What made you chose type of the still you have?

[Steve Broady]

I’m interested to hear people’s opinions, and hopefully learn from anyone willing to share. When I started this journey, I had the simplistic notion that a pot still was for things like whiskey, brandy, and rum where you want as much flavor from the ingredients as possible, and reflux stills were just for making neutral for vodka, gin, and infusions. The deeper down this rabbit hole I go, the more obvious it becomes that the choice is FAR more nuanced than that.

My current understanding (and I freely acknowledge that it’s limited) is that the various reflux designs are so popular because of their versatility. Tuned properly, you can make anything from low wines to azeotrope. My little pot still is a lot more limited, although it does most of what I want it to do since I’m partial to whiskey and rum.

If you care to share, I’d love to hear about how you decided what style of still to build or buy. Did you try several and pick a favorite? Did you find what worked best for the things you wanted to make and drink? Was it based on what you could get or build? And if you were going to start over from scratch, would you change anything? I’ve seen a lot of little nuggets of opinions scattered around various threads, but I thought it might be interesting and helpful to collect them in one place.

[jonnys_spirit]

I use a 16g copper pot still boiler and have a CCVM head for neutrals. I started with a stainless boiler and upgraded to a copper boiler. I find a pot still to be very versatile - much more so that it appears to be on the surface. I much prefer flavored spirits and even with a neutral spirit (when I get around to it) I will mostly make neutral for macerated flavored spirits.

I also have a 2.5g copper alembic which I also outfitted with a water jacket reflux condenser. I also use this in pot still mode for small batches of either low wines when I have more limited ingredients or maceration/infusion types of things.

That's my take! Interested to hear other thoughts as well..
Cheers,
j

[Setsumi]

I started with a rudimentary 20lt pot still. I build a 2" bokakop on the boiler and then happened into a 80lt boiler. I did various stuff to the boka like RLM and VM below the boka. Then I did a DAD CCVM in 3" stainless steel and a 3" CCVM in copper. But always I wanted a flute. In 2018 I build my first flute, only one sight glass. In 2019 I build twins in flutes. And in 2020 I went electric.

My next step will be to see how I will cope in a society where electricity is not available on a demand for payment model. I will prolly go back to gas just for reliability.

Edit: my flutes/platers run on CCVM reflux management

[Ben]

Like many I started on a 1 gallon air still. Big limitations were quantity/ability to fractionate and production speed.

That made me want to go bigger and faster.

That led me to a 4" keg based plated still and 5500w. I am only interested in brown liquor, so neutral producing stills were easily knocked out of the running. By building it modularly I can run 0-2 plates, I can push alcohol up to high 80s in a single run if I work hard enough at it, or I can run it loose and my final blend comes in around aging strength. Remove plates for pot mode (I don't do this often, if I am unhappy with a blend or something I will run the whole mess a second time in pot mode).

I also like the control I get with plates, much more ability to change the profile of what is coming off the still, less smearing when desired.

No regrets, I can turn 12 gallons of beer to whiskey in ≈4 hours, I can run brandy by clearing the wine before hand. I already had the beer making stuff so I ferment off grain and brew day is easy. The lazy guy in me wishes I could run steam and just process on the grain, but I don't think there is that much labor savings, and I like the product I get, easy to deal with drained grain at the end of the day. If I ever wanted to scale up production I would look into a steam jacket boiler and do big barrel fermenters. For now I make more than I drink.

[zed255]

When I started off I chose a Nixon-Stone LM head and a 3' long 2" column on an electrified keg boiler. I have since switched to 3" sanitary Lego that for reflux I configure as a CCVM, but due to its modular nature it can be virtually anything I please. For smaller batches I also built a stock pot / mixing bowl pot still. For small experiments I have an AirStill. I even have the still lid for my BrewZilla though I rarely use it.

