Bee’s Knees® is our unique product made from honey and fruit, all from Washington State.
It is in a category of its own, and is considered a “specialty” by our government (the Tax and Trade Bureau, or the TTB), as it does not fall into the usual TTB categories, such as brandy.
As usual, things have been both easier and more difficult than expected for our Bee’s Knees®.
Making our Bee’s Knees® has been easier than expected in that every batch has been successful, but the fermentation time of the honey has taken three times longer than expected. So, we have far less of it than we had thought we would.
The labels have not been easy. We started the label process in December, and still do not have our labels. Our formula has been approved, and as we wait for a decision on our latest attempt at meeting all of the font and style requirements, we are hopeful that we have seen the last rejection from the TTB.
We have made Bee’s Knees® from raspberries, peaches, plums, and pie cherries. Some of the batches of peaches and plums are aging in new American oak barrels, and should be ready by mid-summer. In the meantime, un-aged Bee’s Knees® will be available as samples in our tasting room over the Memorial Day weekend, but we cannot sell bottles until we have approval of our labels. And all of that comes down to the right font in the right place. Something I had never imagined would be so difficult.
