Alcohol Prepping

[Just Cliff]

I am not a drinker but I do stock alcohol for barter and sale. Last year at this time it was all stolen. Even my 24 year old bottle of unopened Chivas Regal scotch. I had over 300 bottles of various alcohol, all gone.
I started looking to replace some stock so, I tried researching the most drank alcohol and ran across this article.
The top 10 most popular spirits in the US - The Spirits Business
I had the ability to distill a LOT of alcohol and had studied the different types and flavoures since my early 20's. Of course $40,000 worth of equipment was stolen and probably scrapped last year. I will never be able to replace it due to cost but I am going to try and build a small fraction of what I had to produce enough to keep me in money and trade goods. Mostly meat.
I am trying to find my states and counties sales, which is public record but, the like to keep that quiet and buried because of how much this state makes off of alcohol. An ENOURMOUSE amount in profit and taxes. I'm going to keep searching so I may do an update.

 

[kd4ulw]

That’s terrible, Cliff. Just a note to say I hope that you have invested first in some type of security system that will help protect your future investment. They know they had a good haul there and you could still be on their radar. I have seen this happen before with friends, bad guys steal a TV then come back a month later to get the new TV.

On topic, I am not a drinker either but have thought that I should get some of the smaller bottles as barter items, also. Question… are prices going up on liquor like everything else?

 

[angie_nrs]

I stock alcohol more for tinctures than for barter. I also stock up on what our friends typically use. I figure if SHTF, I can be a good friend and perhaps trade their skills or goods for a bottle of their favorite alcohol. I also stock up stuff that I would drink if SHTF and my preferred drink isn't available. It's also an addition to my medical stash. Pain control might be a difficult thing to come across. Back in the day, I do believe whiskey was an often used pain killer for tooth extractions and minor surgeries. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing.

I don't have nearly as much stocked as you did, but I have more than I'll likely ever use in my lifetime. I always buy glass bottles so that it will keep forever. Although, I sometimes worry about the fire hazzard that stocking alcohol can present.

Sometimes you can find online coupons for some local grocery or big box stores to save some money on your alcohol preps. It totally sucks that you got ripped off Cliff.

 

[Cascadian]

I second glass bottles. I always assumed it would keep better than plastic. We have 5ths of vodka, whiskey and everclear. We are not big drinkers but keep it for barter also. We have tobacco for the same reason.

As far as peoples preference they will eventually take what they can get.

 

[Neb]

I am not a drinker but I do stock alcohol for barter and sale. Last year at this time it was all stolen. Even my 24 year old bottle of unopened Chivas Regal scotch. I had over 300 bottles of various alcohol, all gone.
I started looking to replace some stock so, I tried researching the most drank alcohol and ran across this article.
The top 10 most popular spirits in the US - The Spirits Business
I had the ability to distill a LOT of alcohol and had studied the different types and flavoures since my early 20's. Of course $40,000 worth of equipment was stolen and probably scrapped last year. I will never be able to replace it due to cost but I am going to try and build a small fraction of what I had to produce enough to keep me in money and trade goods. Mostly meat.
I am trying to find my states and counties sales, which is public record but, the like to keep that quiet and buried because of how much this state makes off of alcohol. An ENOURMOUSE amount in profit and taxes. I'm going to keep searching so I may do an update.

I am very interested in alcohol for post TEOTWAWKI.

I have done beer but my one attempt at vodka failed.

Never made wine or mead but those are on our list of things to try.

Ben

 

[dademoss]

I "stock' a reflux column for producing medicinal extracts, ask granny from the beverly hillbillies. Chemical engineering has its advantages.

 

[Neb]

I "stock' a reflux column for producing medicinal extracts, ask granny from the beverly hillbillies. Chemical engineering has its advantages.

I practiced first with a distillation tube just making distilled water. Then made a copper coil and figured out how ling was too long.

After fermenting spuds I loaded up a pressure cooker I equiped with pressure gage and thermometer. But when i saw the temp and pressure rise sharply above temp for alcohol distilling I shut it down immediately knowing something was wrong. The potato mash had fouled the outlet port. Tossed that batch because I could be good with determining the "devils portion".

The Princess did remind me about not doing chemistry experiments in the kitchen AGAIN.

