It all started with my forefathers...
Over the many years home or farm distilling was a common practice, not least here in the United States. Prohibition led to many thousands of stills being used to make illegal (and sometimes dangerous) moonshine. More recently none less than Phil Prichard began his successful entry into rum (via his stupendous Prichard's Fine Rum) by first privately experimenting with a true pot still he built himself, and still used for recipe development. Long ago I still remember an old copper still that a relative used to strengthen wine.
Microdistilling and home experimentation not only exists, but like beer, might just be "the next big thing". I surely hope so. Unlike the mega rum distillers you can count on these small independents to focus on handmade, pot distilled quality. For example, Phil still uses food grade molasses rather than the low grade molasses used by the biggies. Small will succeed only on quality.
Ergo: Rank Wildcat Spirits
Now here is a true, independent effort by two oil company worker friends who decided to actually brave the complicated process of federal, state and local applications and approval (extremely voluminous) and managed to get into business on a shoestring, even building their own stainless steel pot still (
link) with a four plate, copper reflux column. Such an arrangement attempts to produce a higher proof product in a single pass. Such arrangements are also common when small distillers hope to also produce vodka for immediate sale, while lower proof rum and whisky may be aging.
This of course, is the dilemma of small distillers who typically cannot afford to wait five or ten years to actually sell something. You have to give these two guys credit for trying.
Great post, thanks...
