Home Distillers EVERYWHERE!!

[WIski]

True story's......

In early November a friend of mine says "hey..my son and his friend have been making some shine. It's pretty good stuff, way better than the stuff you can buy. I'll bring you some for your deer camp" He brought me a bottle and it was pretty good.

So....while I'm at deer camp I go visit some other friends at their camp and they got a whole table of homemade spirits. Aged whiskey, White, banana, orange, etc.....

Then.....For Christmas we do a gift exchange instead of buying for everyone. Works great......you get a number and pick a gift in the order of the number you get with the option of taking a gift from the pile or from someone else that has already picked. So I pick mine from the pile and "you guessed it" I get a mason jar of white dog and a gift card. I just about shit. Seems the brother-in-law, a plumber, made a still for a guy and he gave him a few jars.

Is all of this just coincidence or are that many people home distilling. It seems odd to me to have three events with home made hooch in 2 months. I haven't had that many in a life time. None of these people have any idea of my interest in the craft.

Any thoughts on this or similar experiences

[chris173]

I went to my friends house for a movie night. On top of their fridge was a water bottle... I pointed it out that it had been opened, and apparently it was some shine. "Onxy Moonshine" just opened up in CT making legal moonshine. My old co-worker makes it. It's getting big you've got it. Certainly not many people.. I would guess 1 in a thousand in my area have ever even brewed something. But the numbers are going up !

not to mention that fake moonshiners show..

[scout]

I've noticed that the show "Moonshiners" has caused a resurgence of interest in distilling moonshine. What's sad about this is that there are more and more "newbies" that get started and immediately begin selling their hooch, with out learning the how to stay ahead of the law. They then get busted and the holy rollers breathe a sigh of relief while spouting off like they did to get prohibition started.

[Jimbo]

I found out a guy 1/4 mile from me makes sweetfeed when we were at a mutual friends house and he pulled out a 'plastic' flask of 120 proof. it was pretty rough stuff. Dicey cuts, too high of proof and plastic flask. I told him about HD and all the great folks and recipes here, but he said he doesnt go on the web.

About Moonshiners. I have mixed feelings. I enjoy watching the show, and I think over the long haul exposure builds tolerance. But the mistakes they make and the misguided interest it provokes creates a lot of careless or bad practice shiners out there making crap. Thats counterproductive to 'the cause'.

[Prairiepiss]

Christmas dinner. Someone brought a pint jar of shine they got from their boss. They handed it to my wife first. She opened it didn't even put it by her nose. And said eww no thanks heads and tails. And handed it to me. They looked at her funny. So I took a smell. Yep heads and tails. I took a small sip. Just to be polite. The guy said its like tiquila. I looked at him and said no its like a bottle of heads and tails. It's not suppose to taste like that. He then proceeded to tell me I didn't know what I was talking about. I walked away never to touch the bottle again.

[bonehead]

i know four people that have shine around the area and only one of them has anything that is drinkable.

[toast860]

Went out to bring some of my family some whiskey while they were ice fishing someone we knew bring there own. Ran over to me and said "bet u never had this " took a sip then handed him my to let him try it. " wow where u get that did you make it" said nope my friend does. Call him toast. He asked so many questions that I just walked away. 2 weeks later he called and it was the guy I sold my first still to . Son . He laughed and ask me to show him how. Going over next week

[Drunk-N-Smurf]

My first day at my current job I walked into the lunch room and overheard one co worker talking about "needing to get another batch of shine on". I soon discovered that he and 4 others make their own. None of it drinkable in my opinion. They all use the water distiller at work to run, and don't make cuts. Running a plain sugar wash with turbo yeast.

I also learned last summer, that 2 of my long time friends also shine. They run ebay reflux stills, but also don't make cuts. They bury the flavour in essences.

The owner of my rv campground used to make swish and makes his own wine, and another of his tenants makes brandy.

My sales rep at my plumbing wholesaler commented when I ordered my materials for my last head, "sounds like your making a moonshine still" I said no, why? You get that kind of thing often? She said "no, my dad makes his own, so I've had to get him a few things in the past"

Seems every where I go, someone either makes, or knows some one who makes.

[Prairiepiss]

That's the problem. The ones I do find doing it. Are doing it incorrectly. And I'm torn whether to speak up and tell them they need to do better research. It just nod my head and walk the other way. Since it almost always ends up like one of the posts around here. Oh I've done plenty of research on YouTube and or insert bad website or book here. And do I really want to let someone I don't really know. Know what I do know. Just for them to tell me I don't know what I'm talking about. And Jim Tom or insert another jackass knows what they are talking about.

