Hello Boatguy23, I have the same still you are using. Most others on this site are using other types. (My ""other type"" should ship shortly) However the theory is the same as far as fermenting and mashing goes. Temps are very important especially at pitching yeast time. Because there is no temperature control of the still you have to go by amount collected or the proof of what you have collected. I built a parrot so that I could check proof as well as amount collected during run. These stills are basically small pot stills and I have found it nearly impossible to get a good neutral (vodka) from it. Drinkable enough for me but not neutral. The only thing I can think of is that you collected too much. I usually collect 700 - 750 mls of each gal then put them together, cut that to 50% with h2o and run it again and carbon filter as much as I can. I have made some very tasty whisky though (friends calls it Scotts Magic Black-out juice) lol. The size of the stills makes good hooch very time consuming to say the least. I have had great fun learning from it though. good luck and keep reading and asking questions.