BWFiggins

Way to go, Pacifico! Congratulations on the fine coverage. All the best, Rusty

Washington, too, allows this but only at craft distilleries, and with restrictions on volume. Up to 2 ounces of free samples, and no more than 2 litres per person per day can be sold from the premises.

Due to great industry demand, a master distiller ~ distillery manager ~ stillsmith who produces spirits at two Washington distilleries now offers consulting services on a project duration or hourly basis: Graduate Diploma of Distilling (Distinction) from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling Certificate in Distillation Science from Ethanol Technology Institute Factory training from Arnold Holstein GmbH Please contact The Travelling Stillsmith, Berle W Figgins, Jr, if you are interested in a complimentary assessment of your craft distillery plans. By electronic mail, the address is bwfiggins@gmail.com Still design and construction, process engineering and control, product development and branding are all areas of particular expertise. If expert advice is what you need, then confidentiality is guaranteed! Contact The Travelling Stillsmith today!

I purchase my "parrot" spirit receiver/hydrometer wells from Iberian Copper; six so far. I order them from Portugal on a Sunday evening, the order is filled and I consistently receive these by Wednesday via FedEx Express! David offers great service and has earned my trust!

Welcome to the forum and to the industry! You would do well to speak to Mr Ralph Erenzo at Tuthilltown Spirits: http://tuthilltown.com/QUALITY/home.html Please come back often! All the best, Rusty

Hi Jessica, Try this link: http://www.novatech-usa.com/ NovaTech carries Bellwether hydrometers in any range of proof that you may need. I obtained the 60 to 80 proof, and the 80 to 120 proof from this supplier, and both were $37.50 each. No account necessary. The hazardous material is the mercury found in hydrometers that also feature a thermometer to compensate for temperature variances, as hydrometers for spirits are only accurate at 60 degrees Fahrenheit. An adjustment factor can also be done mathematically and most gauging manuals have a section on this. Good luck, Rusty

Hello Mikael and Daisy, and welcome! Were just chugging away toward gaining that critical mass necessary for an interesting craft distilling industry in Washington, and your contribution is highly welcome. Come on over for a VIP tour and tasting whenever you can cross the mountains. All the best, Rusty

Hi Jonathan, Do you think it might be wise to allow distilleries the opportunity to opt-in or opt-out before being included in a Google directory? Just think of the flurry of cold-calls from vendors that will result? Now, some people want this kind of attention, I know, but most would rather control how they are promoted. What are your thoughts on this, and does anyone else have an opinion? Rusty

The difference is less volume with the lower % ABV wash, meaning that your efficiencies are decreased. That is to say, with heat-up time for your boiler being the same for all substrates, the wash with the higher % ABV will be more efficiently distilled, from a cost of energy:spirit yield perspective. Quality could be kept constant if the mashbill is all the same, and the only difference is less volume of water. Last week, I distilled 240 gallons of a 15.5% ABV wine in one day and yielded almost 25% of my volume returned to me as high-quality brandy (57 gallons). The composite measured 58% ABV. Jonathan, what conflicting information are you hearing? All the best, Rusty

Actually, Marc, $100 is exactly what I paid for my class of license, as the source of my raw product is 100% Washingtonian. You're of course correct about the other category, and lateshiftdistiller would find it useful to know that $2000 is still the current fee here in Washington for the license that gives you more freedom from a sourcing perspective. As enacted July 1st this past summer, the less-expensive Craft Distillery category however carries with it the ability to offer samples and sell product on the premises that a distillery has crafted there. So, in Washington anyway, we get to pick our choice of freedoms and pay the appropriate fee. I am happy about our new fee structure, and others may do well to look into what was referred to as Washington's Craft Distillery bill and usher in some reform in their own state. It will take some persistent lobbying by industry leaders, and plenty of good will on the part of legislators, to get it done.

$100 in Washington. It took legislative action to make that happen.

A good point to ponder, Tom. True, that one may add sugar, or chaptalise, if the intended final product is apple wine. The rule against doing so, if one intends to distill it into eau-de-vie and label it as apple brandy, is because the final distillate would be a combination of brandy and rum, since sugar was added. There is still a way to bottle this product, as in "spirit of apple cider" but you would not be permitted to call it brandy. Isn't Calvados a great example for making fine apple brandy? No chaptalisation, no hydration, no acidulation and a minimum of three years in the barrel. All the best, Rusty

A half-round dairy tank (400 gallons) with lift-up covers and stirring motor is the vessel we use. A commercial boiler for the hot water is necessary to get it up to temperature quickly and economically.

Yeah Dave, give us some more background so that we may profile you!

The standard in Cognac uses the following designations: VS (Very Special) at least three years in barrel VSOP (Very Superior Old Pale) under six years in barrel, but never less than four XO (Extra Old) over six years in barrel (although most XOs are made up of much older brandies, with no single component being less than six full years in barrel

Hi Jeffery, This is how I understand it to be: If the Class is "brandy" then it is understood to be grape-based, in which case the minimum is two years of barrel maturation. If any modifier to this class is used, say "cherry brandy," then it is not compulsory that it be aged. If anyone understands this to be somewhat contrary to what I have stated, please post your comments. Thanks, Rusty

Mr Stone is correct. You should build a column reflux still for your project, or I can construct one for you. I will have some extra engineering and consulting time this winter to offer some help in this regard.

Welcome to the forum! I hope you find some answers here. All the best, Rusty

Welcome to the forum, Matt! I wish you well on your research! You'll get an education here for certain. All the very best, Rusty

Sarah, The optical type that have the prism (yes, resembling a clarinet) are perfectly sufficient. The prices have really fallen, too! Get some sugar standards to calibrate the high end of the scale, and use distilled water to check for zero. Good luck, Rusty

No chance of that happening for some years to come. But there will be a day when it is fully supporting of a couple of living-wage salaries, maybe in three years in the best case and five in the worst case. You have to love it, and I just happen to! Rusty

Hello New York! Mine is an Atago, and it is very accurate in its old age (20+ years). Make sure that you get an automatically temperature compensating (ATC) unit, and be prepared to pay $150 - $200. Why not consider a much less expensive degree Brix hydrometer? Get one of these with the built-in thermometer for adjusting your final reading. Hope this helps, Rusty

But of course! The DSP has been received and it's the state permit that I'm waiting on now. Just call or write!

No there are not. Most of the references to whisky in the CFRs use the word as it was spelt originally in British English usage (whisky). The link that you provided mentions this. What is your preference? As Mr Cowdery points out, the word is the same, but with two variants. By the way, is it Jeffry, or Jeffery? Jeffry/Jeffery came from Geoffery, as whisky/whiskey came from uisce! Just another wordsmith in our midst, but happy to be one! All the best, Rusty

Hi Chris, and all the best to you as you learn the craft. Please visit me in Ellensburg whenever you wish to talk shop. Good luck, Rusty