How did you start?

[Fiend]

Something I am curious about for all. I imagine everyone has their own different reasons for starting in distilling (Be it whatever they make) And or brewing.
The concept overall is just intriguing to me and I like to just know how to make stuff.

I think the idea first popped in my head when I was sampling some different brews at a local restaurant. Stout, hard cider, a few ales. Just feeling all the different flavors and wanted to make some of my own.
Between internet forum reading and youtube videos, my obsessive hobby began.

Of course... it was only a matter of time (from a whiskey lover) that I would inevitably want to learn the process of making my own.
I admit, distilling was definitely much more intimidating to get into than brewing in start.

So I came here. Read read read read read. Got the hang of things.. so I said.... I'll do it.
This forum gave me the confidence to move forward in this hobby.
and I guess I am a little addicted to doing new things.
But these two are by far the best hobbies I have had.
-V

[FreeMountainHermit]

How did I start ? Hmmmmmmmmmmm

Read for months till it became overload. Asked a few questions. Read a lot more then bought a simple pot still from HBS and put it on a keg. Fun trip with UJSSM and made some darn good White Dog which is what I like to drink.

Still read a lot and post a bit.

FMH.

[MitchyBourbon]

I started when I was in high school. At the time the US was having a lot of trouble with finding reasonably priced energy. I was arguing with my physics teacher that alcohol was a dead end. I said that there was no technology available that would produce alcohol for less energy than the end product. I built A still, ran several experiments and proved my point. I got an A.

In College, I built another still. This one had a different purpose. Like many students I did not have tons of money at my disposal. I built another still, this time out of equipment I bought from the Chem dept. I made potato vodka. Back then I could buy 20 lbs of potatoes for 2 dolars. It tasted like shit, but it was free, or close to it.

[googe]

Got sick of the.missus complaining about buying rum, thought stuff it I'll make my own!. Plus always wanted to try it but seemed to hard till I found this place.

[toast860]

i started when I moved into my old house. there was a lot of blueberry bushes. when I was a teenager the first shine I ever had was blueberry and I wanted to make that. still to this day I haven't made any blueberry anything but that's what started my idea. found this awesome place and now I cant stop.

[pounsfos]

store brought stuff tasted like shit
everyone that brewed it, there stuff tasted like shit

I guess I have a sensitive palette

so brewed my own, tasted like shit for a year or 2, now it doesn't and everything else still does

I now teach people, who I meet on how to make theres better (mostly people using turbo yeast)
Learn something new everyday here, and on my own travells

[Coyote]

Always have enjoyed building anything, Always have enjoyed learning about anything old school.

Forges, Leather/ Rawhide braiding, wood working, driving four & six horse hitch, welding and fabrication,
Rebuilding old wagons and horse drawn equipment, which means learning the old ways and mostly having
to build your own parts and often the tools.

As a farmer, having a great repair facility is a requirement. Some of the tools/ machinery are extra's but the wife
thinks they are for sure & for certain totally necessary to running the ranch - wonder who led her to believe that?

"How Its Made", "Myth Busters", and show like them make me sit straight up.

So my draw was not to make booze - but rather to make booze so I could learn the aging/ flavoring process and the
subtle differences in how things work and interact with each other.

The big plus I discovered was the no hangover part

Coyote

[Ghost]

Just to see if I could and it snowballed from there

[Prairiepiss]

I started making wine a long time ago. But my main drink has always been whiskey. So I really wanted to make that. So with little of no information. I made a crappy little still. And without any good info. That's where it stopped. Kids came along. And many other hobbies. So it was forgotten about.

20 years later. I wanted to start making wine again. And now with the interwebs. I was over run with more info then I ever wanted. Then I found this site. I took about 2 months of reading. Then joined. Spent another 6 to 8 months reading and reading. Asking stupid questions along the way. Finally got the still built. And I haven't looked back since.

[Fastill]

Grandparents on both sides did their share of indirect influence on me, One side made and sold beer during prohibition,( I have lots of their old crocks and the bottles they used), grandfather on the other side used to haul shine in the thirtys.
My parents didn't make or mess around but my dads best friend ( I still call him "uncle")always had shine that he made in the 60's and early 70's. We are still sipping on this once in a while when the occasion arises.
That is what got my interest and why I wanted to start making.

