Distillery miller
Also known as: distilling miller, distillery grain mill worker, distillery mill worker, distillery grain miller
About this occupation
Distillery millers tend distillery mills in order to clean and grind whole grain for use in production of distilled liquors. They tend cleaning machines to remove impurities from grains followed by the grinding and weighing of grains. They perform daily maintenance on pumps, air-conveyor chutes and machines.
Essential skills and knowledge
- tend grinding mill machine
- apply GMP
- operate distilling equipment
- operate pneumatic conveyor chutes
- ensure sanitation
- operate grain cleaning machine
- temperature scales
- follow hygienic procedures during food processing
- carry out checks of production plant equipment
- lautering process
- inspect insects in whole grain
- age alcoholic beverages in vats
Typical tasks and preparation
From the related US occupation profile Crushing, Grinding, and Polishing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders (O*NET 51-9021.00). Linked by an official crosswalk: related, not identical; details vary by country.
- Observe operation of equipment to ensure continuity of flow, safety, and efficient operation, and to detect malfunctions.
- Clean, adjust, and maintain equipment, using hand tools.
- Tend accessory equipment, such as pumps and conveyors, to move materials or ingredients through production processes.
- Move controls to start, stop, or adjust machinery and equipment that crushes, grinds, polishes, or blends materials.
- Notify supervisors of needed repairs.
- Weigh or measure materials, ingredients, or products at specified intervals to ensure conformance to requirements.
- Typical education (US)
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- Preparation
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Interests
- Realistic, Conventional, Investigative
Top skills: Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Monitoring, Quality Control Analysis, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening
US median pay: US$48,540 a year (2025), 26,000 employed. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Subjects this work relies on
How important each subject's knowledge is in the job itself, rated by people doing it (1 to 5).
- Business Studies or EntrepreneurshipO*NET: Administration and ManagementImportant (3.5)
- English or Literature in EnglishO*NET: English LanguageImportant (3.2)
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Preparation needed
Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Most common education (US)
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Training
- Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Related occupations
Occupations O*NET links to this one by similar work, skills and knowledge.
- Grinding, Lapping, Polishing, and Buffing Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Grinding and Polishing Workers, Hand
- Machine Feeders and Offbearers
- Cutting and Slicing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners
- Extruding, Forming, Pressing, and Compacting Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing
- Mixing and Blending Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
- Rolling Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic
- Separating, Filtering, Clarifying, Precipitating, and Still Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders
O*NET data describe work in the United States; requirements differ by country. This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CareerProof Global has modified all or some of this information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.