From brewer to distiller

[Penumbra59]

Hi all

I have been reading on this forum for a while and found a lot of usefull info.
I think i'm ready to start my first real still run so thought it would be a good time to introduce myself.

I'm from belgium, semi proffesional brewer so the mashing and fermenting steps are not new to be. But the distilling part, thats something different.

I'll try to use as mush of my (testbatch) brew kettle for the stripping runs and use a dedicated kettle for the fine still.

Here is my current setup.
Using my brewmonk 65L for the stripping runs and a little "asian made" kettle for the rest of the runs.

[Bushman]

Welcome and nice introduction.
Quick hint:
When posting pictures go to the bottom of the page and select Attachments, then select add files. From add files select photo Library. Select photo to add and select add. From here place your cursor on the page where you want it to appear and select place inline. You may have to resize the photo before going through this process if it is too large.
Good luck and enjoy the journey!

[Penumbra59]

Thanks Bushman. That did help :p

[quadra]

Welcome! You are well ahead of many new members.What are you planning to distill?

[Penumbra59]

Thanks Quadra!

My main interest would be ( peated)" whisky". But as that would take many years to mature I was thinking of doing some gin so i can have some finished product faster.
From what I read gin would be better with a reflux column but I like to try it in my "pot still" and get some extra flavors from the grains.

For the whisky:
I have some small ( 8 gallon) oak barrels filled with BourRum ( blend of Bourbon and rum) to age my bears on and I am planning to use them for my whisky aging too.
I bought myself a 4 gallon barrel too that is now filled with cask strength peated whisky. Once ready I will fill that with my "whisky" and wait for the result.

I still have a long way to go