Events Still Life The shiny tanks and twisting pipes look like the inner-workings of a submarine or a spaceship. The equipment, configured in the middle of a warehouse in the Ivy City neighborhood, is nearly as exotic. Nothing like it has existed in D.C. -- legally, at least -- in more than a century. New Columbia Distillers will begin production of gin and rye whiskey this month. The distillery is owned by retired attorney Michael Lowe and his son-in-law John Uselton , who was previously a beer buyer for Schneider's wine shop on Capitol Hill. "It didn't come with a manual," Lowe says of the custom-made still and mash tun imported from a company called Carl in Germany. He points down to some pipes near the base of the still: "It took us an hour at least, with three of us working on it, to get this in place." The duo has taken a hands-on approach to every aspect of the distillery, even constructing its jigsaw puzzle-like apparatus using only photos as a guide (and some friends and family for an assist). A rep from the manufacturer stopped by only at the end of construction to make sure they'd done it correctly. The distillery is the latest addition to D.C.'s growing craft booze scene. Last summer, the city got its first brewery since 1956, DC Brau, which was soon followed by Chocolate City Brewery and 3 Stars Brewing Company . But a distillery? New Columbia is the first in a