So normally to keep the bloodpressure down and avoid a potential problem. I just walk the other way. Now if it was someone I knew really well. And cared for. I would do everything in my power to get them in the right path.

[Drunk-N-Smurf]

I just trade em a sample of mine, for theirs, and chuck theirs, and wait for them to ask (and they always do) how i do it. Of course, they hear about how much work is involved and usually fall back on "well whatever, it gets me drunk, and that's all I care about anyway"

It takes patience and time to sit and watch a still for hours on end, smelling, tasting, measuring. Mixing, and blending.

If it was as easy as pouring a wash into a water distiller, and lettin it run all day and just opening the valve at the end, well, it wouldn't be a craft would it? Lol.

But hey! It gets em drunk. (And I hear the hangovers they get in return are well worth it) ;p

[jholmz]

ive got several in my area that produce some bad stuff. i cant see myself telling them how to straighten their stuff out because their mouths are always open and i dont want them leading anyone back to me. i do have one relative that i set on the right path though and his has gotten better each time hes ran and is always thanking me for setting him right

[scout]

The only people I would tell anything to in a face to face situation would be folks I've known for a very long time and they would have to have also earned my trust. I know several folks that I've helped along at the cooperage but they were already making it and just wanted some help with ideas. These folks had already shared some of their wares with me a long time before they asked for my input. When someone calls me a hillbilly, I take it as a complement.

[Cardinalbags]

That's the problem. The ones I do find doing it. Are doing it incorrectly. And I'm torn whether to speak up and tell them they need to do better research.

At my place of work there are many who make their own shine. When I learned who, I talked to them and found out they were all using T500s and turbo kits. One by one, Im trying to get them reading on here and using a tried and true recipe. Ive been able to convert a few after they tried a sample of mine.

An uncle also does it, same ol story, turbo kits, air stills, etc. He's been doing it for so long that way, he is not likely to change..... oh well, what more can I do, but he said he might try a Birdwatchers when I told him how much he could save over a turbo kit....

As far as a number that still around here, it is pretty popular, and If i had to guess, I would say 2 in a hundred do. If you talk to anyone from Cape Breton Island they either are stilling, or know someone who stills, and would put the number at 1 in 20.

[Odin]

This is an interesting thread! Thanks guys. Reading it teaches me quite a lot of folks in America make shite, but many don't have the "Home Distiller" education. So sorry to hear that. As a mod on the Dutch HD site, I am so happy to see people pick things up at a fast pace. Steep learning curves and such.Then again, there's probably a few moonshiners without any real knowledge around as well.

If I look outside of the boundaries of my country and at Northern Europe as a general, there is a lot of distilling going on ... but pretty much 99.9% is centered around using turbo's to make neutrals. Even (or especially) in countries with a great distillation history like Poland, Norway, Sweden ... I have people telling me they can't make Aquavit, 'cause only the pro's can. What the heck?!?

You know, this reminds me of how very, very important UJ's recipe was for us as a community. Without that, there would not have been SF either. We may have ended up discussing essences rather than grains. So happy that's not the case. So happy much of the craft's innovations take place where homedistillers meet ...

Odin.

[S-Cackalacky]

I don't get out much, but my daughter has run into several moonshine type situations and she doesn't even really drink. She overheard a conversation between two coworkers where one was selling shine to the other. A friend of her boyfriend was providing shine to her boyfriend until he had some kind of still accident and severely burned his torso and arms. An old high school friend gifted her a quart of white dog on her birthday that she bought from a cop - says she buys it from him quite often. And then, her daddy makes it too.

Just sayin',
S-C

[woodshed]

When word got out in our small mountain town that I was opening a distillery the number of locals I knew makin shine went from 6 to around 60.
I now have a collection of empty jars I inherited from them. Empty because I tossed most of the stuff.
I have been told I'm wasting my time not using turbos, wasting time and product by making more than a fores cut, and that I must certainly be using some sort of flavoring to achieve my finished shine.
Everywhere, yes. Educated? Well...... I now have a list of volunteers to apprentice.

