{
  "slug": "distillery-mash-bottle-yield",
  "title": "Distillery Mash to Bottle Yield Calculator",
  "heading": "Distillery Mash to Bottle Yield Calculator",
  "category": "financial",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/distillery-mash-bottle-yield",
  "summary": "Bottles produced and cost per bottle from a mash bill through distillation loss.",
  "description": "Distilling loses volume at every stage: fermentation efficiency, still cuts (heads and tails discarded, only the hearts kept), proofing down to bottle strength, and angel's share if barrel-aged. This calculator starts from mash bill cost and gallons of low wine or hearts collected, applies your proofing dilution to reach bottle proof, and computes bottles produced and cost per bottle including barrel aging loss if applicable. Distillers often plan yield off collected hearts volume alone and forget that proofing down from cask strength (often 120-140 proof) to bottle proof (usually 80-90) roughly adds 40-60% more volume through water dilution, which changes the final bottle count substantially versus assuming 1:1 hearts-to-bottle volume.",
  "formula": "Diluted gallons = hearts gallons × (still proof ÷ bottle proof). Bottles = diluted gallons ÷ 0.198 × (1 − barrel loss%). Cost/bottle = total cost ÷ bottles.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-30",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=distillery-mash-bottle-yield",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "heartsGal",
      "label": "Hearts (finished spirit) collected",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 40,
      "unit": "gal",
      "min": 1,
      "max": null
    },
    {
      "id": "stillProof",
      "label": "Proof off the still (hearts)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 130,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 80,
      "max": 190
    },
    {
      "id": "bottleProof",
      "label": "Target bottle proof",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 90,
      "unit": null,
      "min": 60,
      "max": 150
    },
    {
      "id": "barrelLossPct",
      "label": "Barrel aging loss (angel's share), if aged",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 8,
      "unit": "%",
      "min": 0,
      "max": 40
    },
    {
      "id": "productionCost",
      "label": "Total production cost (grain, labor, barrel, energy)",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 3200,
      "unit": "$",
      "min": 0,
      "max": null
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "bottles",
      "label": "Bottles produced",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "costPerBottle",
      "label": "Production cost per bottle",
      "format": "currency",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "finalGal",
      "label": "Final gallons after proofing & aging loss",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "cases",
      "label": "Cases produced",
      "format": "decimal",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Hearts (finished spirit) collected: 40 gal",
      "Proof off the still (hearts): 130",
      "Target bottle proof: 90",
      "Barrel aging loss (angel's share), if aged: 8 %",
      "Total production cost (grain, labor, barrel, energy): 3200 $"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Bottles produced: 268",
      "Production cost per bottle: $11.92",
      "Final gallons after proofing & aging loss: 53.2",
      "Cases produced: 22.4"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter hearts (finished spirit) collected (gal).",
      "Enter proof off the still (hearts).",
      "Enter target bottle proof.",
      "Enter barrel aging loss (angel's share), if aged (%).",
      "Enter total production cost (grain, labor, barrel, energy) ($).",
      "Read your bottles produced on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "heartsGal": 24,
        "stillProof": 80,
        "bottleProof": 60,
        "barrelLossPct": 5,
        "productionCost": 1900
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "heartsGal": 40,
        "stillProof": 130,
        "bottleProof": 90,
        "barrelLossPct": 8,
        "productionCost": 3200
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "heartsGal": 64,
        "stillProof": 190,
        "bottleProof": 144,
        "barrelLossPct": 13,
        "productionCost": 5100
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.",
    "Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.",
    "This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "Why does proofing down increase gallons instead of just diluting?",
      "a": "Proofing down adds water to reduce alcohol concentration, and that added water increases total liquid volume even though the total alcohol content stays the same. Going from 130 proof to 90 proof multiplies volume by 130/90, about 1.44x, which is a meaningful yield increase that's easy to forget if you plan bottle count off hearts volume alone."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is angel's share the same for every spirit?",
      "a": "No. Bourbon aged in new charred oak in a hot warehouse can lose 3-10% of volume per year, while a spirit aged in a cool, humidity-controlled space loses less. Unaged spirits like vodka, gin, and white whiskey skip this loss entirely since there's no barrel time."
    },
    {
      "q": "What's a typical hearts cut percentage from total distillate?",
      "a": "Hearts commonly represent 60-80% of the total run volume off the still, with heads and tails discarded or redistilled. This calculator starts from hearts volume you've already measured, so make sure you're not including heads/tails/feints in the hearts gallons input."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/distillery-proof-gallon-tax"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — Distillery Mash to Bottle Yield Calculator (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/distillery-mash-bottle-yield)"
}