Hello from the PNW...

[Joe Hell]

Hey guys...just wanted to say 'hi' from the Pacific Northwest. It's been many years since I have played around with this sort of thing and I can't wait to get back into the swing of things. Any recommendations on books and equipment for someone with experience in fermentation but a novice at distillation?

[jawwoody]

Welcome

[kiwistiller]

Probably the best advice for equipment is to decide on what you want to be making first. Generally speaking, for Whisky, Rum, Brandy and so on you'll want a basic pot still. For neutral (vodka), liqueurs and gins, you'll want a reflux column, the best value for money of which is probably a bokakob slant plate, although a pot still will still be a very useful tool (especially for gins and stripping runs).

There is a lot of info on this board, especially in the New to distillation sections and on the parent site (though that one is a little out of date, and there is a good glossary on the HD wiki.

As far as books, The Compleat Distiller is a good one general background.

[WalkingWolf]

Hello Joe from Walla Walla,
Welcome to the forum. It's a lot like a wading pool. You just kind of ease in and walk around a bit and before you know it starts making sense.

good luck

[Joe Hell]

I guess I fall into the "all of the above" category in regards to what I would like to produce.

Are there commercially available products that will give you the option of both a reflux/pot still operation or is it necessary to purchase separate columns?...are there advantages/drawbacks to either?

I have seen many products online but many searches lead back to the same supplier...Does anyone have any opinions/recommendations on products from 'Mile Hi'?

[highpower]

Hi Joe,
Welcome to a forum full of wonderfull folks.
Take your time and read around this site a bit. You will probably find that most people sugest making your own still. Or at least designing it with the help of others and then having a good metal worker or plumber in your area help you put it together.
You can buy a good rig from a number of people and websites. The key thing is to learn enough about what is the most effectiv design for your needs. Beware of a few of the designs for sale. Some web sites are a scam as well and you will have a hard time getting your product if you get it at all.
I cant say how important it is to learn first. Then you wont have to kick your self for doing the wrong stuff or spending money you did not need to.
This site is packed full of information and there are a few others that have lots to offer as well. I have only hear good things about milehi.

Have fun, T

[Samohon]

Welcome Joe, HD's the place to be man.

+1 Kiwi, The Compleat Distiller and the parent site is enough to get the gears turning, after that, the expert's are all here to help.
Good luck with your quest Joe, it really does help members if you have a solid grasp of the theory as well as the safety aspects of our hobby.
You are in good hands here, these guy's know a working formulae.

[kiwistiller]

If you are cursed with broad tastes (like me) you really probably should be getting both a reflux column and a pot still. With those two tools, you can make pretty much any spirits. Most reflux columns can be detuned into a pot still, but for the price of building one, I'd just make one and then you won't have to mince around removing your packing and so on (which tends to degrade the packing imo). You'll get a lot more still for you dollar if you build instead of buy.

[Joe Hell]

If you are cursed with broad tastes (like me) you really probably should be getting both a reflux column and a pot still. With those two tools, you can make pretty much any spirits. Most reflux columns can be detuned into a pot still, but for the price of building one, I'd just make one and then you won't have to mince around removing your packing and so on (which tends to degrade the packing imo). You'll get a lot more still for you dollar if you build instead of buy.

I'm definitely interested in owning both a reflux and pot still. Building a still is something I want to tackle eventually but finding time may be another story...not too mention, not knowing enough about the trade to come to my own conclusions about what may or may not work. Do you know of a reasonably priced manufacturer? I've been able to find a couple places but finding reviews outside of their own websites is a bit challenging...Mile Hi and BrewHaus come to mind. Any thoughts?

[rubber duck]

Welcome aboard. Always good to have another web foot on the forum.

As Kiwi said your going to want a separate pot and reflux rig. There are rigs that can do both but they don't do a good job.

I'm not aware of any affordable commercially available stills that are worthwhile, the good rigs are going to cost you. If it where me I would build out a simple 15 gallon pot still with a 15 gallon beer keg boiler. That would be a good rig to start wilht and can be built in a couple of hours.

[kiwistiller]

+1 on the pot still as a simple start. You'll probably be using a pot head 80% of the time anyway (flavours + all stripping runs + gin spirit runs + any distilling of macerations). Columns are really just for neutral spirit, though a bokakob slant plate column would also be almost as easy to build.

The chances are if you find a specific commercial still you are interested in, someone on here will have experience with it. Try to be more specific than just 'mile high', you'll get better feedback. The only person making my ideal basic setup of VM + pot is Manu (stainlessstuff.net), no idea of his prices, but remember my ideal setup will be different from others. You could try to get help from other members, you never know there might be someone around your area to help you out. Call for tenders?

[rubber duck]

Manu (stainlessstuff.net) I can't vouch for him personal but his reputation is rock solid. If I was going to buy a rig I would seriously consider Manu I've never heard anything but good things.

[LWTCS]

There are rigs that can do both but they don't do a good job.

Biting my tongue

Course that particular rig would sell for 3, 4 maybe 5 thousand tomalles

Makes 100% pure rum.

[anuran]

Welcome, fellow Webfoot!

[Joe Hell]

Try to be more specific than just 'mile high', you'll get better feedback.

