Skaalvenn

We do a lot of R&D with vacuum in our lab. There's a time and place for vacuum distillation, some things taste and smell better when done at low pressure/temperature and some things taste and smell better with traditional distillation methods. Same goes for just about everything out there. Some flavors are better when directly infused, pressure infused, vacuum infused, vapor distilled, steeped, or combinations of methods. We have a large array of tools for creating, extracting, or manipulating flavors/aromas/textures but sometimes the age old methods are the best choice. Distilling under vacuum has its advantages and disadvantages from a flavor perspective. Do you or do you not want the changes and chemical reactions that happen in a traditional still for the product you're trying to make? Is a brick house always better than a timber house?

I don't have time to go read the manual to remember how, but we have ours set to proof. Is the manual available online, or have you called Anton?

No worries. It's hit or miss. Thurs/Fri/Sat are generally not good. I generally work with about knowing my life only 24-48 hours in the future, so just ping me close to whatever day you're thinking might work. Thanks

Packaging Logistics https://packlogic.com/ (763) 754-9461 We've been using them for years and are very happy with the service. The big companies may have everything you need, but when you really need those pallets they'll wait 3-4 days or more before replying to your email (probably saying they're backordered). Packaging logistics is a smaller business who still cares about the smaller customers and I always have a response within minutes. Tell them Tyson referred you. Thanks!

Off the top of my head I'm not sure. It's a Rite boiler, I think around 750k BTU. There is no perfect setup for someone on a budget. Right now we're running them more often than not, and that takes labor which could otherwise be spent making money. Just remember this. Mashing, fermenting, distilling, bottling, cleaning and all that other manufacturing stuff doesn't make you a single dime, it only gives you the ability to make a dime.

Thanks! We're running again in a little bit with about a half dozen changes made, including adding down slope to the return pipe. The original design was ever so slightly sloped back towards the column, but that is changed now. Hopefully it works. With all the changes we made I won't know for sure which one does the trick (if any). Fingers crossed.

We also have a 2x column vodka still that we're trying to get running correctly. 100ish gallon kettle with an 8" packed column directly on top, deph, and then going into a 2nd 8" packed column which is significantly above the liquid level. Originally the 2nd column just had a U-bend before dumping into the pot above the liquid level. We modified it so that there's a 3/4" line running below the liquid, and we added a vent hole to the 90 above the liquid level. The problem we're having is that when running the 2nd column the still surges, probably similar to what's happening in Mors9s still (we don't have sight glasses). We've been trying multiple configurations, but so far we have not solved the problem. Running on the primary column the still is completely stable, 2 columns causes issues. Unless we find a solution we're just going to build an enclosure on the roof and extend the primary column up about 10 feet to solve the problem for good. Obviously, if I can avoid that expense, I'm all ears.

Absolutely. This week is pretty hectic, next week should be better. Give me a shout -Tyson

You (generally) don't want to mix column internals on the same pot. Plate design "A" will have an optimal flow through it. Too much and it floods, too little and it goes dry. Packing design "B" will have it's own flow rates. packing design "C" will have it's own flow rates. It might just work, but it isn't optimal. You might have perfectly balanced plates but flooded packing, or perfectly balanced plates and the vapor velocity just blasts past the packing, rendering it nearly useless.

We moved after about 3 years and it wasn't so bad. The only issue was getting the lease dates and the TTB to line up properly so we weren't pissing away $15,000 in rent for the "maybe it will be this month?" wait when it comes to applying for the initial, or amending a DSP. I think ours took about 50 days and a lot of phone calls during the last week.

Not sure if I'm reading this correctly. Are you saying TIB of bottled spirits is no longer authorized? I know bottle transfers were made legal with the original (temporary) tax reduction in 2017, but I was never sure if that was part of the temporary law or a permanent change.

I went from an electric 150 gallon stripping/rum still and a 65 gallon vodka still to a natural gas powered steam 300 gallon still and 100 gallon vodka still. At about $0.135 per kw/h I'm saving about $800 per month on my energy bill. I'm also heating up my 300 gallon still in about 1/3 of the time it took my electric still to heat up--basically I'm nearly halfway done with my 2x larger run before my old electric still produced it's first drop. Since I had my steam line setup for expansion, when I switched out the vodka still the cost of having steam plumbed was about $1500 which was far cheaper than having an electrician run more heavy gauge wire, install a larger service panel, have another control panel built and certified...etc etc etc. Basically electric is a cheap start, but *growing* with electric is terribly expensive and inefficient.

In the cold and dry climates static is a rather large concern and can form very easily.

I do. We are using it again for the next two weeks and then it will be available again.

