Lifting Your Spirits
By Alchemist G. G. Wilkins

The people of Pittsfield have called me many things throughout my life.

Dentist.

Coin stamper.

Fur trader.

Saloon keeper.

Entrepreneur.

Some called me a genius.

Others called me a nuisance.

The newspapers often had opinions of their own.

Whatever they called me, one thing remained true: I have always admired tools that earn their keep.

A copper still is one of those tools.

Long before modern factories, supermarkets, and convenience stores, people relied upon skill, craftsmanship, and ingenuity. A quality still could transform ordinary ingredients into products of value. Distilled water. Botanical extracts. Essential oils. Perfumes. Flavorings. Spirits. The possibilities were limited only by the imagination of the person operating it.

That is as true today as it was during my lifetime.

Throughout my years in Pittsfield, I pursued many enterprises. I traded furs and hides. I sold remedies. I operated businesses. I advertised in ways that people still talk about more than a century later. Whether a man visited Fort Wilkins to see the bear, purchase a product, or simply satisfy his curiosity, he usually left with a story.

I believe a quality still should be no different.

A quality still should inspire curiosity.

It should encourage self-reliance.

It should create opportunity.

Copper has been the preferred material of distillers for generations because it conducts heat efficiently and has stood the test of time. Long before modern manufacturing, craftsmen trusted copper because it worked.

Some traditions survive for a reason.

Innovation, however, never stops.

The pursuit of improvement is what drives invention. It is what drives enterprise. It is what drives progress. A man who stops improving has already begun falling behind.

Whether your interests include distilled water, essential oils, perfumes, botanical extracts, flavorings, or traditional distillation, a copper still remains one of the most versatile tools a person can own.

The newspapers remembered me for the coins I stamped, the bear I kept, the businesses I built, and the trouble I occasionally found.

I would rather be remembered for something simpler.

Building things worth talking about.

— Alchemist G. G. Wilkins