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Comparison between Whiskey Systems and Distill x 5
Has anyone tried both software packages? They seem to have similar capabilities and I’m trying to choose between the two. I’ve heard only good things about Distill x 5 and mixed reviews of Whiskey Systems software.
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24 Replies
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Can’t go wrong with Whiskey Systems. Been using it since 2013. Donald is very good and the support (if needed) is paramount.
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+1 for Hoochware
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Have used Hoochware for years and recently switched to Whiskey Systems. I’m happier now.*Edit* 07 June 2021, Whiskey Systems recently raised their prices substantially and we are going to be dropping them soon.
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I wasn’t considering Hoochware based on previous comments from distillers. I know a few currently using it and all are planning on switching to a new system.
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I can only speak from our experience but we’ve been using Hoochware for 4 years and have no desire or intention to look at anything else. We are very happy with the product and the support team!
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👎👎Distill x 5
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We are all in on Whiskey Systems. So many great resources if you use it correctly…if not, it’s a real pain. Being able to access it on a laptop, phone, or iPad helps too
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We just switched from DistillX5 to Whiskey Systems a month ago since DistillX5 raised their prices significantly. I was perfectly happy with DistillX5, but so far so good with Whiskey Systems. A few observations:
DistillX5 is designed to model the activities in the distillery as you do them (charge the still, fire the still, collect distillate . . .) whereas Whiskey Systems is more of a recording tool after the fact.
Whiskey Systems expresses things primarily in proof gallons (I.e., barrels contents are shown as proof gallons and starting proof, volume is not shown. Sure, it’s easy to figure out the volume, but when I’m wondering whether a barrel is full, I’d just as soon like to see the volume and not have to get out a calculator)
DistillX5 is a bit more intuitive and has prettier graphics (which does help me have a sense of what is going on at any particular time). Whiskey Systems is more flexible (no training wheels).
Given the big price difference, I’ll take whiskey systems in a heartbeat, but it helped to have years of experience with DistillX5 first. This has allowed us to switch over with no extra training,. That’s another difference…you have to pay for support with Whiskey Systems, so if you don’t know what you are doing you might rack up a bill.
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+1 for Hoochware. We’ve been with them for several years now and love it. Does absolutely everything we need it to and is intuitive to use.
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Whiskey Systems provides training and 10 hrs of free support when you sign up. That’s all I think I’ll ever need.
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Distill x5 👎 = price jackers. About to make the move to hoochware.
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Just got an email from Whiskey Systems that they have been bought out by the same company that purchased DistillX5. They say that nothing is changing, but I don’t think that this is going to be good in the long run.
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Mt -D
I agree, any time a company is bought out, it usually means changes and price increases, it least that been my experience, on this note I heard that WS was bought out by a large Canadian group , another foreign investor buying American companies !
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Raising an old post, but I’d like to find out more about hoochware. Are you guys liking it?
I just was communicating with distill x5, and was kinda shocked at the price for what you get. I had sorta assumed their subscription prices would be similar to the major software in other industries like the subscription to protools or photoshop or illustrator. Those are way more complicated than what needs to be tracked for TTB or the state. I’m debating just writing something myself, but if hoochware is in a more reasonable range I wouldn’t mind saving myself the time. Do you guys recommend it?
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Thank for your interest. Our original platform, HoochWare has transformed over the years since 2015 and is now known as OnBatch. Same Owner, Same Price, Upgraded Software. Our prices are posted in black & white at https://www.onbatch.com/pricing and start at $98/month. The best way to learn more about what we offer and how we can improve the processes at your distillery is through an online product demonstration. Use the link below to schedule a product demonstration for a day & time that’s convenient for you. The product demonstration will be held through an online Zoom meeting where we can share our screen with you. Feel free to invite other team members to the meeting once it’s been scheduled. Thanks again and we look forward to hearing from you soon.
https://meetings.hubspot.com/shawnpatrick/product-demoThanks,Shawn PatrickFounder & CEO
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I’d love a more basic program, with a one time purchase price, where I just input how much I distilled, the ingredients that went into that distillate, bottled, barreled, dumped from barrels, removed from DSP, losses, and month end inventory, and it auto-filled out my monthly reports. I’m no programmer so I have no idea how much work it would be to write something like that. Attached is the form I fill out at the end of each month, before doing my month end reports, and it usually has all the info I need to do the reporting.
Reporting Short Form.ods
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@adamOVDI love the form you created which is very similar to what we have already developed but unfortunately, we don’t offer a perpetual license. This simple form will allow you to enter what materials (raw, sourced spirits, aged spirits or WIP) that you started with and what you ended with as either packaged Finished Goods, packaged Containers (barrels, totes or drums) or WIP. This is a 2 step process form with a batch review that can be entered in less than a couple of minutes. I’ve attached a screenshot of the final step (review) so that you can see it’s a simple process and quick to enter. Our monthly subscriptions start at a reasonable price and If you have a few minutes, I would love the opportunity to share with you on how we can help you save money and time. Thanks for the opportunity.* the screenshot attached is just an example and does not contain real data.
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@OnBatch I’ve played around Hoochware and talked to you before. I’m sure it’s improved, but I’m extremely cheap, and I can’t really justify the price. Now that I understand the reports pretty well, it’s actually kinda nice to get off my feet for bit and type some numbers while the still runs. It’s only a pain if I make a mistake and have to track it down. I’d gladly pay you or someone else for something that would just eliminate transcribing errors. Like I said though, I don’t know if how much work would go into something like that and if it would be worth someone’s time.
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Totally understand and no worries. We do have plans for something very simple and inexpensive but there’s way too much on our plate at the moment. Take care and I’m sure we’ll talk soon.
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If anyone still is considering these: Whiskey Systems was purchased by FiveX (who owns Distillx5)
And as they did with “Distillery Solutions” (which was renamed Distillx5) they took Whiskey Systems, made slight graphic design changes, absolutely no new features and jacked up the price. Our subscription was raised by $100 a month. As in, we now have to pay $450 a month.
We never really thought $350 was a reasonable price, there is absolutely no way we will be paying an extra $100 for absolutely no new features.
We started with Distillery Solutions, Didn’t like when FiveX came in, so we switched to Whiskey Systems. But now that they’ve jacked up the prices we will likely be switching to OnBatch (hoochware)
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I recommend against Whiskey Systems at this point. They are just greedy and seeing how much they can get before you break. I joined Whiskey Systems because I thought the highest price I would pay for all functions would be $450. They now have divided stuff up so it goes up to $2750/month!
I am looking to leave them now. Anyone with experience transitioning to another software?
What do I need to get off before leaving? Any help would be appreciated.
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Have heard a lot of bug issues with Onbatch but that they are working through It I guess. Not running anything yet but would like to..
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We also dropped Distill x5 due to the high price. Currently I am using TTB Tamer. No where near as sophisticated, but works for me. I believe they charge us around $70 a month???
NOTE: Get all of your data off of Distillx5 before closing the account. I was under the impression I could always access back data (I believe I specifically asked that question before signing up). However, after closing the account, the only way to access back data is to pay them a reactivation fee. I guess technically I can access back data still….but I guess I never thought to ask if there was a charge to do so.
Adam
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