One of the most challenging parts of getting into the hobby of distillation can be selecting your first still. With so many options you can easily become overwhelmed and confused.
By the end of this article, you will have a solid understanding of what the main differences are and if you’re still not sure, I have put together a list of 5 great options for you first still.
Now let’s look at the main features and options so you can decide how you want to start this hobby.
Just remember, the only way to really learn and improve your skill as a distiller is to get a still and get started. If you can’t afford the fancy still you want, start small and learn while you save for that dream still. Once you have your still, the fun begins. The next lesson walks you through your first distillation.
Should you make or buy your still?
The first thing to consider is whether you will build your own still or buy a premade still. Building your still yourself can bring some extra pride into your craft and will usually save you some money, but if you don’t have the time or skills to form metal and weld stainless or solder copper that’s ok.
If you do build your still, you can make everything yourself or the components can be purchased online and you just put them together. Old beer kegs make excellent stills and for a basic setup they don’t require much fabrication, in fact there are a lot of resources online if you plan to go that route.
If you decide to purchase you still like I did, there are options like small Chinese made stills that can get you started for less than $100 to large custom ordered stills in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Still Material, Copper or Stainless Steel?
The Copper vs Stainless Steel discussion can get very heated with strong opinions on both sides. Here I will provide some basic comparison points and you can feel free to used google for a deep dive if you want to.
Why have copper in the vapor path?
To remove sulfur.
Even die-hard stainless steel fans usually agree that a little copper in the vapor path is a good thing. The vapor path is the part of the still where the alcohol has turned from liquid to vapor between the pot and the condenser.
Sulfur compounds can be in the water you use or can from the ingredients when cooking or fermenting your mash. These sulfur compounds can lead to an unpleasant taste that you don’t want.
While the alcohol is in vapor form the sulfur can be removed by the copper keeping it out of your final product. This can still be achieved with a stainless still by adding a copper section to you still or using copper mesh in your column.
Copper vs Stainless comparison
For me the biggest difference is in the maintenance and cleaning required. Stainless steel is very easy to clean. If you’ve seen a picture of the Statue of Liberty, you know what oxidized copper looks like. The same thing can happen to a copper still if it isn’t properly cleaned and maintained.
What size Still should I get?
When selecting a still, there are 2 things to consider when it comes to size:
- How much space do you have to dedicate to this hobby?
- How much liquor do you want to make in a single batch?
How much space can you dedicate to distillation?
You may be looking at your garage or back patio and thinking “I have plenty of room for a 50 gallon still” but there’s a lot more to consider than just the physical size of the still.
To utilize a 50-gallon still you need around 40 gallons of mash. Unless you are only planning on making simple sugar shines, you’ll need to heat about 30 gallons of water and grain to make that mash and then transfer that mash to a fermenter and then finally into your still.
The 50-gallon size above may be a bit of an exaggeration for the beginner, but you get the idea. Let’s look at an 8-gallon still. This is about the perfect size to run a 5-gallon batch of mash with some headroom in the still. Home brewers use 5-gallon fermentation buckets all the time making them cheap and easy to get. Plus, you can use a turkey fryer, or even you stovetop to heat water for the mash.
How will you heat your still, Flame or Electric?
Once you decide on the size of still you need to figure out how you are going to heat it up. Old time moonshiners used an open flame from gas or even burning wood. Other options include electric heating elements or even heated oil jackets. Let’s look at the pros and cons for each of these to help you decide.
One concern when running a still is scorching, or burning your mash. Once you scorch your mash the flavor will be ruined and there is no way to fix it. I’ll discuss each option below in terms of their likelihood to scorch.
Open Flame
The biggest drawback of open flame distillation is that you need a well-ventilated space to work, preferably outside. This can mean that the weather might play a big role in when you can run your still.
Likelihood to Scorch: Medium, unless you crank the heat way to high you should avoid scorching using open flame. If you try to distill on the grain with open flame you will probably scorch some of the solid bits. The only way to avoid this is to have an agitator, a paddle with a motor that stirs the mash inside the still.
Fire
If you really want to be an “authentic” moonshiner like Popcorn Sutton then go ahead and build a fire and prop your still over it.
The down side of open flame distilling over a fire is the difficulty of controlling the heat. If you’ve ever cooked over a campfire you know that you can’t just turn the heat up or down.
Propane or Natural Gas Burner
Propane and Natural Gas Burners are a great way to run a still. I have talked to several distillers who say it’s the only way they will heat their still.
Using a turkey fryer or similar burner you are able to quickly heat your still up and then turn the heat down to control your take off rate just like your stovetop.
