Today was the first test run of the 200 liter still and a first test of the Montana Juniper. A few family members and friends were handy to lend support, make fun of me and bring lots of food for the ’stillery picnic.

The first problem appeared last night as we were setting up. There was a tiny leak in the seam of the big condenser. I patched it up with a smear of silicone but apparently I didn’t smear the right place. We placed a plastic pitcher under the dripped and it served us fine for today. I’ll fix that later.

I needed a lid for the waterbath not only to hold the still down but also to help contain the steam. A nice piece of 2″ styrofoam, cut to size provided great insulation while a piece of 1/4″ sheetstock (with a hole in the center for the still) made a great lid. 4 cinder blocks held the still down and the lid tight against the water tank.

1 loading the still

Jules loading garbage into the still.  Our main goal was to make certain the system worked and to flush out the still.

2 Checking all the connections

Good friends Rich, Shirley and Gunter watch while I double-check connections (and generally look confused).  Note the two plastic pitchers on the floor under the condenser.  I gotta fix that.

3 'Stillery Wench

My ‘Stillery Wench: The only reason anyone should ever consider such a venture.

4 Dr. Gin

Dr. Gin…er, Dr. Jaz!  Working on Montana Juniper Berries in the 30 liter R&D still.  Our initial impression was favorable.  The berries are slightly mild with a hint of pine-tree freshness.  Jules proclaimed, “No Hydrogen Peroxide taste!”  I can’t wait to try our little sample run in a couple more days.

5 distillate!

Is that a thing of beauty?  The 200 liter still worked like a champ and flushed tons of gunk out of the never-before-used condenser.

6 Temp

Everything about the still worked beautifully.  I kept waiting for something to go wrong but from start to finish, the system never missed a beat.

7 Temp

I was also worried about my design for the water bath, fearful it wouldn’t reach a high enough temperature.  At 98.2, it was still climbing but my garbage run was finished so I ended the test.

So, am I happy with the day’s events?  Well the stills worked great.  The Montana Juniper shows promise of a slightly unique gin.  I had a wealth of family and friends around me.  Am I happy?  What do you think?

8 T73