TheMechWarrior

I think there are a lot of people out there losing money making gin and they just don't know it yet. For all the time and effort there are far more rewarding returns to be had on other products.

The enzymes you require are readily available here in Australia. Contact me and I'll put you in contact with my suppliers. Cheers, Mech

I’m looking for a supplier in the US to meet my bulk barrel needs here in Australia. Wishing to fill a 20ft or 40ft shipping container as a first order to test the process. I'm looking at the following needs as a minimum for my next season (sizes are approximate, use as a guide only): Quantity Litres US gal 200 20 5 50 50 13 50 100 26 50 225 59 50 300 79 12 500 132 Let me know what you have available and what you feel you may be able to supply. Any pointers to suppliers greatly appreciated. Cheers, Mech.

Let me correct my Silver Trails reference then: "See Silver Trails Distillery for what comes of neglecting laws and standards inside a distillery."

@Skaalvenn, how does your Fire Marshall feel about an ignition source that close to your still? I'm not 100% with the hazardous area classification (HAC) systems in the USA. In Australia and New Zealand we are governed by the Workplace Health and Safety act (the law) and secondly Australian and New Zealand Standards AS/NZS 60079 - explosive atmospheres. Firstly, the Australian Standards are not law however IN OUR CASE THEY ARE. Why? Well, when a law such as the Workplace Health and Safety act references an Australian Standard that standard now becomes law. Essentially for us we can't have an ignition source within the hazardous area classification zone. A flame under a still for example falls into that area. All electricals within and above the hazardous zone must comply with the AS/NZS 60079. Basically much like the ATEX (American) standards we need to comply with IECEx (European) for all of our electricals. For example a standard incandescent light bulb above your distilling area is not acceptable. All electrical work carried out must be done by a HAC certified electrician, all work must be reported to Work Safe in your state and Work Safe reserve the right to inspect your installation prior to you being allowed to energise your project. AS/NZS 60079 - Explosive atmospheres, covers off much of the building layout, design, installation, assessment and controls of explosive atmospheres. Which they say is any flammable liquid or vapour (Hazardous Chemical - see https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au). A flammable liquid and in our case a hazardous chemical is anything at or above 20%abv or 40%proof. In addition to these standards there are standards regarding the design of pressure vessels and the venting of pressure vessels etc. Just like in the Silver Trails incident, just because standards exist....it doesn't mean that every distillery built is going to comply with them. It all comes down to the knowledge of the approving authorities, the design architects and engineers, the distillery CEO and the rest of the team involved. All of which costs a lot of money if you are going to get it right, compliance is not cheap. Non-compliance is ultimately more expensive in the long run if you blow-up your distillery and kill people. Or if your lucky and that doesn't happen, Work Safe/Safe Work Australia walk in and immediately shut you down or slap you with a 14days to comply notice. The purpose of my rant? "Bootstrap budget" and "Distillery" are ALMOST at polar opposites to each other. If this is the path you wish to take then seek a great deal of counsel before hand and make sure you are 100% aware of the requirements under your laws before you spend a single cent. It's much cheaper to design compliance into your plan than to retrospectively plan to comply. Cheers, Mech.

AODD, all stainless with PTFE diaphragms and depending on your pump use (ie CIP?) you select the most suitable elastomers for your seals.

A very short talk with your fire marshall will set you straight pretty quick I expect. Just forget the exposed flame option. See Silver Trails Distillery for what comes of exposed flames inside a distillery.

Thanks everyone for your feedback. In my copper pot still, I use a combination of maceration and vapour infusion depending on the type of gin I'm making. To date my still has only been used for gin. My gin trials have been performed on a whisky still and that's how I picked up on this whisky taste carryover. I'm hoping a cleaning regime can eliminate that, thus allowing me to make both gin and whisky on the same rig comfortably. This is the type of still I'm talking about: https://www.facebook.com/stillsmithstasmania/ http://www.stillsmiths.com.au/ Cheers, Mech.

That makes perfect sense @PeteB

@Silk City Distillers that's a great link for small steam boilers. With respect to a tiny budget, the steam generator (think sauna heating) is very cheap. Unfortunately there's a world of difference in operation, safety and compliance requirements between the two. The boiler can run all day, needs to be installed by a certified individual, is a registered pressure vessel therefore costs more. The steam generator typically has a cut-off timer, for example it can only run for 60minutes continuously before it shuts down. Has a lower operating pressure, is not a registered pressure vessel. And an 18kW can be had for as little as $AU900 plus delivery and taxes. @kansftbmy real concern with your post is your bootstrapping budget, it can be done but a reality check is needed. Hoga have no idea about the requirements for hazardous area compliance in your region, that's your job. As such, I suspect hazardous area compliance will blow your budget before you get started. With that in mind, start your talks with your local Fire Marshall and regulatory authorities before committing any funds. You may find the exercise to be far more expensive than you ever anticipated. Cheers, Mech.

I've tried making gin on a whisky still and the resulting product has a whisky still taint/flavour/characteristic undertone. The same gin made on a still that's never made whisky, results in a lovely clean gin profile. My question to everyone is: Is it possible to clean sufficiently following a whisky run to remove the whisky flavour characteristics? The reason I'm asking is I'm trying to decide if I'll risk making whisky in my gin still. If I'm not 100% confident I can return the still to a clean state I won't risk it. I don't know anyone with a copper pot still with any experience in making both gin and whisky on the same still. All assistance greatly appreciated. Cheers, Mech.

Forget price! Quality is your number 1 determinate. Get a pres-shipment sample and test. If it meets your internal quality specs THEN look at price.

That looks like a fairly standard manway gasket. Ignoring that fact you can achieve a great seal using a PTFE flat face seal readily obtainable from most sealant suppliers.

Fortunately here in Tasmania we don't need RO, filtered is just fine.