It was 15 years ago when the owners of Still Waters Distillery in Concord, Ont., one of Canada’s first craft distilleries, saw a critical gap in the industry and created a software solution capable of accurately tracking inventory, production and sales.

“Traditional inventory and manufacturing systems fell short, unable to handle the unique way alcohol is tracked,” said Barry Bernstein, president of Purtrak Distillery Management. “Compliance was also a major challenge, with strict regulations and monthly excise returns to manage. While some software solutions existed, none were designed for the specific needs of Canadian distilleries. With a background in software development, we built Purtrak, first as an in-house tool, and then as the solution we wish had existed from the start.”

The company helps distilleries transition from traditional processes to a more data-driven approach because what you cannot measure, you cannot truly understand.

“Having precise inventory details, covering raw materials, bulk spirits and finished products, both in quantity and value, allows you to track production and sales with confidence,” he said. “With Purtrak, the cost of goods is automatically calculated and updated, helping to identify inefficiencies, optimize pricing and reduce waste. This eliminates guesswork from decision-making.”

Production features

Almost everything that happens in the distillery is meticulously recorded in Purtrak. All production activities, inventory movements, overhead costs and equipment usage are tracked in detail. Intuitive logs, reports and visual dashboards put critical data front and centre.

“For example, tracking average distillation yields helps you fine-tune processes and improve efficiency,” said Bernstein. “Identifying anomalies in production, uncovering root causes and taking corrective action is essential for maintaining quality and consistency. Built-in tools like batch lot tracing provide deep insights, giving you a true understanding of your production. Purtrak’s real-time data tracking has helped distilleries address inefficiencies or bottlenecks.

“Tracking the quantity and cost of botanicals in gin distillation, and monitoring variations and yields over time, helps determine their impact on the final product’s value, and gives distillers the tools to refine and optimize their process. Similarly, tracking enzyme usage, temperatures, pH and other variables during fermentation allows distillers to identify what works best by considering seasonal fluctuations. Another example is monitoring aging casks that can provide valuable insights into Angel’s Share, revealing patterns based on barrel origin and warehouse positions,” Bernstein said.

Purtrak simplifies the tracking of fermentation cycles by helping distillers track pH, temperature and specific gravity throughout fermentation, comparing real-time data against historical records to gain valuable insights into yield trends.

“Understanding these patterns helps identify process improvements and efficiency gains,” said Bernstein. “When combined with fluctuating grain costs, this data empowers distillers to make informed pricing decisions, ensuring both profitability and consistency.” 

He adds that distilleries often report immediate benefits after switching to Purtrak, gaining complete quantitative visibility into their operations. “With production and sales seamlessly tracked, nothing falls through the cracks. Instant excise report generation saves considerable time on preparing monthly returns, providing a quick return on investment. And with CRA audits, having a fully documented, internally consistent record of inventory movement and all production activity makes the process far less stressful,” said Berntein.  

Smoother operations

Purtrak also helps optimize bottling schedules to ensure smoother operations by providing tools to schedule production based on both forecasts and actual shipments. With a comprehensive view of resources including inventory, personnel and equipment, this makes it easier to plan with confidence. Historical data also helps identify which products take longer to produce, allowing distillers to schedule efficiently and optimize operations.

As a powerful inventory management system, Purtrak helps distilleries stay on top of stock levels. For example, with at-a-glance inventory views, instant access to historical stock movement, low-inventory alerts, seamless Purchase Order creation and easy inventory reconciliation, Purtrak provides the essential tools to keep operations running smoothly.

“Distillery operations can be fast-paced and complex, with multiple production activities happening at once. Beyond simply managing these tasks, accurate record-keeping is essential for excise reporting,” said Bernstein. “Distilleries relying on manual record-keeping often see significant gaps and are unable to account for missing bulk spirits or finished products. Purtrak automates this process, ensuring every detail is tracked seamlessly and accurately.”

Reduce errors and save time

The integration of automated data collection can help reduce errors and save time in the production process. With constant product movement through sales – and more complexity for distilleries managing inventory across multiple locations – tracking taxation and compliance is critical.

“The purchaser and the physical destination of product sold determines tax treatment and reporting requirements for provincial and federal authorities,” said Bernstein. “Purtrak automates this entire process, seamlessly integrating with third-party [point-of-sale] and e-commerce systems. Connecting Purtrak to QuickBooks Online ensures your general ledger stays up to date in real time, with invoices produced automatically and government reports a click away.”

To further streamline distillery production, Purtrak is making major enhancements to its inventory management capabilities. Basic inventory movement and adjustments have been redesigned for a more streamlined experience. Their low-inventory tracking is now more sophisticated, with breakdowns by location, work-in-process, on-hand vs. available stock and more automated actions. Reports and analytics have been expanded, providing deeper insights.

Production activities can now be assigned to work orders, managed by role, user and due date. Certain operations, like fermentation, now have more detailed production data that is of interest to wineries and breweries. Purchasing has been upgraded with an improved approval process, the ability to assign additional costs to an item’s landed cost and better tracking of goods received but not yet invoiced for.

Sales automation, one of the most-used features in Purtrak, now includes improved picking, direct invoice sending, emailing and enhanced performance. “And to top it off, we’re introducing a fresh, modernized look and feel to the product,” said Bernstein.