I chose the LM reflux as I was interested in high proof, high 'purity' product at the time. I have since evolved to realize my tastes and desires have expanded which led to me going modular and with multiple boiler size options

[Bradster68]

10 gallon pot,I wanted to make rum and whiskey. I have done neutral 3x through but very time consuming and a pain in the ass really.

[NZChris]

I wanted to make rum, so I built a pot still. I didn't want to spend a lot of time stripping so I added a preheater.

About thirty years later, a friend dragged me to the Scrappy and made me buy the copper he needed to build the Bokakob he thought I should have. I do use it occasionally, mostly for running feints.

My mini still and Carter Head was for playing with flavor, including gin.

Other stills have been bought because I just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

[Salt Must Flow]

Steve Broady I knew I was mostly after neutral so I knew I wanted the most effective reflux column I could build. It didn't take long to decide on a VM design as there are many benefits. I was given a LOT of 3" stainless pipe for free so I went 'all stainless' with Tri-Clamp fittings, a 15.5 gal keg boiler and a larger stainless boiler for stripping runs. Instead of having a one-piece column, I cut it into 4 different lengths and installed Tri-Clamp ferrules to the ends. While having the ferrules TIG welded, this pipe expander guarantees perfect alignment with the pipe. Trying and comparing different packing is very interesting.

I knew I was going to do stripping runs so the parts are interchangeable to configure a pot still. When doing stripping runs, I load the base of the riser with 4 or so rolls of copper mesh. I can set the height of the riser by stacking segments to make collecting conveniently on a table or counter top. I didn't need a Lyne Arm, but it didn't cost much so I pieced together a concentric reducer and an elbow/elbows leading to the product condenser. The Lyne Arm allows for a lot of adjustment (each Tri-Clamp joint can pivot) for height and/or angle. This works as a basic pot still. I later decided to build a couple bubble caps and a Dephlegmator which I rarely ever use, but they are easily implemented because it's all modular like Legos.

Originally I intended to use propane, mainly because I knew very little about electricity & components. Once I became determined, it didn't take long to learn more by doing a few 120V projects, PID controllers (for other hobbies) and ended up building a 240V controller for a 5500W element for boilers. Since then I've repurposed parts from a previous controller to build a Auber DSPR400 controller because it does everything and likely more than I'll ever need.

[Just_Doug]

I have a 13 gallon milk can pot still with a 3" copper riser. Simple and inexpensive, I am not a consumer of neutral spirits so a packed column is not in my future but a 4", 3 to 4 plater is likely on the horizon. It will most likely be a VM. Rum and Whiskey are my go drinks so that is what drove my thought process.

[bcook608]

I started with the vevor.

My current plans are to assemble my new boiler and controller which is 9kw on 240v in a 26 gallon boiler (2 kegs cut and welded together). this will be my stripper and might end up being my main still for the time being. I might do what I have to to make a 5 gallon thumper out of a corney keg, but that's down the road.

I'm also going to be building a 5 gallon VM setup. I don't have the headspace for any larger boiler at the moment, but it will be able to be run on my larger boiler when I get access to the garage reinstated lol

[Bushman]

Started with a 2” diameter column VM. Built a 4” diameter CM for speed and flexibility. Since them have added two small pot stills for gin and essential oils.

[Deplorable]

Armed only with the knowledge of what like to drink and little else, I placed an order for a 8 gallon milk can boiler and a stainless steel "combo head".
While I was waiting for the order to be fulfilled I came here and came to realize that based on what I planned to consume, I should have purchased a bigger boiler. So I changed my order to a 13 gallon pot.
After experiencing some levels of frustration with performance I totally rebuilt the still head from copper, including a copper shotgun condenser with the support and encouragement of Twisted Brick. So now I have a modular 2" copper CCVM that mostly spends its life making whiskey, and an occasional reflux run to turn the discarded feints into neutral for vodka. (Not a gin drinker)

I don't see a need in my future for anything more than what I've got right now. One of my ferments gets me about 1.5 gallons of spirits to age from two stripping runs and one spirit run. 3 ferments usually fills a 5g barrel, and a full boiler of diluted feints gets me over 2 gallons of 95% neutral spirit.
I completely understand why a converted beer keg and a copper still head is such a popular suggestion. It really is all a guy needs to get started, and there is a huge amount of room to grow into the craft with it.

