We can talk about American Bourbon whiskey, Canadian whiskey but can
we talk about a national Australian whisky? The Wild West had saloons
where whiskey was imbibed but Australia had pubs where beer was
consumed. This is a legacy of the English being encouraged to replace
gin with ale. The worst nightmare for an Australian would be "a pub
with no beer".
Distilleries were actively discouraged in Australia. In Tasmania in
1839, Lt. Governor Franklin introduced legislation to abolish the
local distilling industry in favour of brewing ale only.
It's not there is no distilling in Australia, but that beer is king.
wal
--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, Home Distiller <home_distiller@...>
wrote:
>
>
> --- waljaco <waljaco@...> wrote:
>
> > I wondered why Australia did not have such a strong
> > distilling
> > tradition as say the U.S. It appears that Australia
> > was settled at the
> > time that the British were turning to beer -
>
> Actually it's not as simple as that, firstly if you
> red the extract from wikipedia the other day I posted
> about the rum rebellion it mentions allegations of NSW
> corps importing stills.
>
> Then a day or so later someone posted about the McRae
> family in NZ, and these articles referenced the NSW
> corps making booze from potatos.
>
> Combined with the fact that spirits didn't gain
> popularity or notoriety in the US until prohibition
> kicked in. This was simple logistics, because it was
> easier to smuggle high proof booze then lots of low
> proof booze. This also led to bathtub booze and people
> that would never have thought about spirits including
> children were suddenly up to their necks in it.
>
> Every prohibition or banning of something is a waste
> of time because it only tends to make problems worst
> not better like the teetotallers claim. Actually the
> history of prohibition in the US is a very good
> example/proof on why it's better to tax and control
> drugs than enforcing bans on them with police and in
> the process turing citizens into criminals.
>
> Maybe a politician will get a clue one day how telling
> some people 'no' only makes them do it in any case,
> but I doubt it.
>
>
>       ___________________________________________________________
> Yahoo! Mail is the world's favourite email. Don't settle for less,
sign up for
> your free account today
http://uk.rd.yahoo.com/evt=44106/*http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/mail/winter07.html
>