Electric Element
While historically home distillers have used open flame heat sources, electric has become a very popular option. Electric elements can be single phase 120V and plug into any outlet or then can go up to 480V 3-phase that need dedicated circuits. I am currently running with a 240V setup on my 13 gallon still and love it.
We’ll cover the basics here, but I’ll go into more detail in another article all about heating your still with and electric element.
While you could simply turn an electric element on or off to try and maintain the correct temperature and amount of heat going into your still, the best way to do it is with a controller. There are 2 popular types, SCR controllers that let you manually adjust the amount of power to the element, or PID controllers that use feedback from a temperature sensor to automatically adjust the power. These controllers can be built or purchased depending on how handy you are.
Electric elements need to be sized to match your still and how fast you plan to run. As a rule of thumb stills at about 8 gallons or smaller can run on 120V, anything larger you will want to move up to a 240V heating element unless you have a lot of time to wait for it to heat up.
Electric elements are easy to operate and don’t require the ventilation that open flames need making them a great versatile choice for home distillers.
Likelihood to Scorch: Medium-High, Distilling on-the-grain is very difficult with electric elements. This is because the surface of the element gets extremely hot causing any solids to burn almost instantly. If your wash is cleared properly before going into the still you shouldn’t have to worry about scorching.
Oil Jacket
Oil jacketed stills are common in commercial distilling, but not very much in home distilling. An oil jacketed still has a double wall, the inner vessel is where your mash goes, and the outer section is where the oil circulates. The oil is heated separately and then pumped through the jacket heating the mash. This provides very even heating without any hot spots.
The biggest deterrent is cost, the more complicated construction of the still along with the extra equipment needed to heat the oil and circulate it make these stills very expensive. Oil jacked stills could use electric or gas to heat the oil, depending on the type of heater used.
Likelihood to Scorch: Very Low, This is the main advantage of an Oil Jacketed still. Because the oil jacket is a very controlled even temperature there aren’t any hot spots for solids to contact. If you really want to distill on the grain and not worry about scorching this is the way to go.
Still Type
Like some of the other sections this topic can get very in depth. For this beginner’s guide I’ll keep it simple and cover these still types in more detail later in other articles.
Pot Still
Pot Still – More Flavor, Max Proof around 160 (75% ABV)
Pot stills Keep more of the flavors from the mash in the final product making them great for Whiskey or a Funky Rum. This happens because they do not separate the alcohol from the water and other compounds as efficiently as a column still. This also means they produce a lower proof, maxing out around 160 proof.
Your product can be double, or triple distilled to strip more flavor and increase the proof, but this means more time distilling compared to a column.
Pot stills can be identified because they are shorter and have a small head connected directly to the condenser the head is usually dome or “onion” shaped.
Column Still
Column Still – Cleaner Taste, Max Proof 190 (95% ABV)
Column stills are better suited for products that have a cleaner taste like vodka, gin, or a light rum. The do this thru a process called reflux where the alcohol condenses in the column mixing with the vapor flowing up and becomes more concentrated.
Hybrid or Modular Still
Hybrid Stills combine the best of pot stills and column stills
A hybrid or modular still is made of pieces the connect using gaskets and clamps. They can easily be configured as a pot still, column still or add other things like Bubble Plates or Gin Baskets. They cost a little more, but are a great choice if you plan to make a variety of different spirits.
Air Still
Air Stills are simple to use and great for small test batches or if you are on a very small budget or limited on space.
An air still will only hold about a gallon of mash so you can’t run large batches, but you could easily run a batch after work and be cleaned up by bed time. Air stills are super simple to get going because unlike other stills you don’t need any pumps or cooling water. Just add your mash and plug it in. Air stills made for distilling water can be used with the addition of a controller to lower the heat or Still Spirits makes a couple models specifically designed for spirits. They even have a reflux still called the Air Still Pro that can distill vodka at 90% abv!
Continuous Still
Continuous Stills are best suited for high production and can be used for whiskey or vodka depending on the configuration.
A Continuous still does not run in batches like the others we have talked about. A continuous feed of mash is fed into the still and the heads, hearts and tails are separated by different taps on the column. This type of still is mostly used in high volume production distilleries.
There is a hobby distiller out of South Africa that has developed a small home sized continuous still. His website is myvodkamaker.com. Bearded & Bored did a review on his YouTube channel and was impressed with the results.
Condenser Type
If your head isn’t already spinning from all the still types, just hold on. The condenser is the part of the still that cools the alcohol vapor causing it to condense to a liquid that will be collected.
This will give you a brief overview and look for more articles to come if you really want deep dive into the topic of condensers for distillation.
The type of condenser you choose can also vary depending on the type of spirit you want to produce and how much you plan to run at one time.
