DISTILL x 5
by FIVE x 5 Solutions
Distillery production and TTB compliance software from the makers of Whiskey Systems, which retires on June 30, 2027. It tracks mash, ferment, distillation, barrels and bottling against scaled recipes, keeps batch costs, adds opt-in lot tracking (shipped August 2026), and prepares TTB reports. Priced by quote, in tiers set by spirit bottled.
Why it is classified this way
We call this a Batch / process manufacturing product. Built around recipes or formulas, batch runs, and lot genealogy. May or may not include full time-phased planning.
It is not labeled Full MRP because we have not verified that it accepts dated demand, sales orders, a forecast, or a master production schedule; nets that demand against stock on hand and orders already incoming; explodes requirements through at least one level of the bill of materials; uses lead times or required dates; and produces dated buy, make, transfer, release, or reschedule recommendations. That is a statement about the evidence we found, not a claim that the product is weak, see the capability table and the sources below.
The six Full MRP tests, and how DISTILL x 5 does on each (1 of 6)
- YesIt represents a bill of materials, recipe, or formula.Evidence: support.distillx5.com › Setup Add New Recipe Read Time 3 mins(opens in a new tab); support.distillx5.com › Lot Tracking in Dx5 Overview Read Time 10 Minutes(opens in a new tab)
- UnknownIt accepts dated demand, sales orders, a forecast, or a master production schedule.Not established. No evidence found yet.
- UnknownIt nets that demand against stock on hand and orders already incoming.Not established. No evidence found yet.
- UnknownIt explodes requirements through at least one level of the bill of materials.Not established. No evidence found yet.
- UnknownIt uses lead times or required dates.Not established. No evidence found yet.
- UnknownIt produces dated buy, make, transfer, release, or reschedule recommendations.Not established. No evidence found yet.
These rules are applied identically to every product and enforced at build time, a record cannot be published as Full MRP unless all six pass with a source attached. Read the methodology.
Best for
- US craft distilleries whose biggest monthly job is TTB reporting and excise returns
- Whiskey Systems customers, who must move before that product retires on June 30, 2027
- Distillers who want production pricing tied to spirit bottled rather than to staff count
Not a fit when
- Buyers who want a price before a sales call: no dollar figures are published
- Distillers selling direct to consumers online: there is no Shopify or other store integration
- Anyone needing ingredient planning: we found reorder alerts but no material requirements planning
Pricing facts
What it costs to do manufacturing in this product.
No published price
This vendor does not publish pricing, so you cannot compare it against anything here without contacting them. We will not estimate a figure.
What moves the real bill
- Onboarding fee. Not stated for new customers. Migration from Whiskey Systems is free; hands-on White Glove setup is paid and unpriced. Assisted accounting setup is $200 an hour.
- No published price. You have to contact the vendor, which usually means a sales call.
Pricing detail
No dollar prices are published. The help center says pricing "is $0.05-$0.25 per bottle" for most distilleries, set by tier on finished spirit (spirit bottled plus half of bulk spirit sold) over the previous 12 months: Tier 1 up to 1,900 proof gallons a year, Tier 2 up to 5,700, Tier 3 up to 19,000, Tier 4 up to 47,550, sales contact above 70,000, with half-tiers for renewing customers only. Service is an annual contract billed up front; quarterly or monthly billing costs more, renewing customers can go month to month for a 20% surcharge, and new customers can start on a Flex Agreement with three months paid up front. The QuickBooks Online and Xero sync is "Available as an add-on" at an unpublished price. Users and devices are unlimited, and extra systems for other sites are discounted.
Checked on October 9, 2026. Source: support.distillx5.com(opens in a new tab). Prices change. Check before you buy.
Manufacturing capability
14 of 25 fields resolved. "Unknown" means we have not found first-party evidence. It is not a No.
