Thank you in advance for your consideration and assistance to allow this great New York business to continue to grow their operations.

Sincerely,

Source