StillSmart

I've got my final piece to my set up completed this weekend, 100l boiler made from 100litlre keg. I've had legs added so that it allows a bottom drain. Two elements in the side totalling 5kw and a 2" sight glass / fill port and a 4" connection for the Column to allow for future expansion but for now ok just going to run an adapter to fit my 2" boka

I am envious!

Hit a slight issue, with the column the whole unit is pretty high and I've just moved house so don't need the neighbours getting suspicious, going to have to run it at night to evade nosy eyes

Very nice boiler - for the capacity and watts you have is there a reason you didn't go for a 3" column?
With a 2" boka you are going to be limited to 1500-2000w on the spirit run and have longer running times.

I'm using these particular elements because I also use them on my brewery so I can undo the triclamp and swap them over. The boiler is built to take up to 4" column but I'm currently collecting up components to make a 4" flute column for later.

I'd really like this boiler to be the one that introduces me to the world
Of small batch commerical distilling if I can get my head around leglislation

Good luck with that!!!!

Haha yeah I'd make sure all the letters you send are addressed to someone else's house just in case!

Lol. Yeah. Consider ringing on a pay and go mobile while wearing a disguise.

.... And different councils will interpret the regs differently too.

Yeah I think it's an incredibly shady area and transition but I would like to do it. But just can never really get my head Around it

Really I wish you the best of luck with it, I haven't done much reading into it and from what I understand the rules are relaxing slowly but when the law states something rediculous like a minimum 18,000 litre still I don't see how anyone can set up a new business without some serious cash behind them. Writing letters & asking those kinda questions from the gooberment is a bit risky for me, I hope you don't get any unwanted visitors!

What's the legalities on owning a still but not operating it?

You can own it no problem, you're going to have to be pretty ballsy to pull off the "I just like the way it looks" excuse though!

I was hoping to get a bit more information from @Marcus than this, but you may have more luck contacting him directly.

Micro Distilling in the UK

Before anything else you need to work out what your business is for and who your customers are.

Recipes, stills, tanks, building and licenses are absolutely irrelevant until then.

Hobbies enjoy free reins, businesses are regulated. The first is not a good place to start the latter from. Please don't read this as negative it is the voice of experience.

Work on your business plan. What is your idea?

Luckily I went to uni and started business management and I'm a qualified accountant so have a pretty good understanding of financial implications and raising capital and general business operation.

The idea is to have a set of core products, a nice grain vodka a white rum and hopefully if I can develop a good enough recipe then I'd make an absinthe

Then the rest of the business would be into Making some of the more Unknown liquers and rekindle interest in them, while also make spirits that we all know with various flavour twist

I'd like to aim for the idea of being the brewdog of the distilling world.