Apparently prior to the Fosters introducing German style lager we
drank warm ale as in Merry England. Cooper's Ale is a legacy of that
tradition. German style lager had a problem to be accepted in America
also because of anti-German prejudice. whereas German lager was pure
malt, Australian lager had a large proportion of cane sugar which was
good for the local sugar industry.
wal
--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "Harry" <gnikomson2000@...> wrote:
>
>
> --- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com <mailto:Distillers@yahoogroups.com> ,
> "waljaco" <waljaco@> wrote:
> >
> > I wondered why Australia did not have such a strong distilling
> > tradition as say the U.S. It appears that Australia was settled at the
> > time that the British were turning to beer -
> >
> > http://www.warrnamboolcam.com/pubs/history1.htm
> <http://www.warrnamboolcam.com/pubs/history1.htm>
> > http://www.warrnamboolcam.com/pubs/history2.htm
> <http://www.warrnamboolcam.com/pubs/history2.htm>
> >
> > wal
> >
>
>
> An extract from that pub history2 article...
>
> "all that Australia need was a beer to call its own. - this happened in
> 1887 when two New Yorkers arrived in Melbourne with refrigeration
> equipment and set up a new brewery - yes it is true - two yanks teaching
> us how to brew beer!! Actually I believe that they were originally from
> Ireland so that might make it a less bitter pill to swallow..
> Up until this time the local brewers only made heavy, sweet, warm, top
> fermented ales, the Foster brothers brought with them the technology and
> yeast strains to produce a lighter style of bottom fermenting lager that
> could be served icy cold and more suited to the hotter climate (and the
> tastes of local drinkers), it was an instant success and has become
> Australians national drink -
> Just to set the record straight the Foster brother were not the first to
> brew lager in Australia - in 1885 Gambrinus Brewery in Melbourne became
> Australia's first lager brewery."
>
>
> That may well be the history of how Fosters became established in
> Australia.  However I take exception to the statement of Yanks teaching
> us to make beer, and to the bit about their innovation with
> refrigerating beer.
>
> Refrigeration process and equipment was invented and patented by an
> Aussie, an ex-patriate Scotsman in fact, one James Harrison (it sent him
> broke twice, by the way).  He was quite a man and his story makes for
> interesting reading.
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harrison_(engineer)
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Harrison_(engineer)>
> http://www3.telus.net/st_simons/cr0003.htm
> <http://www3.telus.net/st_simons/cr0003.htm>
>
> Here's an extract from
> http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A010479b.htm
> <http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A010479b.htm>
> that pertains to his refrigeration exploits and to its adoption by
> Aussie brewers in 1854, well before 1887 when the Foster brothers
> appeared on the scene...
>
> "Harrison's greatest achievement and much of his financial failure
> stemmed from his inventions: he was a pioneer in all kinds of
> refrigeration. At Geelong he designed and built the plant for the first
> Australian manufacture of ice and began production at Rocky Point,
> taking out a local patent in 1854. The Bendigo brewers, Glasgow & Co.,
> soon adopted his principles in a pioneer mechanical refrigerator. In
> 1856 Harrison went to London where he patented both his process (747 of
> 1856) and his apparatus (2362 of 1857) and had talks with Faraday and
> Tyndall. Siebe Brothers of Holborn used his designs to make improved
> machinery which was shipped to Victoria in 1859. A short trial at new
> works convinced Harrison that Geelong could not use three tons of ice
> each day, so he moved to Melbourne where his daily output of ten tons
> also exceeded demand. In 1860 he joined P. N. Russell in forming the
> Sydney Ice Co., but it was soon bought out by rivals. Finding ice
> unnecessary for many industrial purposes, Harrison designed a
> revolutionary refrigerator, and patented it in 1860. It was used next
> year in Scotland to distil paraffin, about the same time as Twining's
> machine in the United States."
>
>
> Slainte!
> regards Harry
>

Governor Lachlan Macquarie arrived in 1810 after the Rum Rebellion.
He reduced the number of licensed taverns from 75 to 20 and clamped
down on illegal stills.
Where is the source that that the NSW Corps actually distilled from
potatoes? They had a monopoly on the rum trade. Rum was imported as a
sugar industry was not yet established.
wal
--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "waljaco" <waljaco@...> wrote:
>
> We can talk about American Bourbon whiskey, Canadian whiskey but can
> we talk about a national Australian whisky? The Wild West had saloons
> where whiskey was imbibed but Australia had pubs where beer was
> consumed. This is a legacy of the English being encouraged to replace
> gin with ale. The worst nightmare for an Australian would be "a pub
> with no beer".
> Distilleries were actively discouraged in Australia. In Tasmania in
> 1839, Lt. Governor Franklin introduced legislation to abolish the
> local distilling industry in favour of brewing ale only.
> It's not there is no distilling in Australia, but that beer is king.
> wal
> --- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, Home Distiller <home_distiller@>
> wrote:
> >
> >
> > --- waljaco <waljaco@> wrote:
> >
> > > I wondered why Australia did not have such a strong
> > > distilling
> > > tradition as say the U.S. It appears that Australia
> > > was settled at the
> > > time that the British were turning to beer -
> >
> > Actually it's not as simple as that, firstly if you
> > red the extract from wikipedia the other day I posted
> > about the rum rebellion it mentions allegations of NSW
> > corps importing stills.
> >
> > Then a day or so later someone posted about the McRae
> > family in NZ, and these articles referenced the NSW
> > corps making booze from potatos.
> >
> > Combined with the fact that spirits didn't gain
> > popularity or notoriety in the US until prohibition
> > kicked in. This was simple logistics, because it was
> > easier to smuggle high proof booze then lots of low
> > proof booze. This also led to bathtub booze and people
> > that would never have thought about spirits including
> > children were suddenly up to their necks in it.
> >
> > Every prohibition or banning of something is a waste
> > of time because it only tends to make problems worst
> > not better like the teetotallers claim. Actually the
> > history of prohibition in the US is a very good
> > example/proof on why it's better to tax and control
> > drugs than enforcing bans on them with police and in
> > the process turing citizens into criminals.
> >
> > Maybe a politician will get a clue one day how telling
> > some people 'no' only makes them do it in any case,
> > but I doubt it.
> >
> >
> >       ___________________________________________________________
> > Yahoo! Mail is the world's favourite email. Don't settle for less,
> sign up for
> > your free account today
>
http://uk.rd.yahoo.com/evt=44106/*http://uk.docs.yahoo.com/mail/winter07.html
> >
>

