Installing the Still

Robert, who had hosted the distillery workshop in Chicago, flew to Portland to help assemble our still. A second round with the plumber and his helpers, the electrician and his helpers, our landlord, as well as Sebastian and I, ensued, that required much patience, leg work, and creativity. All within the ticking deadline of when Robert had to fly back to Chicago. We needed the still up and running so he could teach us how to operate it. One major snafoo was that the threading of the heating elements, shipped just in time from Texas, didn’t match the fitting inside the still, and they could not be installed. Sebastian and Robert made mad dashes to Hall Tools, and after consultation, ended up at Paul Brong Machine Works, who were able to rethread the heating elements to the appropriate British standard.