Hello from New Zealand

[fyfo]

Hi all, my name is Chris and I'm from Auckland, New Zealand.

I have always loved making/building things and particularly anything that saves me money!

I am now 35 years old and have been distilling for about twelve years and started off with reflux stills (first one was a "still spirits" plastic bin - the one that the column dome wouldn't fit until it heats up and expands. I worked my way through the reflux brands in New Zealand (Essencia etc) and ended up with the Spirits Unlimited Euro 60).

I have now purchased a 25 Litre "copperhead pot still" and have just begun learning again from the pot still point of view. I used to aim for high quality clean alcohol but am now excited about delving into making spirits (particularly rums) from scratch and having more say into the flavour of my drinks (as opposed to just adding a store brought concentrate). I like the idea of tinkering with ingredients/recipes to find a nice drink that appeals to me.

I have just run through my first rum wash the other night and all went well. Still lots to learn but I feel like I have a good background from running reflux stills to build on....

I am addicted to this site and am reading every day and trying to soak up as much as I can along with building up my experience along the way.

Thanks to all the experienced brewers out there who share so much of their hard earnt knowledge with everyone! I hope to be able to help out in the future if and when I have something useful to add to this site.

Cheers, Chris