----- Original Message -----

From: cadence22003

To: Distillers@yahoogroups.com

Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:00 PM

Subject: [Distillers] annoyed with the high cost of flavours

the cost of still spirits and edwards flavours here in rural tasmania
australia have reached a peak on the graph at in excess of $AUD 13.50
per premium cardboard packet of still spirits brand i have decided to
compound my own , particularly promted by the enthusiastic postings re
acetic acid /ethyl acetate etc etc

fortunatly i won't have any problems as i retired from an allied industry

is anyone else having trouble logging into the homedistiller.org forum
or is it just me ??????

many regards brian

---

Internal Virus Database is out-of-date.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.5.5/769 - Release Date: 19/04/2007 5:56 PM

--- waljaco <waljaco@...> wrote:

> Where is the source that that the NSW Corps actually
> distilled from
> potatoes?

In the link you posted ;)

http://blogs.smh.com.au/trampaboutnz/archives//013074.html

If you think that prohibition was all a bit excessive
and overly moral it is worth remembering that in the
earliest days of the Southland colony there was a
moonshine maker who produced a cabbage-tree distillate
(makes the NSW Rum Corps potato hooch positively
sophisticated by comparison)



___________________________________________________________
What kind of emailer are you? Find out today - get a free analysis of your email
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http://uk.rd.yahoo.com/evt=44106/*http://mail.yahoo.net/uk

The claim in the article is not based on any credible source as far as
I know. There is nothing in Australia to match the literature about
U.S. distillation. But in Morewood's History of Inebriating Liquor,
1838, we find on page 258 details of what was imported and what was
distilled locally. No mention of a potato spirit. No idea what a
cabbage-tree is.
In the U.S. the government did not discourage legal distilleries. In
Australia it did. Tax revenue is always welcomed!
There are no economic obstacles to legalising home distillation. The
obstacle is social - a fear of opening the gate to excessive binge
drinking as in Victorian London.

wal
-

--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, Home Distiller <home_distiller@...>
wrote:
>
>
> --- waljaco <waljaco@...> wrote:
>
> > Where is the source that that the NSW Corps actually
> > distilled from
> > potatoes?
>
> In the link you posted ;)
>
> http://blogs.smh.com.au/trampaboutnz/archives//013074.html
>
> If you think that prohibition was all a bit excessive
> and overly moral it is worth remembering that in the
> earliest days of the Southland colony there was a
> moonshine maker who produced a cabbage-tree distillate
> (makes the NSW Rum Corps potato hooch positively
> sophisticated by comparison)
>
>
>
> ___________________________________________________________
> What kind of emailer are you? Find out today - get a free analysis
of your email personality. Take the quiz at the Yahoo! Mail Championship.
> http://uk.rd.yahoo.com/evt=44106/*http://mail.yahoo.net/uk
>

Hello,

I'm thinking of buying my first still (reflux). Something that can produce very pure tasteless alcohol for use as a base for liqueurs etc. Any recommendations for commercially available reflux stills in Australia or New Zealand (if postage is reasonable)?

