Living the Dream in Cambodia with a StillDragon

Lloyd

A StillDragon customer on a remote island off the coast of Cambodia sent the following to me and is reprinted here by his permission.

Just FYI, I'm really setting up the still as a main attraction, check it out....

The building is two stories and round. First floor is distillery, second is a tasting deck with a platform / bench seating 3/4 of the perimeter around. Spirit still is dead center first floor. The column projects through a hole in the 2nd floor, and nearly to the roof! (How phallic is that?). A "bar/table" will circle it for displaying, serving (with a spoonful of ritual), and resting a drink on. A dial thermometer just above the bar for me and the customers keep an eye on things, as well as a sight glass with bubblers for further intrigue, and then, a tap coming off the column at the bar where one could theoretically pull a sample right off the column and into a glass. Of course the sample would be warm and not ideal, but its just something for visitors to contemplate while enjoying their beverage on a cushioned lounge/bench. I think folks will really remember that there's even a sampling tap coming right off the still!!! Most of my visitors hear about the place from other travelers, so any way i can make the experience more interactive and interesting, the more they tend to talk about it.

CNN wrote an article about my place last week, so that's three international publication articles in 3 years! Phenom Penh Post, Vice magazine, and now CNN have articles about SYN (or Abyss, the name we used before discovering another like-minded absinthe-maker), so I'm pretty proud of that. Plus, I've got to do all I can to make it worth the journey, seeing how im a super small setup on an unpopulated (off-the-grid, no roads, no shops, hell, I don't even have an address!) island only accessible by local long-tail boat, and so far zero promotion/adverts.

So cheers to StillDragon for making the still that is stirring up the interest !!!!

Once more, I really appreciate your patience... I know I'm a pain in the ass by changing so much and constantly expanding, but you've come through for me every time, and so far, everything works great... The people are impressed , and like I mentioned, someone online recognized the still as a StillDragon machine from a picture a customer posted on their FB (or maybe it was someone who works for StillDragon?).

In any case, its pretty bizarre for folks who visit the island (really primitive, w/out electricity, unpopulated, no fresh water, etc,) walk just off the beach, and find a distillery pumping along. And while I seem to live in an old-school world, StillDragon has always accommodating to my situation as I'm sure they (you) are with all the high-tech distilleries popping up. Good news for anyone who has unique settings and less than easy conditions to work in. Now if the island could only be as accommodating as StillDragpn has proven to be, maybe we'll have running water some day.

Electricity is already being finalized... thanks to solar power and a lightning bolt. A lightning bolt? Yep. Last season, a lightning storm smashed the island, and a strike took out a pretty huge tree while I was away and had packed up the still equipment (something I have to do when I leave for a few weeks to prevent theft). On the south side of the distillery, the tree was the only thing in standing between the distillery and direct sunlight. So not only was I lucky enough not to get hit by lightning, to not have the house hit by lightning, and certainly lucky the still and storage tanks (all of which could have held hundreds of gallons of 90+% alc.) were not instantly converted from a distillery into a huge bomb! But the gap in the canopy gave us access to about 8 hours of direct sunlight every day. Already I have changed from hauling several thousand gallons of cooling water by hand (one bucket at a time) to a 12v pump... saving me from hours of labor every day (at the risk of seeming like a wimp for using electricity). And while candles and torches are still provide some night time ambience on the tasting deck, lights help with working at night and of course green spotlights splash all over main attraction...

The StillDragon still that projects up through center stage like a real dragon would. The hole in the floor and all reminds me of "window of death" (I don't recall the exact name of that feature in the Game of Thrones series, but it's a long way down). If only StillDragon had some sort of speaker option for their (your) stills, then the music would be pumping right along with the distilling! Music is next on the list, "selling out" be damned. Thanks for helping contribute to unlikely and unique situations that require, and are really only possible, with the versatility of the modular system. If I had a singular apparatus, none of this would have been possible. BTW... If you know anyone interested in living on a rustic Cambodian island, I'm looking for folks to work out here for the coming high season. Several positions available, including some distilling (w/experience). Doesn't pay much, but if one wants to live next to an unpopulated beach and eat amazing Mediterranean food, drop me a line and we'll talk about what is possible.

punkin

Wonder if SD au could operate from there?

Maybe my Facebook page that was the trigger?

Fiji_Spirits

Geez, and I thought I was remote!

Sweet operation, glad to see guys doing what they gotta do to be happy and survive. Props!

Lloyd

Just needs a Ginger, or better yet a Maryanne, and its paradise.
Punkin is the skipper, Myles the professor, Smaug could stand in for Gilligan :D

Sunshine

wow, this is incredible! This guy is really living his dream. We loved Cambodia, when we visited it, it is surely a beautiful place to live. ( And very very poor, too)

Lloyd

Yeah, but this guy has carved out his own kingdom.
But on a deserted island so without the bother of ruling his subjects :D I can only imagine the hard work that he has put into it so far.

