I wonder what penalties exist here in Vietnam for having an illegal alcohol Still.
A while back whilst staying at a cabin in N Carolina on lake Kerr for 3 months my neighbour rarely walked around without a gallon container in one hand and a bottle of Coke in the other. He would sip from the gallon jar, pull a face that resembled someone having toothpicks shoved up their fingernails and then immediately gulp from the Coke.
Communication was a little difficult as together with his blood constantly being diluted with the contents of the container he had a really Southern drawl that was hard to follow. Perseverance eventually paid off and it turned out the liquid was Hooch from a local farm. The only requirement for purchase was a few dollars and supplying your own container. Being offered my first mouthful I eagerly took a generous swig.
The effect was somewhat instant and I suddenly understood the reason for his odd facial expression when partaking of the elixir. Once my eyes stopped rolling and I regained some sense of balance I saw that he was on the floor, legs akimbo with his rather opulent stomach flopping from side to side in absolute hysterics. On reflection I guess I should have been more cautious instead of treating the contents like a fruit drink and almost swallowing a lethal dose. After a few weeks training however I actually started to like the stuff which tasted like a mix of raw Vodka, Bourbon and cow shit.
On my return to England I was convinced I could improve the experience and lessen the terminal effects on my internal organs by trying to make some myself. What followed became an obsession. I read everything I could on how to construct the Still and studied loads of traditional Hooch recipes and production methods from around the USA, Scotland and even Russia.
After many more months and having constructed a Still in the garden shed my first attempt shot the Hydrometer to an eye watering 95% proof. The taste was um . .. interesting . . . and in need of some tweaking as was lowering the proof rating so I planned a second attempt for later in the year in time for the Christmas celebrations, family visits etc etc.
All went well at first then one evening whist relaxing in the lounge the quiet of the countryside was shattered by an explosion worthy of a Drone strike. I rushed outside and the garden shed had disintegrated together with all the windows in my neighbours green house which looked even more surreal because it was full of ripe Tomatoes and the red coloration of the surrounding area was somehow quite fitting to the scene. Oh, and three of his much loved Koi were floating upside down in his pond and his previously aggressive and very bold little Jack Russel was sitting motionless and wide eyed on the patio where he had been sleeping. As an aside the poor little dog never did recover and after the incident refused to ever go outside the house again.
A later search eventually revealed the shattered remains of one the two 50gal copper water tanks I had used as the main body of the Still ( never did find the other one ) and it would appear that the pressure release valve had somehow malfunctioned. It was several years later and a house move before my then wife would let me try again. The problem with women is they do not understand science and prototypes and such and suffer from a lack of humour.
I have now mastered the art and was wondering if it was worth attempting another one at the in-laws farm. At least there, should there be any unfortunate malfunctions, any damage would be minimal other than launching several tonnes of ancient Water Buffalo crap into the atmosphere.
The boredom of retirement can be a lot more dangerous than people imagine.