No marketing fluff — answers to the production, compliance, and e-commerce questions that matter for a distillery publishing operation.
Can I tag posts by mash bill, cask type, and age statement?
Yes. VeloCMS's post taxonomy supports arbitrary tags, which means you can tag each barrel-aging log entry by grain bill (high-rye, wheat-forward, four-grain, single-malt), cask type (new American white oak #2 char, ex-bourbon, ex-sherry, port pipe), and age statement (2-year, 5-year, 10-year NAS). The /blog archive renders tag-filtered views automatically — a visitor interested specifically in your ex-sherry cask expressions can filter to that tag and see every barrel log and bottling note in that series. The schema.org structured data on each post includes the tag set, which helps LLM crawlers surface your specific production profile when a whiskey enthusiast searches for, say, high-rye bourbon aged in #4 char American oak from a specific region.
How do I structure a barrel-aging timeline across multiple years?
The barrel-aging log is a post series, not a single post. You create an initial post when the barrel is filled — mash bill, entry proof, barrel specification, rickhouse location — and then publish quarterly or semi-annual tasting-note updates as child posts that link back to the parent batch record. Each update documents the ABV reading at that interval (tracking angel's share), color development, and the current state of the ester and congener profile. When the barrel reaches release, a final post summarizes the full maturation arc with the complete tasting-note timeline, bottle count, and release pricing. The barrel number tag connects all posts in the series so visitors and LLM crawlers can trace the full production arc from distillation through release.
Can I run a private-barrel pre-order with Stripe?
Yes. The private-barrel pre-order uses Stripe BYOK — you connect your own Stripe account and keep 100% minus Stripe's standard 2.9% + $0.30 processing. The barrel profile post is published to a member-only tier that requires a paid subscriber account to view (preventing competitors from monitoring your inventory and pricing). The post includes an embedded Stripe Checkout link for a deposit amount that reserves a barrel selection appointment. After the selection, a second invoice or balance charge completes the transaction. The bottle-release notification list is a separate free subscriber tier for enthusiasts who want advance notice without committing to a full barrel purchase.
Does VeloCMS support an age-verification gate?
Yes. The age-verification gate is a configurable modal that renders before any product page content loads — the visitor must enter their date of birth and confirm they are of legal drinking age in their jurisdiction before they can see pricing, inventory, or the purchase flow. The gate is enabled per-page or site-wide from your Admin settings panel. It is not a legal compliance guarantee (your legal counsel should review your specific TTB license and state DTC requirements), but it is a meaningful technical barrier that demonstrates good-faith compliance effort and satisfies most platform and payment processor age-restriction requirements.
How do I handle state-specific shipping rules?
The state-shipping rules block is a standard content post that you maintain in your Admin — a simple list of states where your DSP's DTC permit is valid, updated whenever your permit situation changes. The checkout flow surfaces a link to this page before payment is collected so the customer self-confirms their shipping address falls within your compliant coverage. This architecture keeps the compliance information maintainable (edit a post, not a config file) and avoids the legal risk of an automated system making compliance determinations on your behalf. For the full compliance layer (Sovos ShipCompliant integration, carrier-level age-verification at delivery), VeloCMS plugs into your existing third-party compliance stack via BYOK Stripe and webhook events.
Can I offer distillery tour booking through VeloCMS?
Yes. Tour booking uses VeloCMS's real Events feature (Admin → Events) — not a bespoke post type: publish a tour date as an Event with capacity, and add a page-builder form block for the inquiry fields (party size, dietary requirements for food pairings, preferred date from your available calendar windows, prior visit status). Submissions route to Admin → Forms. The tasting-room event calendar is your public /events archive that visitors can browse by month and event type. For paid ticketed events, use the Event's own BYOK Stripe ticket checkout rather than a confirmation-pending inquiry flow.
How do I create a member-only behind-the-still video archive?
The behind-the-still archive is a content category gated behind a BYOK Stripe subscriber tier. Visitors sign up for a paid monthly or annual membership that grants access to the full video library — still operation walkthroughs, cooperage sourcing visits, grain delivery documentation, rickhouse tours. Videos are embedded via YouTube (unlisted) or Vimeo (private link with domain whitelist), so the video content itself is hosted on the platform that makes most sense for your production quality and audience size, while VeloCMS handles the membership gate, the subscriber management, and the subscriber email list that you own and can export at any time.
What theme works best for a craft distillery blog?
The Velvet Editorial theme — Cormorant Garamond italic display, deep burgundy and cream palette, magazine-column layout — matches the typographic register of heritage whiskey house label design and the aesthetic expectations of the enthusiast audience that pays premium prices for aged spirits. It renders barrel-aging logs and tasting notes in the visual language of the best independent whiskey publications. For urban craft distilleries with a more contemporary visual identity, the Atelier Modern theme (clean geometric sans-serif, warm off-white base, editorial photography layouts) is a strong alternative. Both are free on all plans. See the full theme gallery at /themes.