Ben

 

[Weedygarden]

I practiced first with a distillation tube just making distilled water. Then made a copper coil and figured out how ling was too long.

After fermenting spuds I loaded up a pressure cooker I equiped with pressure gage and thermometer. But when i saw the temp and pressure rise sharply above temp for alcohol distilling I shut it down immediately knowing something was wrong. The potato mash had fouled the outlet port. Tossed that batch because I could be good with determining the "devils portion".

The Princess did remind me about not doing chemistry experiments in the kitchen AGAIN.

Ben

My grandfather often brewed his own wine, also on the only small counter in the kitchen. One night the potato wine blew and Grandpa had wine all over the kitchen ceiling. Potato wine? I've never heard of it since. I believe potatoes are used for vodka.

 

[Neb]

My grandfather often brewed his own wine, also on the only small counter in the kitchen. One night the potato wine blew and Grandpa had wine all over the kitchen ceiling. Potato wine? I've never heard of it since. I believe potatoes are used for vodka.

Precisely.

I was trying to make vodka.

Ben

 

[Morgan101]

I have never tried to make anything, but I do stock a lot for barter. We used to be heavy drinkers. Well, I was. My wife would imbibe, but I never met a liquor I didn't like. That has tempered considerably with age.

For long term storage and barter I lean toward vodka, and bourbon. They top the list for most popular with vodka having five brands in the top fifteen, and bourbon having three. Rum would be the third choice, but I would agree with Cascadian. When the SHTF people will drink whatever is available.

 

[viking]

I stock alcohol more for tinctures than for barter. I also stock up on what our friends typically use. I figure if SHTF, I can be a good friend and perhaps trade their skills or goods for a bottle of their favorite alcohol. I also stock up stuff that I would drink if SHTF and my preferred drink isn't available. It's also an addition to my medical stash. Pain control might be a difficult thing to come across. Back in the day, I do believe whiskey was an often used pain killer for tooth extractions and minor surgeries. It's not perfect, but it's better than nothing.

I don't have nearly as much stocked as you did, but I have more than I'll likely ever use in my lifetime. I always buy glass bottles so that it will keep forever. Although, I sometimes worry about the fire hazzard that stocking alcohol can present.

Sometimes you can find online coupons for some local grocery or big box stores to save some money on your alcohol preps. It totally sucks that you got ripped off Cliff.

Bonded whiskey was bonded for purity and content for pain relief, when my dad was in the hospital , after a car accident, he requested 100 proof bonded whiskey and the doctors allowed it, this was in the early 60's.

 

[UrbanHunter]

We don't drink alcohol, but I keep a case of red and a case of white wines, wife prefers a good drinking wine when cooking (she says the cooking wines taste bad). We also keep an assortment of Sherries and Rum's because some recipes call for them. I keep a couple of bottles of Vodka as a solvent and beer for my slugs...... I guess I could get a couple of bottles of JD, CC, or B-151 for barter.

I also keep a number of bottles of the 91% medical alcohol on hand. I have found that a 50/50 mix of alcohol and hydrogen peroxide is a heck of a cleaning agent, it will clean the fouling on a muzzle loader quick as a whistle, but it will strip all the oils off it so you have to oil them up good right then or they will rust up on you....

 

[goshengirl]

Dang, @Just Cliff. I don't even know what to say. People suck. I'm so sorry that happened to you. (It's a lesson for all of us.)

My take on prepping alcohol is like @angie_nrs. I need to stock up on it for tincturing and other medicinal-related purposes. So to that end, the brand doesn't matter, just the alcohol content. But the point about stocking what friends like for potential barter purposes makes sense. And then again, the point that a time will come when preferences won't matter also makes sense.

 

[bkt]

Cliff, how, exactly did you get all that stolen? Was it in a warehouse or something that was broken into? I ask because I'm looking at security considerations.

And not to pick nits, but discussing distilling alcohol for consumption is a lot like discussing building ghost guns: not a great idea. You can ferment all day long, but distilling is another animal entirely. If you have a license to distill, how did you get it and how much did it cost?

Mead and wine are really easy to brew - much easier than beer.