Worm
If you’ve watched Discovery Channel’s Moonshiners or seen pictures of an old still in the woods, I’m sure you’ve seen a worm condenser. A worm or coil condenser is the simplest type and is essentially a copper coil placed inside a container of water. Cool water is pumped into the bottom of the container and flows out the top while the vapor from the still flows into the top of the coil, is cooled and liquid alcohol flows out the bottom.
Shell and Tube
There are 2 variations of the shell and tube design Liebig and Shotgun. Both are quite efficient and compact making them ideal for home distillers.
Liebig Condenser
A Liebig condenser is made of a smaller tube running through a larger tube. The cooling water flows through the larger tube condensing the alcohol vapor flowing through the inner tube. This is the type of condenser I am currently using and it works great, but if you have a large pot with a lot of heating power it may not be able to keep up.
Shotgun Condenser
A shotgun condenser is similar to the Liebig, but instead of a single tube inside of a tube the shotgun condenser has several inner tubes for the vapor to flow through. The advantage over a Liebig is that there is more cooling surface area so for the same length of condenser a shotgun could handle more heating power a run faster.
Thumpers, Bubble Plates, Packing and Gin Baskets
There are many ways to modify a still for they type of spirit you are producing and for now lets just look at a few.
Thumpers
Like the worm condenser, if you’ve watched Moonshiners, you’ve probably seen a thumper. A thumper goes between the still and condenser and causes a “second distillation” the vapor condenses in the thumper and then vaporizes again before flowing to the condenser. This can increase the proof and purity. Another use of a thumper is to add additional flavor. Fruit, or other flavorings are often added to the thumper to change the flavor of the finished product.
Bubble Plates and Column Packing
Bubble Plates and Column Packing are used to increase the purity in a column still. Both of these cause more interaction between the liquid and vapor alcohol increasing the proof of your final product.
Gin Baskets
Like the other accessories a gin basket goes between the pot and the condenser. A gin basket is typically filled with botanicals. The vapor then flows through the botanicals picking up their flavor before going to the condenser.
4 Great Stills for Beginners
One of the first things you need to get started in the craft of distillation is a still. There are lots of options and considerations but here are 4 of my recommendations and who I think they are best for.
After looking at these options please read on to learn more about what the differences are and what might work best for you.
Best Beginner Still for Small Spaces
Still Spirits Air Still Pro
This tiny air still by Still Spirits is a great way to get started or to make small test batches while you are refining your recipe. The Air Still Pro can run in pot still mode producing flavorful whiskey and rum at 60% ABV or in reflux mode to make neutral vodka or gin up to 90% ABV.
The best part of the Air Still Pro is that it can be put away in a cabinet or panty when not in use and then be ready to go in a matter of minutes.
If you’re just getting started and need the equipment for mashing and fermenting Still Spirits offers a Distillery Kit that has everything you need, including the ingredients to make you first batch!
Best Beginner Still for Whiskey and Rum on a Budget
The Vevor 8 Gallon Still at under $150 is a great beginner choice for making Moonshine, Whisky or Rum. The size is perfect for running a batch fermented in a 5 gallon bucket fermenter. Or the still pot can also double as your mash tun and fermenter. This still even includes a water pump for the condenser so you have everything you need to get started.
The Vevor 8 gallon Still can be heated on a stovetop, a gas turkey fryer, or an open fire. While it looks like it comes with a thumper the configuration out of the box is actually a slobber box. Fortunately a simple modification can turn this into a real still and thumper giving you lots of options on how to run it.
Best Beginner Still for Vodka on a Budget
If you’re interested in making Vodka and want a something a little bigger than the Air Still Pro can produce, Still Spirits has a larger still that might be perfect for you. The T500 system has a 25L (6.5 gallon) boiler and a reflux column that’s available in Copper or Stainless Steel. The T500 system is one of the easiest reflux systems to operate and includes a built-in dual level heating element. You can run the still be selecting the high or low power mode or for more control add and scr to dial in the exact amount of power you need. Cooling the condenser can be done with a the supplied hoses that connect to a faucet or if you want to supply your own water source and pump you can do that.
Best Beginner Still for Bigger Batches
This is the still I have and run almost all my batches on. It’s the Moonshine Distillers 13 Gallon Reflux Still I’ve added a 220V heating element and PID controller to mine, but this still is ready to run on a gas burner just as it’s sold. The reflux column can be packed with copper mesh, rashing rings or other packing materials to increase you proof and purity or the column section can be removed to run as a pot still. The tri-clamp modular design also means you can add gin baskets, bubble plates or other accessories as you skills develop.
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