New member looking to take the pro plunge.

albtraum

Hi. I'm John and I have been homebrewing for 21+ years and winemaking for 8+ years. My mother's side of the family is German. On family trips back to Bavaria we would get to taste schnapps that various family members made. We would go to distilleries to sample and buy interesting products, one of which came from a monastery. I have always wanted to open a distillery but the thought of dealing with the government and the paperwork would discourage me, not to mention the thought of the cost. It has always been profitable being a technical leader in a software/hardware company. I'm looking at retirement within the next 10 years and decided to take a serious look at getting this started now with the more favorable laws. I happened across this site as part of my equipment research. Honestly, the SD site itself is quite spartan, but the forums contain a wealth of information and what seems to be a healthy set of nice, respectful members. Please be patient as I build up my competence before being able to contribute in a meaningful way. Feel free to contact me or ask questions; I am more than happy to respond.

Smaug

Hi Albtraum,

Welcome.

Please feel free to call me any time with questions about measurements or what ever.

Larry 954-298-9505

punkin

Welcome mate. We have some great members that were where you now are a while back and are worth their weight in gold when it comes to advice. i don't think there's another site like it out there.

Moonshine

Welcome to our outstanding community, @albtraum. I'm sure you will fit right in. It all starts with an idea, and often ends in a profession. Retirement? One never stops if doing something of interest. Whatever you desire, @Smaug is the official StillDragon Distributor for North America and will take proper care of you. :-bd

Sunshine

@albtraum welcome! What a interesting nick name?! Well, if you have tasted the German "Schnaps" which we call "Edelbrand" I am sure, you wont have bad dreams about them... :))

grim

Some of us may resent being called respectful, nice, honest, well-adjusted, or otherwise. Personally, I'd be much more comfortable with something like - "Ragtag bunch of misfits around here".

Good place to be, there are a number of members here in various stages of conception, start-up, operation, and expansion. A good number of us come from highly technical fields as well, so you'll fit right in (by the way, if your product is interesting or desirable, it's customary to provide forum members with deep discounts and free giveaways /:) ).

Lloyd

Yes, yes, generous samples of booze are gratefully accepted :D

Just joking, but seriously... Welcome @albtraum.
You will find a home here. So many folks here that are very much like you!

Start small, get a good feel of how to produce great liquor and only then jump in with both feet. Ain't nothing wrong with the dipping-your-toe-in-the-water stage.

Smart money says that you are yet another that I need to keep an eye on.
Over the years on the forums we have seen folks come and go, a few have bloomed to greatness and more than a few were great before joining any distilling forum.

You have access to many hundreds of thousands of dollars of free-for-the-asking brainpower here. Take advantage of it. Some truly awesome talent here that is at your fingertips.

"I design products for StillDragon" but without this forum's feedback it would be more like "I make a few distilling items that a few people find useful".
It takes collective brainpower to separate the good from the great and the good from the bad.

We all get that here. You, me, everyone. Enjoy!

CothermanDistilling

your profile says Washington state.... I would head down to @RedDoorDistillery and buy a bottle of vodka... that is what I would do....

TheMechWarrior

Welcome @albtraum.

You'll find no shortage support, advice and great people.

Cheers,

Mech.

albtraum

Thanks for the welcome, everyone. Things are coming along, sort of. I have a location lined up and space reserved in an undesigned building that I will be leasing space from. I am working with an architect to design the space (he has H-3 use class experience). This will go to the builder (if I move forward). I have friends with wineries who provided a lot of input and I have been making the rounds to the distilleries in the region. Have not been to @RedDoorDistillery yet, but it's on my list. I am signed up for the November SIPS (which you folk recommend, from reading). If all of the final numbers come in okay, then I will commit before the end of the year and start ordering equipment in January. Assuming that I go forward, I expect that the space won't be available until 2Q15.

I am REALLY enjoying the reading here and like the whole modular approach to customizing stills. As a SW engineer, I take a very logical approach and like to build things, so this is a natural business for me.

Thanks in advance for all of the comments and I look forward to forging some really good relationships here.

RedDoorDistillery

Been away for the last few weeks. Just logged in and saw all the tags... Always happy to chat with you @albtraum SIPS is a good start on learning. I attended the class about 4 years ago. Not even close to everything you need to learn but it is a good foundation to work from.