First all-my-own run, First UJSSM, +other

[BDF]

Been on this site for several years, helped two different friends build/run stills of their own, I did most of the research they had the independence/money/equipment/tools. Years later, and now I'm a homeowner, a decent imcome, and stabilized enough to get serious about doing this on my own, for myself.

Invested for the long term, got a keg, learned what I needed to to go electric, built a controller, soldered up a pot head and liebig. Did my cleaning and sac runs. Mixed up a batch of UJSSM, ran the first gen, backset used as recommended in second gen, tossed all the collection from first into the still to run with the second gen, ran it low and slow like a spirit run. To sum it all up, I have a compact, easy to clean, easy to service, easy to run still and now I have 6 quart jars worth of flavorful corn whiskey, clean tasting, crystal clear.

Finally starting to see the fruit of my labors. Put 3 jars 120 proof on oak (1" x 1" x 5") sticks from a used whiskey barrel planter, cleaned off the grime, lightly charred. One jar 90 proof with a cinnamon stick and small clipping of vanilla bean. Two jars 90 proof with Ginger/Bird's Eye Chilis to develop a flavor/hotness base for the Tai Terror before I add the lime.

Heavy lifting of building/designing done finally get onto the flavoring/drinking part!

[Shine0n]

Yup good going BDF
Now onto bigger and better
Shine0n

[Still Life]

I would have never guessed you'd just got to your "first".
The mentor can now be a practitioner! Good going!

[BDF]

I would have never guessed you'd just got to your "first".
The mentor can now be a practitioner! Good going!

Well, first run on a still that's MINE, from start to finish. Looking back its probably good that I was helping my friends build and run before I invested in it myself. I always made sure what they were using was safe (materials, deisgn, ect), but operating their set-ups wasn't the easiest. Turkey-fryer powered on one, home-built brewing gas burner on the other. Keg with a worm in a bucket on one, modified brewing pot with copper head/liebig on other. Got a lot of hands-on running, building, problem solving, and seeing the logistics from start to finish. Storage, transfer, clean-up, burner fuel, space claim, positives/negatives of different designs....so when it came time to do it for myself I knew what I wanted to achieve and took the time to do it right. Tri-clamps everywhere, my keg has a 4" sanitary flange on top so I can reach my arm in (barely fits).

Along the way my friends and I split the output, so I had my foot in flavoring a bit already, learned about oaking, recipes I like, reading about electric, even did a successful all grain carolina bourbon. But always had to coordinate schedules, was never at my place, and while my friends were into it, I think I had more of a passion for it. Been holding myself back from finishing off my last remaining jar of oaked bourbon from my only successful all grain run until I could have another of similar quality on the way.

Lots of ground work was being laid, and in a few year gap between my last run with friends I took up making mine/cider/mead, and gather another set of tools and equipment, and learned more about the fermenting and flavoring side of things where the stakes were a bit higher since you didn't have the chance to distill to cover up your mistakes. Feels like I'm cutting corners now operating under a distiller's standards for sanitation during fermenting.

All of this prepared me to hit the ground running, and be able to truthfully say "yeah, my first run, all electric, put it on charred oak I just happened to have lying around, and some others making tai terror"

[still_stirrin]

Homework + safe practice = prized product.

Good job.
ss