Planning
Working out what to buy or make, and when.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Accepts dated demandYou can tell it what is due and when, sales orders with dates, a forecast, or a production schedule. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation showing demand records that carry a required or due date.Know the answer? |
| Nets against stock on handIt subtracts what you already have before telling you to buy more. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation describing a requirement calculation that deducts available stock.Know the answer? |
| Counts incoming ordersIt knows about purchase orders and production orders already placed, so it does not tell you to order twice. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation showing open purchase or production orders included in the supply picture.Know the answer? |
| Uses lead timesIt works backwards from when you need something to when you must order or start it, using supplier and production lead times. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation showing lead time fields that shift a suggested order or start date.Know the answer? |
| Produces dated buy/make suggestionsThe output is an actionable list with dates, order this much by this date, start this batch on this date. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation or a screenshot of replenishment or planning suggestions carrying dates.Know the answer? |
| Capacity planningChecks whether your people and machines can do the work in the time available. | Partial | The feature list includes "Manage vessel occupancy"; we found no capacity check against a schedule.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: fx5.com › Distillx5(opens in a new tab)Question this |
Production
Recipes, bills of materials, and running the work.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Bill of materialsA list of the parts and quantities needed to make one of something. | Yes | "Recipe Ingredients should include all fermentable materials for mash/cook recipes, and any other ingredients for which you would like Dx5 to track inventory movement." Applying the recipe "consumes Raw Material lots into a batch".Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: support.distillx5.com › Setup Add New Recipe Read Time 3 mins(opens in a new tab); support.distillx5.com › Lot Tracking in Dx5 Overview Read Time 10 Minutes(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Multi-level BOMSub-assemblies inside assemblies, a part that is itself made from other parts, nested as deep as you need. | Partial | Bottled products carry their spirit and packaging together: finished products "will calculate a Total Packaging Cost with appropriately valued Bulk Liquid + Supplies attached." Nested recipes are not described.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: support.distillx5.com › Batch Costing FAQs(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Recipes & formulasBatch-style production by weight, volume, or percentage, including scaling a batch up or down. | Yes | "Scale Recipe/Formula will allow DISTILL x 5 to automatically adjust the materials needed for a batch based on your baseline batch volume."Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: support.distillx5.com › Setup Add New Recipe Read Time 3 mins(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Work / manufacturing ordersA record authorising and tracking the making of a specific quantity. | Yes | Batches start from the operations screen: "Navigate to Operations > Overview and click the orange " + Start New Batch " button".Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: support.distillx5.com › Production Start New Mash Cook or Fermentation Read Time …(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Routings & operationsThe ordered steps a product goes through, and which machine or station does each one. | Partial | Batches move through configured stages (mash/cook, fermentation and on) by batch type: "Make sure the starting Batch Type is enabled in Mash/Cook as well as Fermentation." These are process stages, not timed routings.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: support.distillx5.com › Production Start New Mash Cook or Fermentation Read Time …(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Shop-floor trackingOperators report progress, time, and completions as the work happens. | Yes | "See what’s in every vessel at a glance. Log mash, cook and distillation as separate live steps."Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: fx5.com › Whiskey systems(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Quality controlsChecks, tests, holds, and non-conformance records tied to production or receiving. | Partial | Custom metrics and readings record gauges and lab values per batch ("a metric is a data point that you will record one time per batch"). We found no holds or nonconformance records.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: support.distillx5.com › Setup Add New Custom Metric or Reading(opens in a new tab)Question this |
Inventory & traceability
Knowing what you hold and being able to trace it.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Batch & lot traceabilityWhich incoming material lots went into which finished batch, and where those finished goods went. | Yes | "Each lot keeps its own quantity, cost, and identifier, giving you improved costing accuracy and visibility from receiving all the way through to fulfillment." Lot tracking is opt-in, shipped in August 2026, and raw materials are always drawn first in, first out.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: support.distillx5.com › Lot Tracking in Dx5 Overview Read Time 10 Minutes(opens in a new tab); support.distillx5.com › Lot Tracking in Dx5 Raw Material Applications Read Time 2…(opens in a new tab); support.distillx5.com › Lot Tracking in Dx5 Bottling Read Time 4 Minutes(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Expiry & shelf lifeBest-before dates on materials and finished goods, with warnings before they lapse. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of expiry, best-before, or shelf-life date fields.Know the answer? |
| Serial numbersUnique identifiers on individual units, for warranty or field service. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of serial number tracking on individual units.Know the answer? |
Commerce & accounting
Costs, purchasing, storefronts, and the books.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| Product costing & COGSWhat it costs you to make one, and the cost of the goods you sold. | Yes | "The sum of Raw Material Values added via Dx5's Recipes or Add Materials feature will begin Batch Cost calculations on Bulk/Barreled Spirit Batches." Costs use rolling averages unless lot tracking is on.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: support.distillx5.com › Batch Costing FAQs(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| PurchasingRaising and tracking purchase orders to suppliers from inside the system. | Yes | Purchase orders are created and received in the system: "Navigate to Inventory > Purchase Orders > New PO and select your supplier".Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: support.distillx5.com › Lot Tracking in Dx5 Overview Read Time 10 Minutes(opens in a new tab); support.distillx5.com › Inventory Create Supplier Purchase Order Read Time 3 mins(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Accounting connectionSends financial data to bookkeeping software, or includes its own general ledger. | Yes | "Bills, invoices and journal entries sync to QuickBooks Online or Xero in real time. Available as an add-on."Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: fx5.com › Whiskey systems(opens in a new tab); support.distillx5.com › Dx5 QBO Integrating with Quickbooks Online(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Ecommerce connectionPulls orders and pushes stock levels to a storefront or marketplace. | No | The help center says e-commerce records "can be onerous without a direct integration" and gives a manual routine for Shopify orders instead.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: support.distillx5.com › Recording E Commerce Orders(opens in a new tab)Question this |
Openness & your data
Getting data in, out, and away if you leave.