[Odin]

Drank various Pálinka's in Hungary. Most home made, some good, many bad. And then I tried some sweetened up with honey. GREAT! Back in Holland I started up my computer and decided that the Dutch national drink, genever, should also be so much easier to down with some honey. So I googled "making honey genever" and landed on a page called "making genever". Been hooked ever since. Never bothered about adding honey to my genever ever since.

Odin.

[Jimbo]

I started making wine in 93 and beer in 94, then I happened on a few old school books on distilling. Really got my interest bigtime so i built a still out of an old pressure cooker. 2 gallon. Not much of a wine drinker so seemed like a hell of a cool thing to turn gallons of undrank wine into something better.

Aside from a few dicey books full of conflicting info I had nothing but trial and error for many years and made 2 more generations of stills, 8g and 15.5g. Made a lot of mistakes and learned a lot of lessons the old fashioned way. I hope folks learning on HD from day 1 appreciate this resource. After years of dialing in brandys on my own, mostly cider brandy. and some sketchy whisky's I found HD and learned how to make a 'proper' bourbon, after being pointed to NCHooch's recipe. From there I worked on AG's relentlessly, and after dialing a few in that I was really happy with I tried to repay the favor by posting those recipe's with as much detail as I could to help the next guy out.

[heartcut]

Junior high in the 60's, little religious town, couldn't get anyone to buy beer. Inspired by a Popular Science article on moonshine, made steam sparged sugarhead oat flavored hootch with a pressure cooker, two barrels and brake line. Didn't know cuts, tasted like ass, never injured a human badly but it killed two cars. Really glad I found this site.

[aussie_redneck]

Mine started after having a couple of beers with a mate and he said lets try and make moonshine and because i have this obsessive mind that in which i have to know if i can do something and how to. I then ended up here and its probably very lucky i did.

[S-Cackalacky]

I am an abstract painter and began using high percent isopropyl alcohol a few years ago as part of my painting process. Well it was stinkin' up the house so bad, the old woman was about to kick me out. I was in DC one day and picked up a bottle of 190 proof Everclear and found that it worked even better than the isopropyl without the stink.

VA ABC stores don't sell Everclear and DC is a long drive. I found it in WV, but the proof was only 150 - didn't work near as well as the higher proof. Then, the way my logic works, I came up with the brilliant idea that I would get a permit and make fuel alcohol - a little for the lawn mower and a little for the artwork. After doing some online research, I realized that there was no way my site would qualify for a permit. During the research I stumbled onto this site and the more I read, the more I realize the lawn mower wasn't a worthy recipient of what I might produce.

My first build is a pot still - not near high enough ABV for the artwork, but the plan is to build a reflux still, buy some turbo, and produce something I know I won't drink. Well that's the plan anyway.

Just sayin',
S-C

[Doubler]

It started when I was about 16, I was huntin squirrel on my parents property and came up on a still next to the spring well. I remembered my dad drinkin liquor from random bottles and it wasn't gold/amber colored like the rest, so I asked him about and he asked if I wanted to help him out. I did and continued helping for a few years. I moved out, did my own thing, brewed beer for a bit and joined the military. I got bored up here abd was talkin to my dad about his last run and it resparked my interest and have been doin it steadily the last couple years. Its awesome to take some hooch home and impress the pops.

[Truckinbutch]

Was weaned on a sugar teat soaked in shine . Family on both sides were involved in 'blockade whiskey' . Carried wood to stills as a younker and transported when I figured out how to drive cars . Didn't figger out how to do the distillin job right until I got here . Be safe and prosper .

[W Pappy]

Bought a place that had a ton concord grapes on it made a bunch of jelly.Then a friend said I should make some wine so I started making all kinds of wine.Then my wife tried some apple pie shine at one of her friends house and loved it.She wanted to buy some and I said no way if she was going to drink any I would learn to make it so I knew it was safe!!! And I just love good likker and always wanted to learn how.

