Home Distiller

Howdy folks.

Didn’t see an introduce yourself section so forgive me if this is in the wrong spot. I finally have a chance to get back into my favorite old pastime and with this here new fangled internet, there’s lots of new information around. Hope ya don’t mind if I poke around, do some reading and maybe offer some advice to folks from old fashioned experience... and ask for updated advice also! I’m not too old to still learn some and I don’t claim to know it all. All I know about this is from many years of wine making and many years of batches through my one little old pot still.

I’m too young to be an old codger and way too old to be a young fart. Guess that makes me a medium fart. I’d rather build it than buy it, most of the fun is in doing it that way. I’m as tight with a dollar as anyone you know but more than willing to spend good money on something I really need and can’t build. I may be dumb but I ain’t stupid… Guess that cover the basics.

Back in the 70’s and 80’s I lived in rural north east Pennsyltucky and built and ran a little pot still, 13 gal pot/10 gal batches. All lovingly hand built by me from sheet and tube copper, tin locked. Got all my information from a neighbor who seemed to know quite a bit about the process. After what seemed to be a year of playing around I had the art down, settled on a good recipe and turned out a pretty good hooch. Also ran just about anything you could imagine through it at one time or another. What a great toy!

Well, times changed. I got hurt, sold the house and contents, moved… Settled in NC now with room and time to get back into having fun. My new baby is based on the original design with a few modifications from lessons learned. 30 gal pot so it’ll be running about 25 gal batches. I’ll look for a digital camera and get some pictures one of these days. She’s almost finished. Just need a 2 ½” or 3” copper cleanout w/cap (sweat to male adaptor), hole for the thermometer (and the thermometer), a good first cleaning and me to get off my lazy butt and finish remodeling the bathroom into a proper area for the whole process. What more perfect room than a full bath; bath tub for cleaning, toilet for dumping, a sink for water supply and room for the mash barrels.

Almost forgot the setup description… Propane fired, copper pot/cap, doubling hole and thermometer, back draining slag box between the pot and coils, 50’ of ½” coil and stagnant water cooling container.

It’s almost time to make a run – Woodrow W. Woodchuck

Welcome to the site Woody_Woodchuck sounds like youre almost back in th game .. look forward to seeing them pics .. lots of nice and knowledgeable people here at the site most all willing to give a hand when needed , Hope you enjoy ya stay ...good luck with the project

Welcome!!It sounds like you will be a great addition to the forum.

I guess if we're introducing ourselves, I might as well too.

[Now, mind you, seeing as I live in the States, any info here is just pretend. I would NEVER break the law, so everything below is just pure fantasy. I'd also like to thank the gov't of New Zealand, because now there's plenty of distilling info in English, and Kiwis can make websites about it, and there's not a damn thing Uncle Sam can do about it.]

I'm a young lad (well, not that young), and am soon to make my first batch. The whole idea has been about 8 years in the making... I was an environmental science major in college, so i took plenty of chemistry. In one organic lab, we distilled alcohol. I remember thinking at the time, "wow, this is pretty easy, if I had some wine I could make brandy." And I come from a long line of beer and wine makers (my mom makes several dozen batches every year- I hope to get some wine from her at Thanksgiving to make brandy).

I finished building my still last night. Half inch copper all the way, 45 degree upwards lyne arm, 16 quart pot inside a 25 quart pot (double boiler idea) on a hot plate. Thermometer on a tee off just before the lyne arm, condenser in a bucket. I'm fermenting a 5 gallon batch of rum, should run my first batch Mon or Tues.

Hopefully, I'll have good news to report soon.

I also welcome you from the far side of the state, where we had snow yesterday.

I love the history and lore of this hobby, and sounds like you might have some, and old recipes as well. Antiquated, perhaps, but should be kept alive as a part of our history. Old time stories? Share the old, while we also enjoy all the new advances here.

I've always been interested in distilling but since it's illegal here in the U.S. I settled for brewing beer instead. Just recently the idea gears started turning and I'm finding a lot more, better information online than I did just a few years ago. Reading about it is pretty entertaining.