I'm a little confused about the pros and cons of copper versus stainless steel due to some conflicting opinions (sales pitches) of different manufacturers.

For example:

An all copper construction gives the unit an amazingly smooth taste.  Copper is still used in all major distilling plants as it acts as a catalyst for removing sulphides (rotten egg gas).  Stainless just won't get rid of this tainted taste.  It is all assembled with lead-free solder.  It is designed to Australian Safety Standards for your peace of mind.  Copper is very safe – all your water pipes are made of it, your hot water service, etc.  It conforms to stringent safety standards all over the world.  It also looks really cool when it is polished up, and will last several lifetimes.

versus...

This is a 100% 3:16 food grade Stainless Steel still. That's right, no Copper or Brass to leach chemicals into your precious alcohol or purified water. Some major distilling plants still use copper because its cheaper and traditional. We do not want to copy commercial alcohol we strive to make better. MEDICAL GRADE alcohol is made in Stainless Steel stills for obvious reasons. The word catalyst means to fuse, like in paint, it does not mean to remove as others claim copper does. Copper oxidises thats why it turns green when exposed to the air, the same as a copper band worn on the wrist turns green. It is also said not to drink water from a copper hot water system again for obvious reasons. The simple truth is that Stainless Steel is far superior to copper. It will never loose its shine unlike copper that will start to oxidise in weeks. You must make your own mind up on this one. Stainless steel is stronger, easier to clean, looks better and adds nothing in the prosess which makes for a healthier, cleaner final product.

And please don't be fooled by adding or using Copper in the still will remove impurities This is a myth. Copper is cheap, and easier to work with, anybody can basically solder it. Let's just hope they don't use a Zinc based solder, leaching Lead into your product.

Can anyone point me towards some substantiated scientific info on the subject of possible health concerns with copper stills and/or its effectiveness in removing undesireable tastes/odours and the chemical reactions that occur (if any) ?

Thanks for your advice,

Kye.

--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "kyemcdonald" <yahoo@...> wrote:
>
>
<snip>
>
> I'm a little confused about the pros and cons of copper versus
stainless
> steel due to some conflicting opinions (sales pitches) of different
> manufacturers.
<snip>

>
> Can anyone point me towards some substantiated scientific info on
the
> subject of possible health concerns with copper stills and/or its
> effectiveness in removing undesireable tastes/odours and the
chemical
> reactions that occur (if any) ?
>
> Thanks for your advice,
>
> Kye.
>



http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Distillers/message/35812

Slainte!
regards Harry

See -
Cabbage Tree (N.Z.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyline_australis

Early missionaries brewed a tolerable beer from it.

wal

--- kyemcdonald <yahoo@...> wrote:
>
> This is a 100% 3:16 food grade Stainless Steel still. That's right,
> no Copper or Brass to leach chemicals into your precious alcohol or
> purified water. Some major distilling plants still use copper because
> its cheaper and traditional. We do not want to copy commercial alcohol
> we strive to make better. MEDICAL GRADE alcohol is made in Stainless
> Steel stills for obvious reasons. The word catalyst means to fuse, like
> in paint, it does not mean to remove as others claim copper does. Copper
> oxidises thats why it turns green when exposed to the air, the same as a
> copper band worn on the wrist turns green. It is also said not to drink
> water from a copper hot water system again for obvious reasons. The
> simple truth is that Stainless Steel is far superior to copper. It will
> never loose its shine unlike copper that will start to oxidise in weeks.
> You must make your own mind up on this one. Stainless steel is stronger,
> easier to clean, looks better and adds nothing in the prosess which
> makes for a healthier, cleaner final product.
>
> And please don't be fooled by adding or using Copper in the still
> will remove impurities This is a myth. Copper is cheap, and easier to
> work with, anybody can basically solder it. Let's just hope they
> don't use a Zinc based solder, leaching Lead into your product.

