Hi

[Gilbo]

Hi All, back again after a few years.

I was around a fair while back, posting to another email list I think from Margaret River. I recall a very good paper on reflux by Mike Nixon which proved very helpful, and I finally got a still up and running. Nothing fancy, but very effective, so of course we've enjoyed many a good night sipping the good stuff.

During that time I was steward at the Single Malt Club and through your efforts managed to educate a few of the local imbibers on both heads and feints, and how to tell if the 'sweet heart' is good. One of the winery lab guys tested some of my stuff once, and told me is was less than 5% off what he was achieving in his laboratory, so I was happy with that. The balance was only distilled water.

Back in Perth now that the kids are off my hands, at UWA for a second degree in literature with two published novels under my wing, and a third finished with another just started.

Will post a picture of the beast.

Gil

[flip]

wecome Gilbo.

[rubber duck]

Welcome aboard.

[blind drunk]

Welcome.

[LWTCS]

Hello and welcome back.

[blanikdog]

Welcome Back, Gilbo. Good to see another aussie in here.

blanik

[olddog]

+1 Welcome


OD

[Gilbo]

OK, here it is. It's not connected to anything here, but you get the drift. When I want to run a batch through I cart it into the laundry and connect the condenser hose to a tap and let water trickle through. The good stuff drips from the clear hose into a flagon. I heat it with a single gas ring controlled by a needle valve, letting it run up to temperature fairly quickly before turning it right down once the drip starts. There are three stainless steel scouring pads up inside the column, fairly evenly spaced. I find them best to keep things steady.

Only other thing is a thermometer in the top of the column so I can keep it within range. A slight creep up or down a few degrees doesn't seem to hurt, once the heads have gone through it's just a matter of waiting eight hours or so until the oily stuff starts to drip. You can see it against the light, when the good stuff is crystal bright with a good fruity nose. Unmistakable.

The other stainless steel tank is a fermenter that I use for winemaking. The whole crush is fermented to 3-4 days in the marc in a big Sulo bin, then filtered into the tank to finish. When that's done I leave it awhile to settle then rack it off into plastic drums before racking it again into flagons.

Sadly (or maybe happily), it never lasts long enough to bottle and cork. It gets drank pretty quick.

Gilbo

[rad14701]

Greetings, Gilbo...

That still sure looks a lot like the one depicted in the forum header...

Good luck...

[LWTCS]

She's a beauty.
But why the rubber hose on the take off?