We recently looked into getting a ~750 gallon stainless IBC for spirits--when full it basically exceeds the weight limit of any pallet jack scale (and most forklifts). It's the part of scaling up that requires a bit of extra thinking (and $).

We have a 6 spout for sale, it will change your world compared to the Enolmatic. Xpress are good fillers, but they are loud and only go up to 4 spouts. We've used the following fillers here over the years: Enolmatic Xpress Mori VitnerVault Criveller Each has it's own advantage and disadvantage. Feel free to give me a call if you're interested in our filler.

You want to send employees up a ladder and have them try to dump 50lb bags into a steaming tank? I get that many of us are true small businesses, with actual tight budgets, and that most of us WANT the best and safest equipment/processes but lack the funds to put those expensive things in place. However, regularly going up a traditional ladder, more than a step or two, with a 50lb bag is a serious injury or death just waiting to happen. You'll want a catwalk with a platform where you can set a pallet of grain for the worker to safely handle it. As far as dust goes, we used to mill on site with a grist mill and that produced a lot of dust in the bags. Now we have it crushed by a malt house and the dust has been significantly reduced to the point where I don't even consider it a problem.

Basically from what I was told, if it looks like something you wouldn't run in your old lawnmower then it's done. We had some heating elements that were not low watt density and the system was open to the air, so they had quite a bit of oil coked on them. Heatup and cooldown of the system caused air exchange, which greatly increased oxidation. The types of things learned years after building the still... The still ran fine for years, but you could tell performance was suffering. I did try replacing it with a non-oil based high performance heating fluid (glycol based if I remember right?), and that was a mistake--it smelled like permanent markers when the still was running, but again that was likely due to the high watt density. Switched to steam about a year ago, and my god is it worth the up front cost.

Depends on the watt density per square inch of the heating elements used in the oil, and if there's active circulation. Thermal oil can and will break down over time, especially if exposed to oxygen and brought past it's thermal boundaries.

Have used Hoochware for years and recently switched to Whiskey Systems. I'm happier now. *Edit* 07 June 2021, Whiskey Systems recently raised their prices substantially and we are going to be dropping them soon.

THIS HAS BEEN SOLD I thought I listed this previously, but I couldn't find it. Looking to move our 6 spout gravity filler that we purchased new from Criveller. There's nothing wrong with it, we just don't use it anymore as we're upgrading to an automated filling line. This is the same unit GW Kent sells for $1750 (not including pump). This is the same unit: https://www.gwkent.com/6-spout-gravity-filling-machine.html Includes upgraded FloJet G70 diaphragm pump and some hoses without ends, includes user manual and original receipt. The standard unit comes with a flojet "beer" pump which is not rated for high proof ethanol--this unit is upgraded. This is a tabletop sized unit. There is a float and valve which stops the pneumatic pump when the liquid level fills the reservoir. We have used this for 375ml to 1.75L bottles. No power is needed, and you could probably run this off a little pancake compressor if you really wanted. Original invoice FOB canada was $2060. Freight was about $300. Asking $1500 or best offer FOB 55428 Minnesota. Professional crating is extra. Unit will be wrapped and strapped to a pallet. THIS HAS BEEN SOLD

Absolutely. It’s a small cost to help keep good people.

I recently switched from hoochware to whiskey systems and I am very happy I did. Hoochware had a lot of bugs but the owner was usually quick to solve them over the years. However, about as soon as I told him I was switching to WS the Hoochware owner basically said I was on my own--even though I pointed out there were some errors in the TTB reports that I uncovered after doing a final audit.

Good news. So it sounds like there’s still approval required from the FDA and then individual states, right? not trying to be a Debbie downer. Just want to ensure I am staying in full compliance.

Edit on 23March2020. The information below is out dated due to new guidance and guidelines that have recently changed. I am leaving this post up as current regulation loosening may be temporary. Best to check with the proper authorities for anyone reading this after the covid-19 outbreak passes. Same with us. Those laws and regulations are there for a reason. You wouldn’t trust a distillery to make Baby Asprin, would you? It’s production is regulated no different. As a PROFESSIONAL distiller I am obligated to follow the rules and laws of what I can manufacture and how it’s to be manufactured. This is largely for public safety. As a healthcare professional I am obligated to “do no harm” and ensure the proper steps and procedures are being followed when it comes to patient safety. Going rogue, abandoning guidelines, and having total disregard for the law is reckless and puts consumers and employees at unnecessary risk. But hey, I’m sure it’s a great marketing opportunity during a global crisis :eye roll: That being said, if the feds give us the direction and approval to start making a sanitizing product, they have the full support of our entire production facility and all available staff. Until that happens though, we will follow the law.