Hey from Carolina foothills

[Risky Business]

Hey all.

Newb from the foothills of NC. I've been interested in small scale distilling for a long time, and I'm lucky enough to know a few folks that have been "in the business" at one time or another. Unfortunately, it seems I should have talked to them more before I went ahead and ordered a set-up from an online company (Milehigh). This will be a good learning experience for me, and I'll probably build/buy whatever I need once I know where I'm headed.

I've been reading on here, and talking to some friends, and went ahead and started 15 gallons of sweetfeed mash. Looking forward to this, and learning from you all.

RB.

[rtalbigr]

Welcome RB. I'm not too far away, E. TN. A lot "in the business" around here, I know a few as well. Might want to be a little careful with your association. Sherrif don't much care if you're under the radar but he don't cotton at all to those "in the business."

One of our mottos is don't tell, don't sell.

Big R

[Risky Business]

Thanks rtalbigr.
Certainly no intention of selling anything - ever... I just like to hear their stories.

I should have mentioned - rum is my drink of choice, so I was thinking I might be a fan of the sweetfeed recipe. I also like to be in touch with the old ways. My wife and I like to know how to do things ourselves, and home distilling fits right in for us. She spins her own wool, and makes things like soap and clothes... I like to make/build things out of wood. I'd like to think we could get along in a little cabin in the woods, if we had to.

RB

[rtalbigr]

They do have some interesting tales RB, I gotta admit to that, I've laughed at some 'till I cried. Used ta think like you, made a lot of my own furniture, but I'm gettin too old and broke down for that.

If you're lookin for rum there's some good recipes here in the forum and some really good threads, though some get kinda complex. I do mostly AG's but I'm into rum as well. I've never done the sweetfeed recipe so I can't really comment there, but it's a really good starting point. Those recipes were developed to make starting your distilling adventure easy.

We do have a resident rum expert. If ya hang around you'll find out who he is and get some excellent toutorage. I'm still an amateur but I'll be glad to help ya where I can.

Big R

[OlympicMtDoo]

Welcome RB, I have a milehi rig (reflux) and like it pretty well I have a pot still too but I like the milehi rig.

[Risky Business]

Welcome RB, I have a milehi rig (reflux) and like it pretty well I have a pot still too but I like the milehi rig.

Glad to here this. Thank you. I'm sure with a little patience, and some tips from folks like you, I will be able to do everything I want with this for some time to come. Who knows, it may even turn out to be perfect. Coming from some other boards, I know how opinions can vary greatly. I hope to find a group of mentors with a similar set-up.

[NcHooch]

A friendly Hey from the piedmont RB ...
If anythin ever happened that we had to rely on our own hooch, I'd be ok , but what about bbq?
Cheers,
NChooch

[Doc2862]

Hi neighbor - Been reading on this forum for awhile, but registered today. Wish you the best of luck on here - I could use some help myself. Regards, Doc

[Doc2862]

Sweet feed sounds interesting to me as well - So far I've done some rum but mostly sugar wine based stuff. I'd love to hear what the sweet feed's like.. Keep us posted. Doc

[Risky Business]

I did my first run this weekend! Had a great time, really. I have a huge appreciation for those folks that have become very good at this, and stand as mentors for the rest of us.

I did the sweetfeed mash I started last Friday. I'm not much of a whiskey drinker, but I honestly think some of this tastes pretty good. Can't wait to get a bit of age on it, and maybe have those with more taste/experience help me with the cuts. The portion that tasted best to me (after only 24 hours breathing) was actually probably into the early tails - lots of flavor.

I did six gallons yesterday, then did the remaining three gallons, today. I ran "low and slow" in pot-still mode, and was very anxious about how long it was taking...(it killed me to throw that first 250ml into a foreshots container). Then, I got me a good book and a lawn chair, and time flew by. I fired-up at 10:15 am, first drops at about noon. I collected about 1 oz every 10 minutes, and finished the first night at 8pm. I ran slow until I got down to about 65%, then cranked it up and saved everything down to 20%.

Today, I put the remaining 3 gallons in, and added the stuff I collected below 65% ABV the night before (I did keep one jar at 54% because I liked the taste, and want it for blending). I only got three pint jars worth keeping today, but I managed to get further into my book, rearrange some stuff in the garage, and wash my car.

I did figure out something that works well for me: My water comes from a well, and we filter all of our drinking water. I ran a hose to the liebig, then the drain hose I ran back to the well cap. Nice cold water, and no loss - except when I used the drain hose to wash the car and add water to the fish pond.

All told, I kept 10 pint jars, each filled to about 2/3rds - which comes out to just over 3 quarts. It was a fun weekend! I really want to get good at this!
RB

[OlympicMtDoo]

Sounds like a great and successful first run RB congrads and enjoy it only gets better from here.