 

[SheepDog]

Mead is likely the highest proof wine that is the easiest to brew. you can get 16 to 18 % alcohol (8 to 9 proof). Mead needs to cure (age) for 3 to 5 years before it tastes good. It tastes bad when freshly brewed - really bad. but after 5 years it truly is the "beverage of the gods".

Now if you want to distill from beer or wine to hard alcohol The best and most economical way is with the reflux column or a cracking tower. The reflux column requires cooling and careful tuning to get just the alcohol and nothing that has a higher or lower distillation temperatures. The cracking tower uses temperature and pressure to break and combine different chains of hydrocarbons to "build" more of one kind of distillate. Harder to tune and requires more materials but once set up it produces more ethyl alcohol than any other distillation process.
I have several reflux columns ready to attach to a pot or a continuous flow still. I have two pots ready but no still set up yet.

 

[Just Cliff]

How I got it stolen? My BOL is pretty remote for around here. I do have electricity but No real way to alarm it. I was pretty sick at the time and dang near bed ridden. So they had time to do what they wanted.
As far as distilling. I can have all grades of distilling equipment. which I did, as long as I don't get caught distilling it, In hard times FEDS are not going to be looking Locals will want theirs too.
I am a retired LEO of 30+ years. I'm pretty well aware of the legal ins and outs and knowledge of law enforcement ways.

 

[Just Cliff]

For those talking of alcohol as a pain killer. I do have somewhere a recipe for a tincture made with poppies to use as a pain killer. I have to recover it from a hard drive or get someone to do it for me.
( Yes. My world is a crap storm. If it's not one thing it's another)

 

[SoJer]

I am not a drinker but I do stock alcohol for barter and sale. ...started looking to replace some stock..

Ugh, sorry to hear, Man.. That sucks, but.. Like others have said, Hopefully you can find a way to 'ensure' it Never happens again..

Anyhoo, just Fwiw, few years back, I had the idea of building up what I coined 'Liquor Trade Paks', ie:

..Basically, just little 'DIY minis-boxes' of both 'Top shelf' / Brands, and 'well drinks' / cheapie-Brands.. ie, say a smaller box (that will only hold maybe 8-10 of the minis..) can offer more 'lux' liquors - Goldschlag / Jager / whatever - But, a box that can fit 12-15 minis in it, That'll be a 'standards Pak' - Gin, Vodka, Rum, Tequila, JD, etc..

..And, the 'valuation of the Box' is more or less what it Cost to put it together at current Retail pricing, ie: Most mini's are usually around $2., some are $2.50 or $3.. Some are $4. or more (ie: Chambord or Cointreau, etc) x however-many Minis ya can cram in.. So, there'd be a "$25. box" or "$40. box", etc...

And, 'larger denomination Paks' ($50. / $100.) either have like 175ml Bottles, up to 350ml - all Plastics - and/or more 'lux' liquors (Disaronno / Chambord / Fine Scotch, etc..) But nothing Too valuable.. That's all stashed in the 'Family Paks'...

But the Core Idea is a) Relatively 'cheap' / easy to get started / Grow (vs buying / stocking-up Only larger 750mL / 1L bottles, at $$$ prices, etc), and b) They don't 'telegraph' valuable Liquor, right? I mean, short of Reading the print, who would even Guess ya've got $25-30.+ in booze in them, ya?

..And, c) Ultimately, the idea would be to build these up for if / when 'trade' becomes Necessary (because the "Dollar" isn't worth a damn (like it almost is, Now.. ) and/or, ya know - maybe as some 'grease at a Checkpoint', etc.. Worst case, these just = we've got moar 'cheap gas' for Us..

Side note: What we more-recently did to make the paks more efficient, was to buy up a bajunch of 'empties' ie: https://www.amazon.com/SQUARE-Plastic-Alcohol-Liquor-Bottle/dp/B00VT9XX6O/ ..so it's easier to make a decent number Fit in a small box, vs a jumble of fat / round / tall / short, etc shapes.. And then filled them from larger Bottles, when sales were good / sealed w/ heat-shrink seal..