[Dancing4dan]

Beer kegs and 2" copper using ferrules to attach everything. This is all available, affordable and easy to build modular still parts with. You can clamp a riser or column right onto a beer keg without modifying the keg.

It's all modular so what still configuration gets assembled depends on what product is being made. Pot still for whisky and rum. Reflux column for neutral.

24" or 48" packed reflux column as needed. Different risers as needed as well.

Dual purpose still head for reflux columns based upon still_stirrin's still which has LM and VM. Modular using 2" ferrules.

There is a steam set up around here that I have not used for a while. Modular build as well.

I added 2" ferrules to my 20 gallon anvil SS pot side and lid for distilling as well.

Reflux condenser has been a corrugated stainless condenser until recently. However have built a 2" over 1 1/2 water jacket reflux condenser with assistance from stillerboy.

Using 240v 4500w element. Attachment to keg is with tri clamp ferrule on the element and a 2" ferrule silver soldered into the side of the keg boilers.

240v SSR controller. Easy and affordable to build.

Propane setup for decent weather distilling. Works on the BBQ as well. ; )

Currently using Liebig product condensers because they are very easy to build from off the shelf plumbing parts.

I have a tig welder but have preferred using silver solder for building stills because I can tear something apart and reuse all the parts easily.

[Saltbush Bill]

You can clamp a riser or column right onto a beer keg without modifying the keg.

Thats an important point that gets overlooked a lot of the time I think.......you can get set up with a boiler very easily and cheaply in the very beginning of this hobby.
There is no need for hole drilling , soldering flanges or any of the other hoohaaa , just a gas ring, a keg and your up and running.

[cranky]

I got started with one of my wife's kitchen stock pots, a lid from goodwill and a coil of copper on a stove top because I had a failed batch of wine. I quickly tired of that because it took so many runs to get somewhere. I then moved on to a 4 gallon pot, 1.5" riser into a liebig made out of scrap pipe salvaged from a bathroom remodel. When that proved not big enough I moved up to a keg for a boiler. Then I started thinking about neutral and because vodka is a pain in the ass in a pot still I built a boka out of 1.5" copper. I was about to say I like my stills like I like my women...cheap and simple...(don't tell Mrs Cranky I said that ) but things got kind of complicated. The little boka produced amazing neutral but was painfully slow so I started looking at something faster for neutral but I'm also a cheap bastard and I wasn't about to spend the money on big copper but I got inspired by a member called Mash Rookie who had built a column out of dollar store beer mugs. I know a little about glass and actually already had the glass hole saw and enough scrap copper to make a column so I set about making one out of glass mugs with a shotgun dephleg on top made out of copper sheet I had had for years and 1/2" and 3/4" pipe salvaged from that bathroom remodel. I originally made that a packed column but around the time I was finishing it Mrs Cranky surprised me with a 3.5" ID glass tube for a packed column, I then made a 2ish ft long 1.5" shotgun product condenser to go with it. It makes awesome neutral and is very fast but since it produces something like 16 bottles of vodka in a single run I don't need to use it often.

Then I got the idea that a flute would be a good use for the beer mugs so I went about building a flute. The dephleg is made out of some corrugated steel line rather than a shotgun style. It was made to use the same PC as the big glass column because I'm a cheap bastard and why not I used that almost exclusively for a year then decided it wasn't the right tool for the job. A lot of people tend to get upset with me when I say such things about flutes but they aren't the right tool for neutral and they aren't the right tool for brandy. They aren't terrible for then, they just aren't the best thing. It did work well as a stripper to make low wines for neutral and I feel it made a very good rum and will probably break it out the next time I decide to make rum but for the most part I went back to the old pot still for anything else, the final product is just better.