[NZChris]

Made a bit of wine and beer in the early 70's. My beer was crap, so I gave that up and worked on my wines.

Looking for wine info in my local library around 1980 and found Alexis Lichine's Encyclopedia of Wines and Spirits. It was eventually stolen from the library, but by that time I had photocopied the important pages and was already running my first still, illegal back then. Some sugar washes and grappa, but mostly rum from molasses. An attempt at mashing corn was a disaster.

I picked up a newer edition of Alexis' encyclopedia at a jumble sale last year for a few bucks It was like finding an old friend.

[Cardinalbags]

Ive been home brewing beer for 20 years now and got away from beer kits about 10 years ago when I really got back into it a bit more whole heartedly.

The local home brewing supply store had some Still Spirits Turbo 500's in the back room. I was interested in making home made Baileys because I go through the stuff like crazy. I like a little coffee with my baileys on a weekend morning....
Alcohol in Nova Scotia ( and Canada in general ) is crazy expensive... $40 / 40 oz bottle. it was originally conceived to be a money saver.

I was getting into it and going about it the wrong way. I had spent a bunch of money on a bunch of equipment and turbo yeast without doing any real research.

The first batch was made in strict accordance with the manufacturers instructional video....

It was crap and took way too long with an inferior water control system to come up with an inferior product.

Thats when I started some real research and joined this site. I drink vodka and the wife drinks gin, so I quickly came to the conclusion that I wanted to make a reflux still for the best and cleanest neutrals that I could make. It was only on here that I really learned that the T500 is a CM reflux still and how it really should be operated but was not what I wanted to run.

Months of research later and a build of my own and making what I consider some good stuff. I sold off the T500 in pieces to co-workers who needed replacement parts. The tower went to a good buddy and in return he has done all my tig welding for me which has been a considerable amount of work if you ask me.

I wont drink anything that i havent made myself now If I have a choice.....

[heynonny]

I had been brewing for a few years, took some for 'after' work "to sample".
The teamster told me to stop by on the weekend, ('bout 1/2 mi away). He had an SS 1/2 gallon pressure cooker with an SS sink drain welded off center to cover the where the rubber(?) safety hole was. column about 2 ft tall 1 1/2" copper. What a rush for me when the thermometer started to run & product started coming out! I knew then & there I was hooked.

[goinbroke2]

Originally I was in high school and some of my relatives had stills so I built one to sell the likker at the high school.

Years go by and I'm 40 or so and getting a book in the library for my kid and I see the "moonshiners" book by Rowling or whatever his name is. It peaked my interest again and for my birthday about a month later I asked for (and got) Ian Smiley's book. Been hooked ever since. (7-8 years now)

[MadMasher]

After visiting several bourbon distilleries, seeing the process, smelling the mash, hearing the history wrapped around the tasty drink, how could I not be inspired.
The location of different distilleries gives a different flavored drink, even if its close to the same ingredients. This really captivated my interest. I wanted to make something with locally grown grains with local water and local yeast. Easier said than done, And so far its something I haven't accomplished but hope to this summer.
So anyway, I researched and researched, found this site, researched some more and then went for it. Built a little still and started mashing. Its only a been about a year now since my first batch of whiskey which is still aging. It might be rustic and sometimes rough on the pallet (as I sometimes think it should be) but I feel like I'm experiencing a part history when I drink something I've made, like the first settlers here did. Its also nice to know exactly what went into a bottle instead of just buying one at the store.

[SoMo]

I just like you guys have liquor in the genes, love a good whiskey had a taste of real smooth corn shine cut right and the bugs bitten me. I've read this site a year, have built my first still, my first Ujssm is fermenting now and I am making my maiden run this weekend. Everything's better homemade! As a noob I appreciate all you folks have done to educate those of us willing to learn. I hope to be accepted into this noble fraternity of craftsman. Please if you will share all you can with me and others to continue this wonderful art. Thank you Melloman. Ps my wife wants to drink my wash, it's that good thanks to you guys.