Yeah, that's all a 'lot of work', but... Being able to consistently pack 10-15 bottles in small, totable boxes (that don't Look like 'alt. money'..) was worth the effort. Guess we shall see.. Fwiw..

jd

 

[SheepDog]

I am going to get a 10,000 proof gallon fuel permit. It's free and no denaturing up to 5000 gallons of 200 proof alcohol.

 

[hughewil]

I have a bar full of whiskey because I like to drink whiskey.

I recently got a 3 gallon pot still and plan to start distilling water.

 

[joel]

I thinking about vodka for flavor.

 

[Weedygarden]

How I got it stolen? My BOL is pretty remote for around here. I do have electricity but No real way to alarm it. I was pretty sick at the time and dang near bed ridden. So they had time to do what they wanted.
As far as distilling. I can have all grades of distilling equipment. which I did, as long as I don't get caught distilling it, In hard times FEDS are not going to be looking Locals will want theirs too.
I am a retired LEO of 30+ years. I'm pretty well aware of the legal ins and outs and knowledge of law enforcement ways.

I've been thinking about this. What about putting up some game cameras that would allow you to see who is coming and going from there. At least you would know who has been in and out of there.
Friends of mine had a cabin in the mountains of Colorado that they just sold this fall. It was good sized and the basement was full of stuff. It got broken into. They had a bunch of silver dollars that were stolen, and those showed up in the closest community where they could be used. Law enforcement was aware who was using silver dollars, but had no proof of him stealing them.

 

[Old Whatshisname]

I've always been a fan of free trade, and since I'm within (long) walking distance of a small (pop 3000) town surrounding by farms, I should not have any trouble in finding -- and trading with -- people who want something I have!

Over the past eight or ten years, I've chosen and set aside a stash (~ten thousand rounds) of .22LR cartridges for trade purposes. These are stored in 3" PVC pipes 18 inches in length, capped at one end and capped with a threaded lid at the other. I fill each with 300-325 rounds, two oxygen absorber packets, and a wadded-up paper towel to keep it from rattling, and sequester them in various locations about my property.

Before I moved to ID, we lived in AZ, a couple of hours to the Border, and Dawn and I would drive to MX every couple of months or so and, while there, hit some of the farmacias for selected drugs, including antibiotics, anti-diarrheals, NSAIDs, steroids, and various analgesics, such as tramadol, hydrocodone, valium, etc. These latter drugs are pretty expensive, and, if I still have them "in stock", I would charge accordingly.

I think, that if a SHTF scenario really happens, most people would -- with varying degrees of success -- get involved in gardening and small-animal husbandry. I don't think I'd be able to compete with everybody and their dog growing food, so I've tended to stockpile what no one else can get as easily.

I would like, (inshallah), to distil ethanol and grow and cure cannabis; but I have a lot of other things on my plate right now.

 

[Weedygarden]

I have never tried to make anything, but I do stock a lot for barter. We used to be heavy drinkers. Well, I was. My wife would imbibe, but I never met a liquor I didn't like. That has tempered considerably with age.

You are actually pretty lucky with this. Many people seem to become addicted as they age.

We don't drink alcohol, but I keep a case of red and a case of white wines, wife prefers a good drinking wine when cooking (she says the cooking wines taste bad). We also keep an assortment of Sherries and Rum's because some recipes call for them. I keep a couple of bottles of Vodka as a solvent and beer for my slugs...... I guess I could get a couple of bottles of JD, CC, or B-151 for barter.

I also keep a number of bottles of the 91% medical alcohol on hand. I have found that a 50/50 mix of alcohol and hydrogen peroxide is a heck of a cleaning agent, it will clean the fouling on a muzzle loader quick as a whistle, but it will strip all the oils off it so you have to oil them up good right then or they will rust up on you....

I recently read a recipe that called for wine and while I do have some wine, I always wondered about what is the best kind of wine to use in cooking. Same is true for cooking sherry.


I'm not a drinker of alcohol. I just have such a horrible reaction to it. I do have some liquor for cooking and medicinal tincture potential.

What I have experienced over the years is that if I have some alcohol in the house, some visitors tune right into it and will have to drink until it is gone if they are allowed to. It is interesting, an observation, not meant to be judgmental, just something I do not understand.

I imagine that if you have a large collection of alcohol, you will become a target for people who HAVE to drink or think they have to.