Two nights ago I walked into my favorite bar and as soon as the barkeep Chris saw me he mentioned the two older gents at the far end were on their 3rd round of my Smoke Shine. We've been on shelves for a few weeks now. Seeing an opportunity to do some research I work my way down to an empty stool next to them.

Ours is a tourist based economy and I found out these two gents were from Tennessee. Out with the families for the holidays. Here at the bar to get away from those families for a while.
What are you drinkin, I ask. This here is some local made moonshine, the one closest to me answers.
Did you know there was a distillery in this town, he asks. His bud adds, According to the bartender it's a husband and wife team.

Heard something about that, I say. Is it any good? Young man, he says, this is a damn fine likker. Been shinin myself for over 50 years and this is one helluva of a fine glass.

At this point Chris outs me as he's been listenin in. We laugh and spend the next hour sharin shine stories.
Tells me they attend a church with a congregation of about 250 and he knows 30 of them shinin.

[S-Cackalacky]

Woodshed, do you think your product will ever be available in VA? CO is a purdy fer piece to drive.

S-C

[woodshed]

I hope so. Right now we are just local but looking to slowly expand our market. This has been an out of pocket start up for us and the pockets are not real deep. We each run our own successful businesses now and this is on top of those.
One of our many mantras here at the shed has been "2013, the 4 corners, 2020, the world". So far we are right on track.

[Brendan]

Of course, they hear about how much work is involved and usually fall back on "well whatever, it gets me drunk, and that's all I care about anyway"

The amount of times I've heard that from people that I've tried to 'help' see the error of their ways

[Jimbo]

Lots of people are perfectly content with McDonalds for their nutrition.

[Truckinbutch]

I got the same stories to tell from my area . I have heard of 20 within less than an hour's drive from me . Only met one after I sampled a drop of his and liked it . The mutual friend that gave me the sample also gave him a drop of mine and he liked it .We both expressed a desire to meet . Most of the others I don't care to meet . They are puttin out trash and no one sent me to save the world .

[OlympicMtDoo]

[quote="Odin"]This is an interesting thread! Thanks guys. Reading it teaches me quite a lot of folks in America make shite, but many don't have the "Home Distiller" education. So sorry to hear that. As a mod on the Dutch HD site, I am so happy to see people pick things up at a fast pace. Steep learning curves and such.Then again, there's probably a few moonshiners without any real knowledge around as well.

WHAT?? you speak Dutch?? I thought you were from Holland....a little joke Odin Glad I found HD when I did because my family has a deep history of shiners but it's difficult for all the information to travel through the generations without losing most of the real knowledge. So even with the rich history I realty had to start from scratch, I think there are a lot of folks making shine that simply just don't know any better. If all you have ever tasted is bad shine I suppose you would think that that is what it is supposed to taste like.

[WIski]

All very interesting comments and experiences. I think it's pretty much a given that most folks distilling don't have the knowledge that members here have but I think the good news is there is an increase in people taking an interest in home distilling. Kind of like when home brewing took off. Another interesting and kind of shocking thing about my recent events with the home made booze was that none of them had a care in the world that they were showing everyone present that they had illegal drink. The other thing interesting was that the hooch was totally accepted as being OK....No big deal......I hope this is a trend that continues.

[Howling Wolf]

I don't know any other stillers in my area, but I have heard a few "my uncle or my buddy" stories. I'm very new myself and trying to learn to do it correctly. So far I've only done 5 gal birdwatchers and 10 gal 1st gen UJSSM thru my pot still. The product is consumable, but I know I still have alot to learn. I nuked me about a quart of the 55 %abv UJ on heavy toast oak chips with a drop of vanilla for tonight. Straight it seems ok, smoother than Old Charter 8yr old but with different flavor, we'll see how it is as a mixer. Also made some Apple Pie with the 58% abv Birwatchers that seems very fine.

Well, I guess it turned out pretty well. As I was typing this my dad came by and took a pint of the oaked UJ and a pint of the AP. He complained the AP his step-son-in-law was way too sweet. Dad is pretty picky with his liquor, so it was a little bit of a compliment to me.

[Truckinbutch]

I don't know any other stillers in my area, but I have heard a few "my uncle or my buddy" stories. I'm very new myself and trying to learn to do it correctly. So far I've only done 5 gal birdwatchers and 10 gal 1st gen UJSSM thru my pot still. The product is consumable, but I know I still have alot to learn. I nuked me about a quart of the 55 %abv UJ on heavy toast oak chips with a drop of vanilla for tonight. Straight it seems ok, smoother than Old Charter 8yr old but with different flavor, we'll see how it is as a mixer. Also made some Apple Pie with the 58% abv Birwatchers that seems very fine.

