Surviving and Thriving
By Alchemist G. G. Wilkins

Throughout my life, I learned a simple truth:

The man with the right tools sleeps better than the man without them.

The newspapers wrote many things about me over the years. They wrote about my businesses. They wrote about my bear. They wrote about my court cases. They wrote about my adventures, my enemies, and my habit of finding myself in situations that made for excellent headlines.

Yet through all of it, I survived.

Why?

Because I believed in self-reliance.

A copper still is one of the greatest tools of self-reliance ever invented.

Most people think a still exists for only one purpose. That is because most people have never truly understood the art of distillation.

A quality copper still can produce distilled water, essential oils, botanical extracts, perfumes, flavorings, cleaning solutions, and many other useful products. It is one of the few pieces of equipment capable of transforming ordinary materials into products of tremendous value.

One tool.

Many opportunities.

That is exactly the kind of invention I admire.

Throughout my years operating Fort Wilkins in Pittsfield, I was involved in more enterprises than most people could count. I traded furs. I sold remedies. I stamped my name onto coins. I advertised with a live bear. I even found myself arrested more than once over liquor matters. Some people thought I was brilliant. Others thought I was completely insane.

Both groups kept talking about me.

The lesson is simple.

Opportunity belongs to those willing to think differently.

A copper still gives you options.

Clean drinking water is one of them.

Water is essential to life. Without it, nothing else matters. Distillation has long been one of the most reliable methods of producing purified water. Whether drawn from a well, pond, river, or other source, water can be distilled and purified through a properly operated distillation system.

A still also allows the production of botanical extracts, perfumes, essential oils, and countless specialty products. Many successful businesses have been built around products created through distillation.

Then there is fuel.

For generations, alcohol has served purposes beyond beverages. Ethanol has been used as a fuel source, a solvent, a cleaning agent, and in countless industrial applications.

The value of a still is not found in any single use.

The value is found in versatility.

That is why every copper still built under the name Alchemist G. G. Wilkins is designed with quality in mind. Constructed from high-quality copper, assembled with lead-free silver solder, and built to provide years of reliable service, these stills are intended to be more than equipment.

They are investments.

Copper remains the preferred material of distillers because it conducts heat efficiently and helps produce superior results. Combined with patented Flame-Flow™ technology, these stills heat faster, operate more efficiently, and provide greater control throughout the distillation process.

The result is simple:

Less fuel.

Less waiting.

Better performance.

More opportunity.

The people of Pittsfield remembered me for the bear, the controversies, the businesses, and the trouble.

I would rather be remembered for something else.

Helping people acquire tools that allow them not merely to survive—

But to thrive.

— Alchemist G. G. Wilkins