To be more specific...

Mile Hi has a 3" x 40" diameter, two piece, reflux tower and a 3" x 24" pot still head that I have considered. I can add these to any number of different stainless 'boilers' I have access to, ranging in size from 5 to 60 gallons. I have all my bases covered as far as any size fermenter and tri-clamp fittings are concerned.

Does anyone have any recommendations on boiler size for either of the 'Mile Hi' set-ups above?

Is there an equivalent or more efficient product from BrewHaus or another manufacturer that should be considered?

What drawbacks/advantages do I have if I decide to build my own?...I am ideally looking for the most efficient/productive set-up I can find.

[LWTCS]

For the hobby stiller, it's pretty tough to beat a beer keg.

[ScottishBoy]

I built a modular still design based on a boka head. It can go from potstill, to reflux column in 2 minutes. It has an optional air cooled coil and I have designed a thumper that can go inline with the unit. Installing it takes another two minutes. Im not a very good copper smith either so Im sure you could do it.

I know you dont seem keen on the idea of building one, but there is one VERY important advantage to building your own. Any entity that sells distilling equipment is required ( by law, with no warrant ) to give up its customer list on request incuding purchase orders. If you buy commercially, you are already one step towards the radar.
Just a thought.

Welcome to the group.

[Joe Hell]

I know you dont seem keen on the idea of building one, but there is one VERY important advantage to building your own. Any entity that sells distilling equipment is required ( by law, with no warrant ) to give up its customer list on request incuding purchase orders. If you buy commercially, you are already one step towards the radar.
Just a thought.

Welcome to the group.

I do have a distinct advantage as my purchases and experiments will be for a legal craft distillery...paperwork pending. It's not that I don't want to build one more than I don't want to buy a bunch of fittings and find out too late that what I have built doesn't suit my needs...not too mention, I like shiny new toys.

[Fester]

find a keg, but a pot still head on it (yes you can do it easily) and later you can waste the bucks by giving it away to the companies selling over-priced stills if you like. until then, save your money, you will always need it for "the next build", especially if you like more toys.

most store bought stills are very over priced. when you get one in your hands you will almost always say "i could have built this for almost nothing!"

talking from experience,

Fester

[Joe Hell]

find a keg, but a pot still head on it (yes you can do it easily) and later you can waste the bucks by giving it away to the companies selling over-priced stills if you like. until then, save your money, you will always need it for "the next build", especially if you like more toys.

most store bought stills are very over priced. when you get one in your hands you will almost always say "i could have built this for almost nothing!"

talking from experience,

Fester

Do you have a suggestion for a pot still head or reflux column design?

[Samohon]

Do you have a suggestion for a pot still head or reflux column design?

Have a look at this Joe.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 16&t=14845

I get some very nice flavoured hooch from this, I also use it for strippin.
Cost? Under $80. Can't beat building your own. If I can do it, so can you bro....
This can be built in a couple of hours.....

[agooga]

Howdy-- former Port Townsend/Seattle/Olympia resident here!

I built my own still several years ago, at a time when I knew very little about welding and plumbing, and it was NOT hard to do a VERY professional job. I did have the help of a friend with a bit of a workshop and a tig welder, but the process took only a short day in the shop.

I built a reflux still with a 5 gallon pot. The unit consists of 3 basic pieces: The boiler pot, the column, and the condenser.

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 27&t=15707

Scroll down on this thread to see pix of my still.

The pot is a 5 gallon SS cooking pot. The top is a piece of 1/8" SS plate, cut with a bandsaw and welded onto the pot. The plate also has a slightly under 2" hole cut in the center, and a collar with an inside diameter of 2" welded to it. This will hold the column in place and allow the vapors to rise up into the column.

All the SS parts were purchased from an industrial metal supply company, and they did some of the cutting for me, which saves a lot of time and effort.

The column is a piece of 2" O.D. pipe which I tested with the collar piece to make sure it was a nice snug fit. I drilled three water ports for 3/8" pipes to help with the reflux action-- these are probably pretty optional, as are the holes I drilled in the top of the column and the boiler top to accomodate thermometers. But you DO need a 3/8 or 1/2" output port on the top that will head off to your condenser-- whatever kind you decide to put on. I just strapped a piece of 4" ABS to the side and did some copper plumbing with 3/8" semi-flexible tubing. The ABS pipe is allsealed up with silicone and is a watertight jacket. I use a submersible pump to pump the water-- works GREAT.

Originally, I packed the column with glass marbles only, but now I have added some copper scrubbers up in there. Originally this packing was permanently trapped up in there with a welded sieve over the bottom-- but I have recently changed that so that I can remove the packing for cleaning--AND (important) to be able to run the still in "pot" mode.

It took me a few days to gather the pieces and parts, a day to cut, drill and weld them together and another couple of days to build and attach the condenser-- and this was at a time when I knew practically nothing about building anything.

You can do it!

[kiwistiller]

for an easy reflux design, it's pretty hard to go past the boka slant plate design.

[rad14701]

for an easy reflux design, it's pretty hard to go past the boka slant plate design.

Absolutely... From a practicality standpoint you just can't get much simpler or cheaper to build...

[kiwistiller]

not to mention pretty solid and dependable operation.