Archives for: May 2008
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter Two - Oh, the Pain of it All
By Jonathan M. Forester on May 30, 2008 | In Main | Send feedback »

In the beginning of this journal, Diary of a Distiller, I told you a little about my early life, and how I entered the world of food, wine, and fine spirits. As I mentioned, I became disillusioned with my life and plunged into the world of food and beverages. I started a journey and as I walk down this road I hope that the bricks become yellow, then golden; and don't just crumble away.
I'm still working hard on my still as I told you last week, buffing it to a mirror shine. I put some fancy and expensive protective finish on the Georgia Ridge Rocket still head and the top of the kettle to see how it looks. It's not perfect. You don't have the same intensity of a mirror shine or that silky, sexy smooth, almost oily texture, as you run your hand along it, as there is without the protective coat; but it still looks darn good.
I put the whiskey head on the kettle to hold it steady and started buffing that as well. About an hour later, when I was halfway through I decided to clean it off with some denatured alcohol to see how much of a shine I have. It was looking very nice when I noticed that some of the alcohol had dripped down onto the part of the kettle that I had already sealed and the finish was starting to turn white. I grabbed a cloth to wipe the alcohol off and realized that the alcohol had dissolved the sealant completely. Aaaargh!
Diary of a Distiller: Chapter One - Back to the Beginning
By Jonathan M. Forester on May 23, 2008 | In Main | Send feedback »

Welcome to Diary of a Distiller
Diary- di•a•ry
Function: noun
A record of events, transactions, or observations kept daily or at frequent intervals: journal; especially : a daily record of personal activities, reflections, or feelings
Distiller- dis•till•er
Function: noun
One that distills, especially alcoholic liquors
This is my journal as I enter into the spirit-ual realm, whereby I become a distiller of fine libations. As I write this I am sitting at my desk in what is rapidly becoming my very own distillery and brewery. The Penobscot Bay Distillery & Brewery to be precise.
Named such because it is located on the Penobscot River in Winterport, Maine; near where it spills into the rugged but lush, island studded Penobscot Bay. The beauty of which has charmed me from when I was a child and visited the Coast of Maine every summer, through my adulthood as I dreamed of one day living here.
Over the next few months I invite you read my Diary of a Distiller as I go through the journey of building an artisanal micro-distillery and brewery, creating fine spirits and ales for like minded folks to enjoy. I don't guarantee every bit of it will be about food, wine, or spirits; but this journal as a whole is focused on my travels in those directions.
Welcome to Diary of a Distiller. I am in the process of moving the content over from the old site. The biggest problem with moving the old content over is the photos. So the text will be here, but photos will have to slowly follow. Until then you can read the old content in the Archives.
You can also read my thoughts on my Journey on Enjoying Libations at: