Just Don’t Call It Moonshine

[lsanderson]

Derek Grout of Harvest Spirits distillery. From a copper-pot still in Valatie, N.Y., he has produced applejack, a soft pear brandy and a himbeergeist he calls a “labor of love.” More Photos »
By TOBY CECCHINI
Published: December 21, 2010

IN an aluminum shed among postcard orchards in Columbia County in New York, Derek Grout inspected a collecting tank of his state-of-the-art copper-pot still. A blocked vent had caused the tank to buckle. “I’m just kind of glad we didn’t kill ourselves,” he said with a laugh. “Got to bang that out.” More