Hello from Ohio

[stevea]

Hi Steve A from Ohio.

I've been luring here for a while and thought it appropriate to introduce myself before asking questions.

Like most here I have a dream of starting a craft distillery her in Ohio, with a partner. We're progressing with a business plan.

I have a pretty substantial background in home-brewing, but nothing on a production scale.

I have a considerable background in a number of technical areas, including chemistry, flavor

chemistry and yeast metabolism; degrees in physics & engineering. I have some reading knowledge of the distilling process from text's like "The Science and Technology of Whiskies" - by Piggott, Sharp & Duncan; but sadly that's a very Scotch-oriented book, Also a few historical texts like "Complete Practical Distiller", and "Practical Distiller". The rest are just tidbits extracted from the Whisky Advocate, and various taster's books like Jim Murray's. I've also reviewed a lot of (sometimes illegal operations) on youtube vids and websites where amateurs who believe that fermenting sugar and corn grits mixed together form a mash.

It's clear that there is a huge lack of practical detailed information on the distilling process on a commercial scale. I'm sure the big players prefer this. That's why this forum is so valuable. I sincerely appreciate the open sharing discussions that appear here.

Please forgive this noob if I have too many questions; my intention is to share what I know as well.