Sometimes you just have to do goofy things for the hell of it so some time during that year of running my flute I got the bright idea to make a double dimroth product condenser out of beer mugs that matches the column but I only ever used it once before pretty much packing the flute away but the whole thing looks really cool when running.

Then some time in the past few years I learned to TIG weld and decided to weld up a new pot still column just for the hell of it and the fact that I happened to have the copper...because I bought it at 80-90% off from a store that went out of business...have I mentioned that I'm a cheap bastard?

Anyway, I welded up a new column and a 1.5", I think 40" long shotgun condenser just for the hell of it. I do a lot of things just for the hell of it and because I happen to have access to something I think might be cool or fun to do. I think a lot of people probably do the same. I was planning on making a steam rig using some 10 gallon coffee dispensers I had but Mrs Cranky gave them away

[prattman92]

I first bought a 10 gallon all copper pot still. I wanted to make my own bourbon and to just learn distilling as a skill.

Loved distilling as a hobby and wanted to try my hand at building something. Now I’m in the middle of a 4 plate Column build. I chose that design because I was gifted 4” copper, that design just made the most sense for the 4”. and I’m making it Modular for convenience and storage.

[EricTheRed]

I started with a rudimentary 20lt pot still. I build a 2" bokakop on the boiler and then happened into a 80lt boiler. I did various stuff to the boka like RLM and VM below the boka. Then I did a DAD CCVM in 3" stainless steel and a 3" CCVM in copper. But always I wanted a flute. In 2018 I build my first flute, only one sight glass. In 2019 I build twins in flutes. And in 2020 I went electric.

My next step will be to see how I will cope in a society where electricity is not available on a demand for payment model. I will prolly go back to gas just for reliability.

Edit: my flutes/platers run on CCVM reflux management

Stage 8 .... here we come

[NZChris]

Was it based on what you could get or build? And if you were going to start over from scratch, would you change anything?

You start with an idea, but ideas evolve as you learn. I was lucky because that evolution started with a pot still and preheater, which are, with a few modifications, still doing a very good job and are still saving me time and energy costs several decades later. If I had to start over, I would build another pot still and preheater based on my current setup, but doing the plumbing to make dumping, recharging and restarting easier, safer, and faster than it is now, (less than 12 minutes for the first drip from the next charge).

Both were built from Scrapyard scavenged material and both included copper in the build and excluded known dubious materials for seals etc.. It took many months to do the research, gather the materials, draw up the designs, then a few hours for the builds.

[Dougmatt]

My still was a gift I didn’t ask for…. As I am an avid wine maker and liquor consumer, SWMBO decided to get it for me as a birthday gift. Luckily for me, it’s pretty close to what I would have wanted. It’s an Amazon still (Speakeasy) that is a pot with slobber box and frankly makes some pretty good stuff. Only mods I’ve done is gasket replacement and filed the slobber box with copper scrubbers…. What I wish it had is a bigger boiler and larger diameters throughout, but that said I could choose to invest my time in upgrades or making product. For now i am choosing the later.

[Setsumi]

I started with a rudimentary 20lt pot still. I build a 2" bokakop on the boiler and then happened into a 80lt boiler. I did various stuff to the boka like RLM and VM below the boka. Then I did a DAD CCVM in 3" stainless steel and a 3" CCVM in copper. But always I wanted a flute. In 2018 I build my first flute, only one sight glass. In 2019 I build twins in flutes. And in 2020 I went electric.

My next step will be to see how I will cope in a society where electricity is not available on a demand for payment model. I will prolly go back to gas just for reliability.

Edit: my flutes/platers run on CCVM reflux management

Stage 8 .... here we come

Ja, and ontop of all the darkness we will pay another 18% for lectric.

Sorry for the unrelated chatter.