Alas, I don't have quick reference (beyond what Harry pointed out) to
scientific proof, HOWEVER, this diatribe regarding Stainless makes my brain
hurt.  It's obvious that the person who composed that sales pitch has no idea
about stainless steel.  Calling it 3:16 (???) versus 316 (what's commonly
referred to as "surgical stainless") was the first giveaway.  It's stainless
steel, not a passage from the book of John.  Don't even get me started on the
mis-definition of the word "catalyst" nor the fact that somehow zinc based
solder (which I cannot recall ever seeing in the first place) mysteriously
becomes lead to "leach into your product."  Perhaps they can remind us of that
mysterious alchemical process where they transmute zinc into lead (since
obviously lead into gold didn't work out).

You'd think those stainless guys were politicians.

Trid
-still shaking my head

Hi Kye
       Stainless is great as long as it is packed with copper mesh to
remove the sulphides.
Both work great as long as the Stainless still has copper mesh.
If they tell you do not need copper in a stainless still, they need to
taste the difference. I started with stainless mesh in my stainless
still and thought my product was great. After reading all past posts
decided to buy Amphora copper mesh and try it. The taste difference
was amazing. Always in my opinion use copper mesh.

Happy drinking

Stevo

>
> Hello,
>
> I'm thinking of buying my first still (reflux). Something that can
> produce very pure tasteless alcohol for use as a base for liqueurs etc.
> Any recommendations for commercially available reflux stills in
> Australia or New Zealand (if postage is reasonable)?
>
> I'm a little confused about the pros and cons of copper versus stainless
> steel due to some conflicting opinions (sales pitches) of different
> manufacturers.

My question was more if anyone knew what sort of a solution of
caustic the breweries used, that is to say, the caustic -to-water
ratio for a good clean without being unnecessarily strong. Having
once eaten holes in a SS container when I tried soaking it  in
bleach, I don't want to overdo it!

To those who haven't used the stuff, caustics like lye are quite
awesome in their ability to vanish organic material, which makes
them ideal for this particular application, cleaning out an
unmodified keg through the tiny access hole.

Like all really strong cleaners, lye is powerful stuff, and care
must be taken (eye protection, gloves especially) when using it. I
usually take my clothes off immediately after working with the
stuff, and throw them all in the washer, since (as with acid) a
drop or two left on can eventually burn a hole in them.  BTW the
slippery feeling you get on your hands when you expose them to
a lye solution is apparently the outer skin cells turning to mush!

Some more information for those who want to make a 'ti brandy' -

Cabbage Tre, Ti

http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/C/CabbageTreeTi/CabbageTreeTi/en

wal


--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "waljaco" <waljaco@...> wrote:
>
> See -
> Cabbage Tree (N.Z.)
>
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordyline_australis
>
> Early missionaries brewed a tolerable beer from it.
>
> wal
>

If you value looks, then stainless is very nice.
Copper on the other hand does indeed remove sulphur related impurities.
As you read the second statement (the one from the stainless folks)
note that they say that they want to be superior to the traditional
copper folks.
How bizarre.  Do you really think that the canny Scots, wild Irish
and southern Bourbon makers wouldn't have switched to stainless if
this really could improve the product.
Now, if you want a pure product with which to flavour then you don't
want any impurities at all.  If so, then I'd recommend some copper in
the system somewhere.  What you seem to be describing is a reflux
type still.  If so, and if you choose stainless then you'd better
have some copper in the system somewhere such as packing material in
the column.
With copper you do have to clean with something like vinegar to
breakdown the copper/sulphur compound which are removed from the alcohol.
That's just part of the hobby.
Personally I use a stainless boiler (beer keg), copper column and
copper packing.
Best of luck.
At 05:07 AM 6/29/2007, you wrote:

>Hello,
>
>I'm thinking of buying my first still (reflux). Something that can
>produce very pure tasteless alcohol for use as a base for liqueurs
>etc. Any recommendations for commercially available reflux stills in
>Australia or New Zealand (if postage is reasonable)?
>
>I'm a little confused about the pros and cons of copper versus
>stainless steel due to some conflicting opinions (sales pitches) of
>different manufacturers.
>

Derek Hamlet
Our youth now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for
authority; they show disrespect for their elders and love chatter in
places of exercise. They no longer rise when elders enter the room.
They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble food and
tyrannize their teachers."

