Sounds like fun. Potato neutral spirits. Spuds have starch, amylase turns starch into fermentable sugars. The yeast eats the sugars and produces alcohol and as a by product, carbon dioxide. The spirit is distilled again and flavors are introduced into the vapor stream through a gin basket or muslin bag with juniper berries, coriander seeds, lemon zest, cucumber, almonds, rose petals and who knows what else. Gin is some interesting stuff. And yes the pine tree smell comes from the juniper berries.