Jake Holshue

Perhaps I used the wrong terminology.. They are all controlled power wise on an automated panel and the breaker has its own GFI.

To be honest, I am not sure. I think the failures all occur on the electronic side though. Two of the three kept tripping the GFI. I have only been operational since the end of December/begging of January....

Just venting some frustrations and fishing for some info. We have gone through 3 glycol pumps on our system. 3!!! What the heck? Is there something I can change to make them last longer? Temperature controls? They are Grundfoss pumps, and what a pain in the ass!!

I know the Scots are very proud of their whisky. Many of them are banding together against chill filtering their product. I have seen their statement on their bottle "non-chill filtered". Any thoughts on this for American whiskey? Do you think the average consumer cares? If you don't chill filter, do you bother to put it on your label?

So I was wondering, for those of you with absinthes already out on the market, did you submit a sample to an independent lab PRIOR to sending a sample to the Beverage Alcohol Laboratory? If so, which lab?

Sorry for my impatience here Panoscape, but any update?

Just had to share a story. We had recieved our order 8-9 weeks ago and did not have the whiskey ready to put in to the barrels. So once I was ready I started to swell all the barrels 5/6 of them were sealed/swelled and ready to go while the 6th one stood up on the head the belly hoop fell off. I flipped the barrel the other way and the opposite barrel hoop fell off. I called ISC and they said that I had let the barrels be dry for too long (and I admit that my fault), but that they were going to take care of me and they certainly did that. They 2nd day shipped a hoop driver (something I recommend EVERY distiller/cooper to have) on their dime. I got the hoops banged into place, and it is currently holding rye whiskey like the other 5. Just super happy with their customer service. And to get back to a statement of them being out of wood, I talked to my guy there and he said they are producing again and the lead time currently for spirit barrels is 6-8 weeks right now.

I am using ISC right now their Craft Distillers Barrels. I love the barrels, and the customer service. Just know that they are experiencing a shortage right now, and they may not be able to fill your order. Especially if you are not an existing client.

Leaking is minimal, there is a catch/drain to collect the drippings. If you tighten it properly, should leak too much.

We use a 20x20 plate filter. You can find these on home wine making sites. Just use a fine micron filter pad.

I can tell you what NOT to get as we have replaced 2 of them. GRUNDFOSS. Couldn't recommend you stay away from them any more.... The true problem is you get what you pay for. It might be more economical in the long run to get a nice pump that costs 3x as much, instead of replacing them periodically.

One of the distilleries here in Montana (woo!) makes a honey based spirit. Swanson's Mountain View Distillery makes what they call Legendary Gold Honey Spirits.

Softener, charcoal, then R/O. Cleaner the better!!

International Molasses will send you a sample if you call/email them. I am going to try a test batch here in the next month or so. I am also interested to see if anyone uses their products, and how satisfied they are with the product.

Definitely a flavor difference. Of course the obvious, go-to answer would be??? Experiment!! We have found a mix of malted and unmalted for the right flavor, and conversion. After an hour rest we find (through an iodine test) the majority of the mash converted. We use enzymes just to be sure. Local is always a good idea, but make sure its quality stuff.

Well our actual production space is 256 square feet. Not including out "barrel aging area" and the basement area that has boilers and crap shoved in there. Thanks for checking out our Facebook page, Montana is a great place. Especially for quality spirits, and the beer aint bad either!! Plus we went with "older looking" German still because we are located in an old train depot. It makes it look more authentic.

Waiting with baited breath.......

I have used the White Labs "Vodka Yeast" and was fairly disappointed. What they don't tell you is you need 2-2.5 packets per 10HL. Plus I really don't need AG in my yeast as I add enzymes earlier in the process. If those were the only two to choose from EC 118. I use SuperStart.

I can help where/when I can. I don't know it all but we can come together and make some gin that you are happy with.

I just started my rye whiskey this week. It is 100% rye. Make sure the viscosity reducing enzyme has a xanthanase in it. We use Viscoferm from Gusmer. We use approx 2 lbs per gallon, and half flour half grist. We do have an agitator on it, and we use a defoamer product to essentially lubricate the mash. Hope that helps!

I was just parrusing the site to see if anyone else had this issue. Yes we are in a lumbered wood shortage due to wet weather conditions. My rep at ISC said they will not be taking any new orders for 6-8 months. We were lucky to get ours ordered when we did. We ordered a few more to make sure we had enough for a while to make it through the tough times.

Great thread here guys. When it comes to automation vs. no automation, like most things in this industry, this is just one more way to skin the cat we call distilling. John's product is top notch stuff, and you can tell in the taste. I am in a much different boat with a Holstein still, and Bavarian tanks. The unique thing about my set up is that we have pneumatically controlled valves and a control panel that remotely controls pumps, agitators, temperature, etc. The reason we didn't go with an continuous still is we have one of the smallest production areas around. Subsequently there is a ton of back breaking work to make this system work, in the small space we have to work with. I certainly do not think less of any distillery taking a good hard look at all of their options when it comes to the equipment, because it makes their product AND process unique. Much akin to choosing which grain your mash will consist of. Cheers!

And yes, please let me know how this progresses Panoscape!

Or I might call it "Mother In Law's Feed Whiskey"....

I have heard about old shiners using sweet feed (a blend of corn, barley, oats, and molasses) to make whiskey from. Can you do this legally from a TTB standpoint? Since the product is not intended for human consumption, can you distill it and sell it?? Did I miss a thread somewhere on this? I assume you cannot as I cannot find any commercial examples of this. Jake