[higgins]

I've brewed AG beer for over 25 years (approx 225 batches, 1800 gallons) and have a Blichmann 15 gallon brew pot, 12 gallon cooler mash tun, a 25 gallon cooler mash tun, a 5 gallon cooler lauter tun, and a few dozen cornie kegs and carboys. I always used gas, but wanted to convert to electric for winter time brewing (sometimes gets below zero °F here). Nearly 3 years ago my 40 something son asked me if I ever had thought about distilling, so I thought about it and decided to give it a try. I bought a book on distilling (Home Distilling Handbook by Christopher Yorke). This is a basic no-nonsense book on mashing, stripping, and spirit runs on an 8 gallon alembic. He referred to HD as the best source of info on the web, so I joined.

Whiskey, Rum, Brandy are my preferred drinks, so my choice was a simple pot still. Since I had brewing equipment, I figured I'd build on that. I had a 13 qt SS mixing bowl that was nearly a perfect match to set (inverted) on my brew pot, so that became a dome for the pot (3+ gallon head space keeps puking at bay). I found the pot still and liebig condenser design here on HD and went with a variation on that - a 2" x 12" copper riser and a 24" 3/4 over 1/2 liebig, all connected with tri clamps.

My first 3 or 4 batches were done using a propane burner, but then I added a 240V 5500W element and DSPR120 EZBoil controller. Much easier to control, although I didn't have much problem with propane. Batches started out fairly small, so I would put a couple of bricks in a 5 gallon pot, cover with an SS bowl, and set that into the boiler to displace liquid and ensure that the element would stay covered. I can always go back to propane if electricity becomes problematic, or even wood if I survive the apocalypse.

SWMBO likes Gin and Vodka drinks (as well as whiskey) so I decided to try making neutral. I added some SS TC parts to convert to a 2" CCVM, made a Shady's Sugar Shine, and have made 10 batches of Gin on a little 3 qt pot still I made. I've been pretty happy with the pot still, and have made 19 batches of whiskey and rum so far. Batches have gotten much larger, and I usually do 2 or 3 25 gallon ferments for a batch now. I've got 5 BadMo barrels (1 bought, 4 made) filled with 3 bourbons, a single malt, and an apple brandy and the wood to make several more (including some used bourbon barrel staves to make 'used' BadMo barrels). And I still use the kettle for brewing beer, too.

I picked up 5 kegs recently (4 half barrel, 1 quarter barrel) and was thinking of building a steam generator from the quarter barrel keg and a corn cooker from the most beat up half barrel keg. Then I could steam cook my corn and steam strip mashes with grain. I'm also contemplating building a 4" 3 sieve plate flute using inline sight glasses. If I do build it, this is probably as far as I will go with stillin. At 73 I don't imagine I have a lot of time left.

Knowing what I know now I probably wouldn't change anything, except starting a few decades ago. I know you didn't ask for a book, but it is what it is.

[bluefish_dist]

Started with a simple keg still and a 2” column to make vodka. The head was a 2 cups Boca/vm as it was easy to make. Just under 8ft tall as that was the ceiling height. Ran our prototype vodka and made a batch of cornflake whiskey by only running 12” of packing, turned out well.

Next was my 120 gal 4”. Designed a new stillhead LM/vm that was easy to build from available parts. Sort of a offset Nixon/stone with a vm. Worked fine, but made for long days. The 2” was made taller and a new stillhead with a gate valve instead of ball valve. Also added a bottom drain as lugging a keg full of hot wort to drain is a pain.

120 gal was upped to 6” column for more speed, keg still was upped to 4” and I made a larger version of my lm/vm stillhead for the 6” and moved the 4” over to the keg. I would have upgraded to 8”, but didn’t have enough power in my space to make it worthwhile.

The next upgrade to the keg was to replace it with a 30 gallon box still with 2 6” openings, bottom drain. Put an 8ft, 4” packed column on it. Made for pretty fast runs, but still a little slow, so I upgraded to a 6”.

