Back to it after 40+ years

[ozzie34231]

Hello to All,
I just found this site today, amazing!
I became fascinated with how distilled spirits were made in the late 60's. Back then it was near impossible to find any literature on the subject. I learned a little from some very heavy duty scrounging in the state library. The best book I found wasn't in English, but my father-in-law, and Italian/ English dictionary taught me a lot. I built 7 stills back then, only the seventh produced some pretty good stuff. The boiler was part of an old hotel coffee system, about 8 gals, and on top I made a 3" diameter, 18" tower, filled with crushed glass. On the very top was a small copper pocket for a thermometer.
I was a stock broker at the time and another guy at the firm had a customer who was the head chemist for the state alcohol division of whatever. He agreed to test for me and came back with a spectrograph saying what I'd made was almost identical to Old ( something ), at least I was dead sure it wasn't poison!
I'm a few days short of 73 now and I'm thinking I'll build one again.

Ozzie

[LWTCS]

Do it Ozzie.

It's all here. Including what I would assume to be some performance enhancements since your early days.

Welcome home.

[Braz]

Welcome from another senior citizen. I am new to this hobby and I'd hate to think of how I'd be doing without this resource.

Braz

[Kentucky shinner]

Welcome, this a great hobby and very rewarding too. To me there is just nothing like drinking something you have made and really liking it... Hell Im taking 3 liters to my Dr. In Nashville tomorrow. I think that is pretty neat to. I cant wait to see what he says about it.
Welcome and enjoy,
Kentucky shinner

[blanikdog]

Do it Ozzie and welcome. We need more old buggers in here. There are quite a few of us. Perhaps we should form an 'Old farts' group. The mind boggles.

I have a feeling somewhere in the crevices of my grog sodden brain that there was a poll on age of members. I'll have a hunt for it.

blanik