Smaug

That is pretty amazing. Is he using any social media to promote do you know?

Law_Of_Ohms

I'm Gilligan!

Sadi

Very nice, :-bd

grim

I'll admit it, a little bit jealous this morning. I'm sure it's not paradise, but it sure as hell looks like it.

punkin

@Law_Of_Ohms said: I'm Gilligan!

Don't worry mate, i would have told em if you didn't. We all know who Mr and Mrs Howell are too.... :))

FullySilenced

Getting there: Syn Absinthe will be offering a daily boat, The Green Ferry, to the island specifically for tours the coming high season. (Syn Absinthe, +855 97 569 7614) Currently, there is a daily boat to Ten103 Treehouse Bay (+855 88 5044192) from Sihanoukville for $6.50 each way, or private day boats can be booked at local travel agencies, including Best Beach Travel (+855 15 678 924).

punkin

Or better still negotiate with the boat owners directly on the beach like the locals would. :)>-

Lloyd

We should have an absinthe thread on the forum, yes?
With such a jaded history and mystique I'm surprised there's not a lot more interest in it.

I'd like to try absinthe, just have to order a bottle.

CothermanDistilling

it is not all the same... I don't like 75% of it myself... but that other 25% is really nice...

SYN

....Suppose I should update. Firstly, cheers to Lloyd for starting this thread. In a rare moment of modern convenience, even I have joined the globalization.
Impressed with FullySilenced's knowledge of the local rituals. Did you visit already? True, the Green Ferry shall transport visitors to and from Otres Beach through the high season (though other options are available in monsoon season as well (now through September). Looks like tickets will be around $20-$25 for the round trip boat, distillery tour, lunch at the incredible Ten103 Treehouse Bay, and of course, tastings of 3 of the 5 absinthes we are working on. If you are in Cambodia, don't hesitate to make the journey. I would advise calling us to get the best boat price, as on your own, there are miscommunications and other pitfalls that could end up costing you a lot.
Living the Dream? Yes. But if you've ever tried to carve something out of nothing, you know what a nightmare it can be...but we do have excellent coffee here as well...for .25 cents! But I didn't come here because it's cheap, because one soon finds out that Western standards of living still cost...enough. Especially in this technological vacuum. Do I promote? in short... No. Word of mouth. I despise 99% of advertising and its why I spend so much time where not even a billboard can be eyeballed for miles and miles. I've found that this project tends to get people interested just by being what it is. Not too often you board a longtail to a remote island, wander off an empty beach, and bump into an absinthe distillery. Although, there have been a few articles written in international publications about this thing, and we will be promoting the tours on a local level so as not to fuck up the environs with throw away eyesores ( although like most folks, I would like to think that my designs are fairly beautiful, and hence, worthy of circulation. Then reality kicks in and the ego fades into the sunset). Social Media? WHile not socially awkward, the media part is not my strong point. Want to help? And when I say "we", I mean "me". A solo operation. Although this year I'm looking for a few folks who want to help out around here. The pay won't fill a retirement fund, but if you want a job that seems like early retirement.... contact me. Looking to start asap and grind through April or May. A portion of this is possible, but if there's one dedicated to the whole shebang, that is the goal. Duties will mostly be on the island (super-simple accommodation included) running the tours, tastings, and makings. Also we go every sat night to the night market to get our groove on behind the S¥N booth. ANd then there's distilling to do to. Be flexible and creative.... that's how I got here. Cheers

Lloyd

Agree totally, to get Western standards in exotic places carries Western prices. So go native and enjoy!
I'd apply for the job but I would need to bring my entourage (Tan) and she is spoiled to modern conveniences like plenty of electricity and hot showers. And she can't possibly be without high speed internet for more than 3.5 minutes without suffering.
And, of course, there would need to be fresh linens everyday for the bed and the list just fuken goes on and on and on....

I love what you have carved out for yourself. Like so many people on this crazy forum you have decided not to live your one life working at a chain store and surviving on what they dole out to you.

Sunshine

@SYN Starting from nothing is really a bone job, respect! I can see that it should be not difficult to find volunteers to help you out for a few weeks. :)

Lloyd

I suspect it wouldn't cost much to have every long-tail boat to have an ad in the boat to entice visitors to your distillery. Crossing a body of water it would give them a destination.

SYN

So it's been a few weeks since I mentioned seeking an employee or two.
So far nobody has replied about wanting the job (feels weird to call it that). Everyone seems envious of this lifestyle, but when it comes up and available, well, there's all of a sudden a weird silence... maybe its not so ideal?
Anyway, If anyone out there wants to live the dream for a few months, give me a shout!