[Bradster68]

Started with a simple keg still and a 2” column to make vodka. The head was a 2 cups Boca/vm as it was easy to make. Just under 8ft tall as that was the ceiling height. Ran our prototype vodka and made a batch of cornflake whiskey by only running 12” of packing, turned out well.

Next was my 120 gal 4”. Designed a new stillhead LM/vm that was easy to build from available parts. Sort of a offset Nixon/stone with a vm. Worked fine, but made for long days. The 2” was made taller and a new stillhead with a gate valve instead of ball valve. Also added a bottom drain as lugging a keg full of hot wort to drain is a pain.

120 gal was upped to 6” column for more speed, keg still was upped to 4” and I made a larger version of my lm/vm stillhead for the 6” and moved the 4” over to the keg. I would have upgraded to 8”, but didn’t have enough power in my space to make it worthwhile.

The next upgrade to the keg was to replace it with a 30 gallon box still with 2 6” openings, bottom drain. Put an 8ft, 4” packed column on it. Made for pretty fast runs, but still a little slow, so I upgraded to a 6”.

Jeezuz

[Chauncey]

I chose my current modular setup because I essentially have numerous stills depending on how I set it up, w some additional spools and elbows and all.

15.5 pot
15.5 pot w 15.5 thumper(my main stripper)
Same w 5.1gal thumper for spirit runs(also my main jam)
15.5 gal ccvm flute
Same cm flute
Both with packing instead of plates
Or Plates and packing combined
Etc
Etc.

Started w all copper 13 gal w worm, cuz that's what my mentor knew hoto build and taught me as such. He actually used a keg with an 8 inch hole cut in the top and pasted in a tapered copper cap for his own.

I make all the different liquors when I feel like it, mostly whiskey and Brandy tho.

[Smog]

I am happy with my "coolant managed" setup.

15.5 gal Keg
5500w electric heat
60" x 3" scrubber filled column
16" aircooled dephlegmator
48" air cooled condensor.

All stainless with a roll of copper mesh at the top of the column.

I like it because I know how to run it properly.

.

[Dee Envy]

What made me chose the still I have? Because my other half wouldn't let me build one for fear of causing an explosion. LOL
I have all the parts to do so including the keg and six years of reading here just to have the whole thing stopped.
So I went and bought a T500 with a copper reflux column. Fixed her wagon. JK
After she saw what was involved, she is now OK with the whole process.
I have since made a liebig condenser for the boiler, and have some tri-clamp extensions for the column.
The keg WILL be used in the near future after I build my CCVM.
Down the rabbit hole I go.......

[Sporacle]

As with most things it has to do more than one job, my 2inch CCVM can be a 7 or 8 litre an hour stripper.
A litre an hour at 95 neutral reflux still or a pot still.
Runs on a 50 litre keg with 2 by 2kw elements.
Keg uses the original port and has two sockets welded for the elements and no drain, it's simple and never caused any dramas.

[Jstroke]

Keg with 2” riser

My decision was based on a path of learning the art in the right order instead creating confusion and chaos. The advice given was to build a pot still, really learn how to run it, and focus on fermentation and how to make cuts and blends. So I did, and somewhere along the line I fell in love with aged products of many types and the rest is history. I have thought about a VM to keep my feints under control, but realize they make for some very interesting flavor profiles, so I may not bother. I started on gas, went electric. She didn’t cost much with all the left over bits and bobs. Now it’s comfy and she and I are good friends. If I don’t push her real hard she treats me really well.

[DAD300]

You can make anything with a CCVM.

Yes it may start out with a higher purity than you think you want, but save all the fractions in small containers, run it down into the tails as hard as time allows and after airing mix it back so you get the aggregate abv and taste you want.

Literally start collecting at 96%abv, end at 12%abv and mix it back to 70%abv. End product same as a pot still but you can be more selective..

[tombombadil]

I wanted to be able to distill on the grain without scorching.