A friend told me they had a new large bottle of rum. Neighbors came over and by the time the neighbors went home, the bottle was drained, even though friend and husband are not big drinkers. Evidently neighbors are.

Daughter has a very nice collection of alcohol varieties. She also gets comments about it. "What the heck? Are you having a big party?" Evidently for some people, if there is alcohol, you have to drink it, now. Can't have rum for rum cake or other recipes. If you have it, you have to drink it today or it will go bad!

Does alcohol ever go bad? Beer can, but hard liquor that is distilled? I would imagine it can last forever.

I have often thought of necessities versus luxuries. Would alcohol be considered a necessity or a luxury? I think it depends on the person. When the mayor of Denver was shutting down the city during the spring of 2020 for the pandemic, liquor stores were mentioned on the news. Immediately, there were lines around liquor stores, as people stocked up. In a couple of hours, he got back on the news and backtracked on that decision.

 

[joel]

I thinking about vodka for flavor.

I have a couple of gallons of mid grade Vodka in storage.
At 63 if I never use it the kids can fight over it.

 

[Sourdough]

Only purchase "glass" bottles, never Plastic, especially for long term storage.

Vodka will freeze (slush-up) at around 11 to 13 below zero. Will freeze solid and break the container at around 16 to 18 below zero. Vodka is 39% or 40% pure grain alcohol. 60% to 61% distilled water. Everclear in glass bottles, or any 90% pure alcohol is best for LTS.

 

[joel]

Only purchase "glass" bottles, never Plastic, especially for long term storage.

Vodka will freeze (slush-up) at around 11 to 13 below zero. Will freeze solid and break the container at around 16 to 18 below zero. Vodka is 39% or 40% pure grain alcohol. 60% to 61% distilled water. Everclear in glass bottles, or any 90% pure alcohol is best for LTS.

Thanks, Sourdough.
I use glass bottles, because they are reusable.
As for freezing, it gets down to 11 above zero I will have bigger problems than Vodka, forget 11 below zero!

 

[goshengirl]

I have often thought of necessities versus luxuries. Would alcohol be considered a necessity or a luxury?

I have thought that in a true SHTF/post-apoc world, it would be a necessity for things like cleaning utensils for medical preparations, other things along those lines.

A couple years ago we had a tornado go through nearby and we were without power and water. I am no germ-phobe, but yowzers, it was eye-opening how quicly filth can become an issue without running water. Being able to thoroughly clean things for medical reasons... I suspect a good proof alcohol would be a necessity on occasion.

 

[Tim Horton]

Also ..not a drinker.. but did keep a small amount of vodka and ever clear on hand to make homemade vanilla extract and other flavoring extracts with..

 

[OldSchool]

I've always been a fan of free trade, and since I'm within (long) walking distance of a small (pop 3000) town surrounding by farms, I should not have any trouble in finding -- and trading with -- people who want something I have!

Over the past eight or ten years, I've chosen and set aside a stash (~ten thousand rounds) of .22LR cartridges for trade purposes. These are stored in 3" PVC pipes 18 inches in length, capped at one end and capped with a threaded lid at the other. I fill each with 300-325 rounds, two oxygen absorber packets, and a wadded-up paper towel to keep it from rattling, and sequester them in various locations about my property.

Before I moved to ID, we lived in AZ, a couple of hours to the Border, and Dawn and I would drive to MX every couple of months or so and, while there, hit some of the farmacias for selected drugs, including antibiotics, anti-diarrheals, NSAIDs, steroids, and various analgesics, such as tramadol, hydrocodone, valium, etc. These latter drugs are pretty expensive, and, if I still have them "in stock", I would charge accordingly.

I think, that if a SHTF scenario really happens, most people would -- with varying degrees of success -- get involved in gardening and small-animal husbandry. I don't think I'd be able to compete with everybody and their dog growing food, so I've tended to stockpile what no one else can get as easily.

I would like, (inshallah), to distil ethanol and grow and cure cannabis; but I have a lot of other things on my plate right now.

Nice bump of an old(er) thread.

I totally relate to what you're saying. Same goes for the others here.

BTW though... forego the cannabis. It's so dang available.... and generally speaking is not a crowd you want to have anything to do with.