| Capability | Finding | What we found |
|---|---|---|
| APIA documented programming interface so other software can read and write your data. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: public api documentation.Know the answer? |
| WebhooksThe system can notify other software the moment something changes. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of outbound webhooks or event subscriptions.Know the answer? |
| MCP supportA Model Context Protocol server, letting an AI assistant read or act on this data. Useful, but it has nothing to do with whether the product plans materials. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: a first-party mcp server, or documentation of one.Know the answer? |
| CSV exportYou can get your lists out as spreadsheet files. | Partial | Contacts can be exported ("Choose between exporting all CRM data from Dx5"), and barrels can be updated through a CSV tool. Export of inventory and production lists is not described.Reviewed October 9, 2026. Source: support.distillx5.com › 08 18 2023 Release Notes(opens in a new tab)Question this |
| Full data exportYou can take everything, including history and relationships, not just a few screens' worth of rows. | Unknown | Not yet researched. We would need: documentation of a complete account export, database dump, or equivalent.Know the answer? |
On the vendor's roadmap
The vendor's own account of what is coming, dated. A plan changes nothing in the table above, which records what we saw working.
- Linked DSPs are listed as in development for November 2026 on the Whiskey Systems migration page. Vendor statement, October 9, 2026.
- Blending, financial reporting and offsite barrel management are listed as on the roadmap, with no dates, on the Whiskey Systems migration page. The date here is when we read it. Vendor statement, October 9, 2026.
Deployment, licensing and your data
- Deployment
- Cloud (hosted for you)
- Licensing
- Proprietary SaaS
- Team sizes
- Just me, 2–5 people, 6–20 people, 21–50 people
- Manufacturing styles
- Batch & recipe products
Integrations
- QuickBooks Online
- Xero
Industries
Jobs this product qualifies for
Derived from the capability table above, not hand-assigned.
Editorial notes and cautions
Things we would want a friend to know before buying.
- Compliance scope: the product prepares TTB production, storage and processing reports and a pre-filled Form 5000.24 excise return; it is built for US distilled spirits plants, with Australian billing mentioned, so check your jurisdiction.
- The accounting sync is a paid add-on, and the help center says month-to-month service carries a 20% surcharge over the annual contract.
- Some Whiskey Systems features are still being rebuilt: the vendor lists blending, financial reporting and offsite barrel management as on its roadmap.
Alternatives to DISTILL x 5
An alternative is always an alternative for a reason. There is no universal replacement.
- EkosBetter commerce & accounting connection
Ekos runs spirits alongside beer, wine and cider and lists Shopify and Commerce7 connections, which DISTILL x 5 does not offer.
Ollie added a distilling mode in September 2026 with spirit lots and TTB worksheets, at a published flat monthly price.
Evidence and verification
Why this record is not Verified. Held at partially verified on purpose: no dollar price is published, and the planning fields are unknown.
Researched 2026-10-09 from the DISTILL x 5 and Whiskey Systems pages at fx5.com and about 290 articles in the public help center. The pricing tier table is an image in the pricing article; we read its proof-gallon limits from it.
Sources we checked (6)
What we still want to confirm
We publish our gaps rather than hiding them. If you can point us at a first-party page for any of these, we will update the record and credit the correction.
- Get a dollar price for Tier 1 and Tier 2 and for the accounting add-on.
- Find any planning that turns scheduled batches into material needs, and confirm whether reorder alerts count open purchase orders.
- Confirm an API, webhooks and full data export.
- Confirm which Whiskey Systems functions are still missing from DISTILL x 5 at go-live.
Still unknown: accepts dated demand, nets against stock on hand, counts incoming orders, uses lead times, produces dated buy/make suggestions, expiry & shelf life, serial numbers, api, webhooks, mcp support, full data export.