A year ago After a few vacations to Scotland and visits to several single malt whisky distilleries, I realized the following: I want to make my own whisky. But what kind of equipment do I need? I wondered. I started looking around and came across a copper still manufacturer. At first my intention was to start small and affordable so that I could decide on how (and what) I would want to make, what I would need, and which investments I would need to make. An acquaintance of mine knew just what I was looking for and he advised me to visit Odin, to see what he had to offer. ‘You will be sold in no-time’ my acquaintance told me. A week later (in September) I went to visit Odin, and guess what, I decided to place an order for an iStill 50 the same day. Still don’t regret that decision to this very day! Although a copper still might look fun, they just can’t do what an iStill can do. The robotization makes the iStill operate all on its own, you can read a book or take a hike while the machine is doing a run. And the quality of the product that comes out of the machine is just perfect. A month later, when my new iStill arrived, I set it up all by myself. When running it for the first time, of course I ran into a few minor problems. I could’ve sworn the water system wasn’t connected the proper way for example. Guess what? I contacted Odin and it was connected just fine ;) The iStill is seriously plug-and-play! Present day At the moment, I am moving my distillery from my barn to a new location. Please see the pictures. The first reason for doing this is that the business is expanding, the second is that I really feel like it is time start using a professional space and electronics. I would definitely advice people who are willing to look beyond the status quo, to get themselves an iStill, if they consider themselves ‘serious distillers’. The most important thing Odin has thought me about distilling equipment is: forget the ‘a still should be made of copper’ nonsense. It is important to get sulfurs out of your ferment and copper plays a big chemical role there, but an iCatalyst from iStill can do the same, without the disadvantages of extensive cleaning and copper rust. Using an iCatalyst can generate the same performance as a fully copper still, without the issues an all copper column gives. Really? Yes! After having made several batches of whisky, I started making gin at the beginning of this year, but WTF do I know of gin-making? Well … a little while later I sent my gin to the London based bar tenders gin competition and guess what, I won the gold medal! I think that this proves that distillers, all over the world, should let go of old conventions and start looking at 21^st century technology seriously. Regards, Bart Joosten, Owner and Master Distiller at The Eaglesburn Distillery

Bart Joosten ...

The Eaglesburn's new location ...

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The Eaglesburn's whisky and gin ...

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