Home Distiller

Thanks, Big R. Truth be told, I haven't even bought/built a still yet, but was going to start soaking the oak in sherry/bourbon so it had ample time to permeate the wood before being used in the whisky. We'll see what happens come this fall/winter.

I've recently purchased Ian Smiley's text and see that he recommends the use of a reflux still over the use of a pot still. Moreover, he bases his construction on a 12gal water heater (which is godawful ugly, IMO) and apparently in the US, that is not a good idea. My questions, therefore, are: can I...

Not all of the single-malts you see on the shelf in the local state store are created equally. Where as bourbon is, by and large, bourbon (saying that the maturation is done in single-use, charred, white oak barrels) an Islay Scotch is 100% different than a Highland, which is 100% different than a S...

Thanks a lot, guys! I have taken your advice and removed my name from the OP--I suppose you are right about that, probably will change my user name too (I tend to use the same one so that I don't forget).

Hello, all, name is Pat. I've been home brewing for a while and am looking to buy/build a pot still and start distilling some scotch-style and bourbon whisky over the winter. I have a firm grasp on what seem to be the required techniques, that is, until we start talking turning the wash into whisky....

From where do you all buy your Baird's malt? I'm thinking of making a scotch-style whisky for my first distillation (long time home brewer, so I have everything for the mash, fermentation, etc.) and have had a hard time finding an outlet for a 55# heavy peat Baird's. Thanks, all!

I'm a long time all-grain brewer and going to make the next step to distilling this winter. As a life-long Scotch lover, I am thinking of making my first spirit a single-malt with as much Islay character as I can muster living here in upstate NY. Many of my favorite malts are extremely peaty and dou...