- North America in 2007?
-Guess again...Socrates (c. 470-399 BC)
  >:-}

Anyone saying stainless will make drinkable whiskey without copper in
the path has their hear up their ass. I'm not fixing to spend the time
to prove it to you. Thew evidence is all over tjhe net and in many
books. Happy swilling.

Anyone saying stainless will make drinkable whiskey without copper in
the path has their hear up their ass. I'm not fixing to spend the time
to prove it to you. Thew evidence is all over tjhe net and in many
books. Happy swilling.

Hello Im new to this group. My names Matt and I've been distilling on
and off for nearly fifteen years. Nice to meet you all. I didn't
realise this group even existed. All the other distilling groups seem
pretty dead. My favourite spirit to make is good old simple vodka
triple distilled. Then burbon and rum. I make a bit of shnapps every
now and then also.Are there many other Aussies on this forum?

Nice to meet you all

Matt

-thanks jan for your reply

i can't resolve your email from this post to privatly contact you

mine is cadence22003@...


many regards brian


-- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "Jan Ooms" <jkooms@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Brian,
> I do understand your concerns, please email me on ooms@...   I might
be able to help you.
> Regards,
> Jan.
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: cadence22003
>   To: Distillers@yahoogroups.com
>   Sent: Wednesday, June 27, 2007 12:00 PM
>   Subject: [Distillers] annoyed with the high cost of flavours
>
>
>   the cost of still spirits and edwards flavours here in rural tasmania
>   australia have reached a peak on the graph at in excess of $AUD 13.50
>   per premium cardboard packet of still spirits brand i have decided to
>   compound my own , particularly promted by the enthusiastic postings re
>   acetic acid /ethyl acetate etc etc
>
>   fortunatly i won't have any problems as i retired from an allied
industry
>
>   is anyone else having trouble logging into the homedistiller.org forum
>   or is it just me ??????
>
>   many regards brian
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>   Internal Virus Database is out-of-date.
>   Checked by AVG Free Edition.
>   Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 269.5.5/769 - Release Date:
19/04/2007 5:56 PM
>

-millions upon millions of aussies here matt and all bloody nice
blokes cobber

many regards brian

-- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "plumbondude" <plumbondude@...> wrote:
>
> Hello Im new to this group. My names Matt and I've been distilling on
> and off for nearly fifteen years. Nice to meet you all. I didn't
> realise this group even existed. All the other distilling groups seem
> pretty dead. My favourite spirit to make is good old simple vodka
> triple distilled. Then burbon and rum. I make a bit of shnapps every
> now and then also.Are there many other Aussies on this forum?
>
> Nice to meet you all
>
> Matt
>

someone's really got to homedistiller.org

on the home page if i click on the link to tastylime it just reloads
the  homedistiller.org home page and declares DONE in the bottom left
hand corner

many regards brian

Nice to meet you Brian.
Whats your favourite spirit to make. I make a fair bit of white rum
Im a bit addicted to it lately I think.

