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Great suggestions. I didn't think about the orientation of the cupped side, I just thought it should seal properly no matter which way it was hanging. I'll try the tape on the threads and mating surfaces too, and try to polish up the surfaces for a better fit.

Thanks everyone!

Thanks, I'll try more tape for now, good to know it's ok to use. And I'll be on the lookout to replace with a better union. My spout is this one: http://www.copper-alembic.com/ns/product.php?id_product=118" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow The small tu...

Hey everyone, I have a parrot spout that I would like the flexibility to remove and attach to either my alembic pot worm bucket output, or my alembic reflux column output line (the alembic has a threaded top in the head where I can either hook up a column or a lyne-arm-to-worm-bucket). I soldered on...

MDH - Curious how the brandy turned out. I have a Rowan tree at my house and have been tempted to make something from the berries. I've been waiting for them to ripen and begin to shrivel, however they have started falling already, and the ones on the tree still seem pretty sour. Do you wait until f...

Thanks Paulinka! Incredibly helpful! I am going to try a commercial yeast to kickstart things again. Dan - I did not add any sugar or other additives, just straight fruit. I live in the Pacific Northwest of USA, and this time of year the temperature can swing a good 20+ degrees from day to day. We'v...

I also have a question about Plum Palinka. I have 100s of lbs of Italian prunes/plums fermenting. I picked them ripe, and let them sit whole for a couple weeks in numerous airlocked containers. The airlocks were busy, and the plums began to ferment on their own with natural yeasts. I did not add any...

Hey Paulinka, Thanks for the great posts, very timely as I have almost 1 ton of Italian prunes fermenting, and over 200lbs of Pears. For the Pears, I wondered if you could advise on the initial preparation of the fruit. Do you wash them? Doesn't that remove wild yeasts? Do you let them sit whole and...

lol, too funny. Agreed, Grappa is tough to drink, not my favorite spirit for sure. But something easy to cut my teeth on distilling, and the grapes are readily available. More excited about making and aging brandy for sure.

Thanks for the tip. I'll try to be less greedy and collect the tails sooner, I think you're right that I got too much of them. Follow on question about detecting the tails - I was collecting about 500mL at a time in empty wine bottles. I know you can start to tell when the tails are coming by taste,...

Hey everyone, Newbie distiller here, having just finished my first-ever batch of Grappa. I wanted to post my experience... If any distilling vets have advice or comments would love to hear it. My family owns a small vineyard in Eastern Washington, where they sell grapes to home winemakers (u-pick). ...

Hey everyone, Long-time wine maker, newbie distiller here. I've purchased a PDA1, and I need a bit more control on the length of the takeoff area. Since the takeoff sits so close to column (and right above the lid of the boiler), I can't really get a bottle or container underneath. What do others do...