New setup question

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Rich_Squirrel90
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Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2021 2:32 am

New setup question

Post by Rich_Squirrel90 »

So I have decided to take the plunge after doing some research I believe I have settled on buying a 30l pot still kit from north stills, it looks like good quality at a good price and whiskey is my main focus. My question is, does it make sense to buy another 5l still (looking at copper bros alembic stills) so I can do spirit runs in smaller batches. seeing that I am starting out I would like to ability to do smaller runs so I can experiment more to dial in technique and recipes, but I do not want to be doing tiny batches of wash. so my thought process is if I were to be making whiskey for example I can do a large stripping run from the 30l then do the spirit run from the 5l, if the final product is good after aged I can then make bigger batches, also when testing recipes for things like gin it would be nice to be able to experiment on a smaller scale. given that I am trying to keep my initial budget under 1500 Canadian dollhairs this all seems to be in $ range. Thoughts?

P.S.

Hope that question makes sense I have been working nights for the last month so my brain is currently mush.
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still_stirrin
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Re: New setup question

Post by still_stirrin »

Well, 30 liters is not “big” really. It’s a “mid-size” boiler. It’ll work great for most things but you’ll find that you’ll need several spirit runs to fill a cask for aging. If you start with a 30L, you may find you’d like to upgrade to a keg sized boiler in the future.

As for a smaller boiler for specialties (like gin, etc.), that is a great idea. In fact, I have two boilers: an electric fired keg boiler with a potstill head and a column and combination LM/VM reflux head, and a hotplate heated 16 quart stock pot potstill for small batches and “specialties”. The “right tool for the job” makes the job easier.

An alembic potstill is nice for full flavored spirits, like brady, rum, and even a whiskey. But it will run “differently” than the larger 30L boiler and stillhead. So, you’ll have two systems to learn how to run, but that is the fun of this hobby, ie - the “art” of it. But a 5L potstill is really small and making cuts from it on a spirit run will be challenging for you as a beginner. Experience will help but the portions of the product will be small.

Buying a still is what a lot of members do in order to get into the hobby quickly. But, a lot of the members choose to build their own (me included) so that you have your “personality” build into your equipment. It is not difficult to do with a few simple skills. But options are available to the buyer today whereas a few years ago not many existed. However, I won’t comment on either of the manufacturers/sales you’ve highlighted. You’ll need to research them for yourself; read their reviews critically before spending your money.

Anyway, always be safe, responsible, and discrete.
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
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NZChris
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Re: New setup question

Post by NZChris »

In my experience, (with a 33l still), the small still needs to be at least a fifth of the size of the stripping boiler, so 6l minimum for a 30l still.

The results from 20l of mash might get you a bit over 2l of finished product at 40%. I don't see a good reason to do small runs like that unless it's to experiment with a product for which the method isn't well documented anywhere, or to make use of a small amount of a desirable ingredient that came your way. The T&T methods in this forum can be used to make fine product right from your first batch, so there really isn't a great need to experiment before putting down large ferments for long term aged likker.

I've never had a problem doing cuts with small stills, even with stills smaller than 5l. I just scale the volume for the cut jars so that I get the same number of jars regardless of the size of the spirit run. The greatest downside is that it takes the same amount of effort for a much smaller result.

My 33l still is very capable of producing enough for my needs and to put away plenty for aging. The trick is to use a fermenter three times the volume of the boiler and making three or four stripping runs worth each time you ferment, copying what commercial pot whisky distillers do.
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