Cheers

Matt



--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "cadence22003" <cadence22003@...>
wrote:
>
> -millions upon millions of aussies here matt and all bloody nice
> blokes cobber
>
> many regards brian
>
> -- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "plumbondude" <plumbondude@>
wrote:
> >
> > Hello Im new to this group. My names Matt and I've been
distilling on
> > and off for nearly fifteen years. Nice to meet you all. I didn't
> > realise this group even existed. All the other distilling groups
seem
> > pretty dead. My favourite spirit to make is good old simple
vodka
> > triple distilled. Then burbon and rum. I make a bit of shnapps
every
> > now and then also.Are there many other Aussies on this forum?
> >
> > Nice to meet you all
> >
> > Matt
> >
>

--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "cadence22003" <cadence22003@...>
wrote:
>
> someone's really got to homedistiller.org
>
> on the home page if i click on the link to tastylime it just reloads
> the  homedistiller.org home page and declares DONE in the bottom left
> hand corner
>
> many regards brian
>




That's normal.  You'll see a double row of menus up the top.  You are
now on the mirror of homedistiller at my tastylime site.

On a positive note, I sent some info to one of the homedistiller
moderators to contact the server owner.  So far the wiki is back up,
but the forums are still showing a database error.  Have patience,
it'll all be good soon enough.  It's not my forum, so I really don't
have any control, beyond a means of real-life contact.


Slainte!
regards Harry

A mate once brought a stainless 5 litre (one of the fancy bought
ones) over while I was halfway through a rum wash. And because he
was so excited to use it we ran 5 litres of wash through it to test
it. I found that it tasted ferral. My mate was stoked however,
because it was the first spirit he'd made and I didn't want to hurt
his feelings so I told him it was "OK". But yeah I could fully taste
a metally kind of taste and that sickly sweet smell like foreshots
that lasted the whole 5L run. Also once I spoke to this guy at
canberra octoberfest who said that when he used a stainless reflux
cap it made his spirit taste like metal.Thats why I've never used
stainless.

Matt



--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, Mike Welsh <mikewelsh@...> wrote:
>
> Guys I'm relatively new to the group but not to the ancient and
noble art of
> distillation. I am a little puzzled by the absence of copper in a
lot of
> your boilers. It took me several months of searching at various
libraries to
> discover why boilers should be made from copper. I accept that,
prior to the
> advent of stainless steel, copper was the logical choice due to its
> malleability and conductivity . However, large commercial stills
are still
> made from copper and not, to my knowledge, from SS....why? My
research
> turned up the following and I was wondering if those amongst you
with a bent
> for organic chemistry would care to comment. During the heating of
the wash
> fatty acids are produced. These give rise to off-tastes and they
are
> apparently not too good for you as well. However, if they are
formed in a
> boiler made from copper they bond with the copper in some way and
do not go
> through with the distillate. If you use SS they pass through with
the
> distillate. This does not mean that SS is not to be used. All one
has to do
> is to add a couple of handfulls of small copper pieces to the SS
boiler. As
> an aside one of the most memorable events of a recent holiday in
Scotlad was
> being on a West Hebrides bound ferry with a truck parked next to
my hire car
> which had a brand spanking new copper still in several pieces
bound for the
> Laphroiag distillery on its copious tray. When assembled on site
it would
> have been over 7 metres tall and 4 metres wide!!! Quite an eye-
opener.
> Sunshine Mike ( I make mine during the day!!)
>

thanks harry

technique beats brute strength and ignorance at all times

i had been getting into your site via the url only,,,AH ! well at
least i'm not completly stupid ,, but i'm working on it and hope to be
complete by next tuesday

MATT i malt barley for taste and enzymes/nutrients [and anything else
that will play the game]also use molasses for taste and nutrients,, a
bit of white sugar and bakers yeast [so called]

although i have a reflux still and operate it as such, double
distillation is considered normal here mainly to re-run the low wines
in fresh / clean water,,viva le difference

the reflux ratio is 12;1 both times through and from the high wines
[yield] i can then go in any direction

just recently started making my own flavours and have a carribean rum
profile up and away

but i find one of the most true to style things you can do is buy
american white oak [quercus alba]chips / shavings from your local H.B.
shop ,, toast them ,if not already done,,in a 200 C oven for ten
minutes or so ,,don't forget to leave door open a tad or you know
what,,then soak them for 2x weeks in 80-ish % spirit then apply to end
product at 50ml / litre or to taste

many regards  brian

--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "cadence22003" <cadence22003@...>
wrote:
>
> thanks harry
>
> technique beats brute strength and ignorance at all times
>
> i had been getting into your site via the url only,,,AH ! well at
> least i'm not completly stupid ,, but i'm working on it and hope
to be
> complete by next tuesday


The direct url to my site is here...
http://distillers.tastylime.net/library/


Enjoy!


