Our family tradition

The long and storied history of distilled spirits.

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rubelstrudel
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Our family tradition

Post by rubelstrudel »

When I proudly gifted a bottle of my best rum to each of my aunts, uncles and siblings at our annual christmas party yesterday, believing I was the first in our upstanding family to venture into the illegal arts of home distilling; my mother started telling a story:

Back when I was 6 months old, I and my mother had been staying with my great grandmother, my mothers grandmother in her farm house for company since her man for many years had just died. They'd lived together for 30 years after my great gramma had divorced my gramma's father just before the war. She'd had enough of marrying, so they never got around to formalizing that union. Anyway, I was 6 months old and staying there with my mother to help with the funeral and stuff.

That first evening my great gramma was rushing up and down the stair to the basement, clearly stressed. Then she brought my mother into it. Her recently departed man's son from his long dead first wife was coming to gather the old man's last run on the old still. And my great gramma wasn't having any of it. She was babysitting the old, tiny and very slow still, coaxing as much out of it as she could before the son came and and "stole" it from her. But she couldn't sit up all night, so she pressganged my mother into still watching service. All through the night they sat there in two hour watches, watching the slow drip. When morning broke they'd managed to collect 2 and a half wine bottles that my great gramma wrapped in blankets and hid it deep in her private chest of drawers.

Then they topped up the wash with fresh water and waited for the son to come. He did come, started up the still again, and waited all day long - with very little to show for. He kept grumbling that he couldn't understand how his old dad could have mad such a bad wash. Wasn't like him at all. Great gramma and my mother, and me kept silent.

Needless to say great gramma and her late man's son from before weren't on the best of terms. A few months later the son forced my great gramma out of the house she had lived in for the last 30 years (not married, no inheritance rights).

But my stillin' career didn't start two years ago. It started when i was 6 months old, almost 45 years ago. At my mother's and great grammas bosom so to speak.
Always impatient. But learning.
seamusm53
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Re: Our family tradition

Post by seamusm53 »

Great story but I think Grandma got bad advice. Common law marriage rights especially inheritance have existed for a long time.
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rubelstrudel
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Re: Our family tradition

Post by rubelstrudel »

This was rural norway back in 1974.
Anyway...
Do you think my Great Gramma ever took _advice_.... From anyone?`
You clearly did not know my great gramma.

My mother grew up her first 8 years calling her "aunt Sigrid". My great gramma wasn't having any of being called "grandmother" at age 37.
Always impatient. But learning.
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