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<DIV>Greetings Brewers,</DIV>
<DIV>I regularly use both a 25 l pot still (see <A
href="http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~hylander/brewing.html">http://homepages.ihug.co.nz/~hylander/brewing.html</A>)
and 50 l reflux stills. As I live in New Zealand this is legal, though not
common. </DIV>
<DIV>The use of the pot still is exceptionly easy, I have just completed a
whisky distilation with out the use of any temperature monitoring
save my watching for steam escaping the still and turning the element
down! </DIV>
<DIV>I always throw out the first 50ml of distillate to avoid any methyl
alcohol.</DIV>
<DIV>The most important part of the process was monitoring the alcohol
percentage with an alcohol hydrometer, as the alcohol percentage drops below 25%
(from initial 60%) the flow is diverted to be redistilled later. This has
hopefully allowed enough flavour to come through without the stronger bitter
principles being boiled off. Most people are surprised to find that
distilled products are clear! Commercial whisky and the like achieve their
colour from the oak barrels used for storage and/or the addition of caramel
colouring.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I also "age" my distillates by forcing air through the spirit with a fish
bubbler. This helps oxidise any sharp tasting principles that have
come through and gives my one week old whisky five years of aging in 24
hrs.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The reflux still is only used to produce pure spirit (90%) for liqueur
making and it would be a waste to put anything with flavour into it.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Other than the water hose snaking across my kitchen there is no real
difference in distilling and mash brewing in terms of smell -boiling malt smells
the same.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In service</DIV>
<DIV>Jardine Mac an leigh</DIV>
<DIV>Baronny of Ildhafn, Lochac</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>"If you can't get drunk in it,<BR>can't make love in it,<BR>can't dream in
it,<BR>there's no point in having it"<BR>-Tim Smit, Heligan Gardens.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face="Century Schoolbook">Beannachd nas Soilleir ort, agus air gach
duine.<BR>(Brightest of Blessings to you and all you hold
dear.)<BR></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>