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new"microdistillery" at the trace


Guest tom

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As you can imagine, when I saw the pictures the first question I asked was why they went with the hybrid still. They explained that the whole set-up is very versatile and they can essentially duplicate a traditional pot still operation, or run as a miniature bourbon distillery (column/doubler), etc. They can do a lot of different things with it.

I also believe, although no one there has said this to me, that they recognize a potential competetive threat from the micro-distillery movement and intend to participate.

They're not the only ones. Brown-Forman has long had a small column still that they use for experiments. They also have a miniature (working) version of the Woodford Reserve set up. For that matter, they view Woodford itself as an experimental platform.

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As you can imagine, when I saw the pictures the first question I asked was why they went with the hybrid still. They explained that the whole set-up is very versatile and they can essentially duplicate a traditional pot still operation, or run as a miniature bourbon distillery (column/doubler), etc. They can do a lot of different things with it.

I also believe, although no one there has said this to me, that they recognize a potential competetive threat from the micro-distillery movement and intend to participate.

They're not the only ones. Brown-Forman has long had a small column still that they use for experiments. They also have a miniature (working) version of the Woodford Reserve set up. For that matter, they view Woodford itself as an experimental platform.

I could swear somewhere in another thread you said words to the effect that a hybrid couldn't duplicate a traditional pot still. Hmmmm....

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I'm not a distiller. I don't know everything about the set-up at BT, I just know what they told me. I don't know if a Holstein can be set to perform like an alembic or not, or if there is a true alembic someplace else in the BT operation, not shown in the picture that was in the last newsletter.

What I do know is what I said. When you call something with a rectification column on it a pot still, you're playing games with what people understand that term to mean.

I also know that people like Tom McKenzie have said it's challenging to make whiskey with these hybrid stills. He has done it, I haven't. It doesn't surprise me since they were designed to make eau de vie, not whiskey. But that's what John Hall uses and his whiskey is good.

These are issues worthy of serious discussion. I don't see where baiting me and then twisting what I say adds anything to this discussion. Call yourself whatever you want and TTB can worry about what you call your product. Just don't be surprised when you get these kinds of challenges and don't expect to be in business very long if your practice is to mock, berate and otherwise disrespect your customers and prospective customers.

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I'm certainly not baiting you or twisting what you said Charles. I explained in the other thread that the Holstein had the option of bypassing the rectification column- that it was very flexible. Perhaps you didn't read that I don't know, but in your response in that other thread you stated that a Holstein wasn't a pot still because it had a rectification column on it. Well, guess what. Sitting on top of the pot still pictured at BT is a short rectification column and as BT says (and as I said about the Holstein), it's very flexible.

Not sure where I mocked, disrespected or berated anyone. I take customers very seriously and I feel bad if my disagreeing with you or trying to make a point leads you to conclude otherwise. Some day you may get a whiskey from me, it may or may not be made on our Holstein but I sincerely hope its good and I sincerely hope you like it -at the end of the day, all disagreements aside thats all that really counts.

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I'm certainly not baiting you or twisting what you said Charles. I explained in the other thread that the Holstein had the option of bypassing the rectification column- that it was very flexible. Perhaps you didn't read that I don't know, but in your response in that other thread you stated that a Holstein wasn't a pot still because it had a rectification column on it. Well, guess what. Sitting on top of the pot still pictured at BT is a short rectification column and as BT says (and as I said about the Holstein), it's very flexible.

Not sure where I mocked, disrespected or berated anyone. I take customers very seriously and I feel bad if my disagreeing with you or trying to make a point leads you to conclude otherwise. Some day you may get a whiskey from me, it may or may not be made on our Holstein but I sincerely hope its good and I sincerely hope you like it -at the end of the day, all disagreements aside thats all that really counts.

I got Vendome to get me a price on that very still, guess what else it has, a packed column 16 feet tall, to make vodka in one pass. I did not go with them, because vendome only has a couple of them, and I wanted to see it in action, but buffalo trace would not let me, plus vendome is hard to deal with in my experience. That , it will be a real challenge to make whiskey with it, as it has heating coils in it, I do not know why they did not put in a small column continuos still. I do not know what they are planning in reality.

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