[Ayay]

A friend gave me a taste of pot stilled apricot, brewed and stilled by himself. Divine taste and potency Searched the net skipping all snake-oil smells until this site appeared. I'm lucky to have a strong aversion to snake-oil.
Here is a repository of the real deal... searching got me here and a new search began. Lots of reading and I started.

[aquavita]

Wish I had a family association or spiritual revelation to share, but the wife said I needed a hobby with the Bow season coming to a close....

I said - how about letting me build a still?

I have been wanting to do this for a few years now. I even added a potato patch to my garden for potato based vodka. Never got around to building the still - just enjoyed bushels of home grown potatoes.

I am personally into aged rum and bourbon (gotta have something with my cigar).

So here I am - a new member of your great community. Looking forward to some progress.

Cheers.

[Jimbo]

Wish I had a family association or spiritual revelation to share, but the wife said I needed a hobby with the Bow season coming to a close....

I said - how about letting me build a still?

I have been wanting to do this for a few years now. I even added a potato patch to my garden for potato based vodka. Never got around to building the still - just enjoyed bushels of home grown potatoes.

I am personally into aged rum and bourbon (gotta have something with my cigar).

So here I am - a new member of your great community. Looking forward to some progress.

Cheers.

haha, excellent! Now build that still! lol

[Horsecreek shine]

Well mine is very similar to coyote's I grew up farming and ranchin and still do you find your self being very resourceful an Putin up your own groceries off your own place and being more self sufficent and as I aged and traveled working I have picked up on interesting trades from very interesting people everywhere I have been but mine started with brewing all grain while I was in North Dakota working for 2.5 yr for a cat dealer my buds were brewers and I was hooked I thought I was a pro beer drinker till I met them wow them folks can put down some beer lol and when I returned home to the far south most of the different types of berries we planted on the ranch were ready to produce and then we satrted makin wine and wow that stuff is popular with the neighbors and then their was always the of my granddads the still makers that that's how they bought their first ranch during prohibition and was always an voodoo I suppose but still an interest I built few and make brandy and wow I was not impressed with the first run was a cider that was I drinkable due to sulfites so I thought I'd still it out an talk about gas holy shit that was bad so that's my story I build a few rigs for friends an so on
Horsecreek

[White_Lightning_Rod]

A couple friends of mine have made wine for years and I always enjoy the bottle they give me every year. So I began researching how to make wine and that turned into how to make hard cider, and that led to how to make apple jack with freeze concentration. Made a couple attempts at it and it tasted like crap and left me with one HELL of a hangover.

Ive always had a fasination with the history of shinin' an all being from the Appalachian Mtns. So my next step was to research and figure out how it was done. I read up on it and I am the type that if someone can do it then by golly I can learn how to do it as well so I found some info on the interweb and threw together a stock pot still and ran off to the closest brew shop and picked up some turbo yeast. Needless to say the ferment smelt so bad I knew it was going to be horrid before I ever even ran it, but I ran it and of course it was crappy. Went back to researching and finally found this site and things really made a turn for the better. Been running sweetfeed for a few months and messing around with mead and "honeyshine". After Ive got a feel for making my cuts and confident that my stuff is somewhat decent Ive let several friends sample my distilled mead and so far the unanimious decision from everyone who has tried it is that its the best shine they've had.

Got all the parts and pieces on order to upgrade to a keg boiler I cant wait to get it up and going and see what new spirits I can make for myself.

Ghost pretty much hit the nail on the head though

"Just to see if I could do it"

[JBAR9]

Started drinking homemade beer and wine at a young age while living in an alcohol free country. Moved back to the states and tried my own hand at wine since I was not old enough to buy. First attempt was grape concentrate+sugar+yeast+honey at the age of 14. Got my friends and me drunk and I was hooked on making my own. Did that off and on til the age of 21 then bought legal. A few years back someone asked about making homemade wine and that got my fire burning again. Did a few batches and wanted to up the ante. I was always good with my hands (woodshop and metalshop in highschool), found ideas/plans for copper stills, and a few years later, got all the pieces put together in a pretty pot still. Been reading up constantly for the last few years and am happily making my own now. Definitely second the notion of "Just to see if I could do it".