Well, I guess it turned out pretty well. As I was typing this my dad came by and took a pint of the oaked UJ and a pint of the AP. He complained the AP his step-son-in-law was way too sweet. Dad is pretty picky with his liquor, so it was a little bit of a compliment to me.

Sounds like you are on a roll Happy New Year

[Howling Wolf]

Sounds like you are on a roll Happy New Year [/quote]

Thanks! It feels good to be sipping on something I created right now and can already tell it. It's not quite to the flavor I want yet, but it is 1st gen and first run ever. I'm used to Crown and Old Charter, but even this is good. I hope to only get better and never enter a liquor store again.

[kekedog13]

I went to a small home brewers club meeting (only a few members). After a few beers and wines the topic of distilling came up. Then one fella plopped a jar on the bar and says "Try this " We did , not bad stuff. then another one went to his car and brought in a bottle.He said he was still learnin' , it too was pretty good.Then yet another guy, a stranger to the group showed us pics on his phone of a still he was thinking of buying.Boy what a change in the conversation after that.Turned out more of them were distillers then were not. And me, being kinda skeert I hadn't brought any to sample, but I did at the next meeting. Could almost start a new club of just "stillers ".

[WIski]

Yes KeKe this is the sort of sentiment that I've experienced. I think the first steps towards decriminalization of this craft has got to come from public sentiment. When most feel comfortable with an idea it's hard for the rule makers to discredit the interested group. Politicians follow the $$$ and the votes. Many people already think you can legally distill for your own consumption like you can for beer and wine and are surprised when they hear different. I've just noticed a coming out of sorts with the home distillation thing and find most people on first contact with the subject really don't have a negative view on it. At my Christmas party we were surrounded by family, Kids, Grandma's, everybody, the mason jar comes out of the gift bag, and no big deal. I'm looking around like "ARE YOU KIDDING ME"!! I felt like running to the back door and checking to see if anyone was hiding in the woods looking through a night vision device. From the responses on this post I can see that maybe what I've experienced as of late is also happening elsewhere. It's not just an anomaly within my little world. And that maybe there's a glimmer of hope that the public sentiment can be on our side to facilitate a change in the laws that will "legalize home distilling" .

[MadMasher]

Most people that are busted for having a still are busted because of tax evasion, not for making moonshine to sip on. You run into problems when you sell it, Govt makes a great deal on liquor taxes and will defend it.
So I gave my neighbor a jar of wine I made last summer and what to my wandering eyes should appear, he returns with a jar of apple pie! Mine was better but I've since had some of my rum with him and tried to turn him onto this site.

[WIski]

This is getting CRAZY!!!!!!

Last night my wife, my kids and me go to a wild game feed a friend of mine has every year after the Holidays. Everyone brings a dish prepared with wild game and it's a great time. Usually you get to try some type of food you have never had before. On the invite they always put on the bottom that "Beer and Wine are considered a dish". Some bring home made wine and beer for sampling. My son has been home brewing for a couple years and finally felt confident enough to bring some of his IPA and Stout creations along. So anyway, a guy shows up that I don't know but is friends with the host and he has a couple of bottles with him. The lady of the house takes the bottles and inquires as to the type of wine he had made and brought along. He tells her the one bottle is blackberry wine but be careful with the other one cause it's 110 proof. I could not believe it. Every social event I go to these days has some homemade hooch. The stuff was very dark and after some conversation I found out it was root beer flavored. I sampled it and it was the smoothest stuff I had ever tasted. Even the miss who doesn't care for booze thought it was great. This stuff was dangerous smooth. Then a little while later the boyfriend (Marine, God bless his sole) of the host's daughter comes up from the basement with a pint jar and proudly say's "try this , it's about 190". I just looked at my wife in disbelief. She say's, "you told me hardly anyone does this". All I can say is there are more people doing this than you think. I gave the jar a finger test and ya it was strong. It gave my mouth a funny feel, like it was coated with something. The tails smell was very heavy and when I diluted it it got cloudy. I told everyone there that it would be dangerous to drink it at that strength and I don't think anyone touched it.

I know it sounds unbelievable but this is another true story. 4 events in the past 3 months where someone has brought some shine to.