Slainte!
regards Harry

Hello, I would like to do a corn whiskey, but can not find malt local.
Is there anywhere I can order it off the internet and also what would
be the best malt to use. Thanks for your time,
Rob

Yeah I got 7 planks off an old burbon barrel recently and got my
father in law to put them through his new chipper for me. I assume
it was white oak, it reeked of burbon. I kept half for myself and
Gave the other half to the a friend. Now Im kinda kicking myself
because I've run out and the rum I put it in tastes primo.

--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "cadence22003" <cadence22003@...>
wrote:
>
> thanks harry
>
> technique beats brute strength and ignorance at all times
>
> i had been getting into your site via the url only,,,AH ! well at
> least i'm not completly stupid ,, but i'm working on it and hope
to be
> complete by next tuesday
>
> MATT i malt barley for taste and enzymes/nutrients [and anything
else
> that will play the game]also use molasses for taste and
nutrients,, a
> bit of white sugar and bakers yeast [so called]
>
> although i have a reflux still and operate it as such, double
> distillation is considered normal here mainly to re-run the low
wines
> in fresh / clean water,,viva le difference
>
> the reflux ratio is 12;1 both times through and from the high wines
> [yield] i can then go in any direction
>
> just recently started making my own flavours and have a carribean
rum
> profile up and away
>
> but i find one of the most true to style things you can do is buy
> american white oak [quercus alba]chips / shavings from your local
H.B.
> shop ,, toast them ,if not already done,,in a 200 C oven for ten
> minutes or so ,,don't forget to leave door open a tad or you know
> what,,then soak them for 2x weeks in 80-ish % spirit then apply to
end
> product at 50ml / litre or to taste
>
> many regards  brian
>

I was wondering too, around my home town there's oak tree's growing
everywhere.Planted by the council. There actually a pain in the arse
this time of year when their dropping leaves everywhere. There seems
to be a few different species in and around the streets and parks. I
was wondering if it would be worth getting some large branches and
chipping them.I tried to identify what species they were a while
back but had no luck. How critical do ya reckon it is to have
american white oak?


--- In Distillers@yahoogroups.com, "cadence22003" <cadence22003@...>
wrote:
>
> thanks harry
>
> technique beats brute strength and ignorance at all times
>
> i had been getting into your site via the url only,,,AH ! well at
> least i'm not completly stupid ,, but i'm working on it and hope
to be
> complete by next tuesday
>
> MATT i malt barley for taste and enzymes/nutrients [and anything
else
> that will play the game]also use molasses for taste and
nutrients,, a
> bit of white sugar and bakers yeast [so called]
>
> although i have a reflux still and operate it as such, double
> distillation is considered normal here mainly to re-run the low
wines
> in fresh / clean water,,viva le difference
>
> the reflux ratio is 12;1 both times through and from the high wines
> [yield] i can then go in any direction
>
> just recently started making my own flavours and have a carribean
rum
> profile up and away
>
> but i find one of the most true to style things you can do is buy
> american white oak [quercus alba]chips / shavings from your local
H.B.
> shop ,, toast them ,if not already done,,in a 200 C oven for ten
> minutes or so ,,don't forget to leave door open a tad or you know
> what,,then soak them for 2x weeks in 80-ish % spirit then apply to
end
> product at 50ml / litre or to taste
>
> many regards  brian
>