Home Distiller

I want to introduce myself, and get advice on my first build. The plan is to use a cocktail shaker as the still-head, stuffed with marbles and spices for flavor with a hot plate. Comments welcome!

Yer on PG 2 without any comments so...

Me first thought is that the shaker is upside down, then I thought, well, it would serve as a little bit of an expansion chamber... build it and see what u get...

My almost done pot still, after mush rethought I've ditched the cocktail shaker. Pics of progress included, and a question. Can I use the backset from the cleaning run for sour-mash whiskey ?

I'm bettin' that 5 gallons of cooling water is going to get real hot real fast. Have some ice blocks handy (frozen milk jugs are good). I do like the PVC plumbing though.

After even more re-thought and the fact that the pvc water jacket leaked badly, plus it was pointed out that 5 gallons as coolant was not enough, I re-configured to this. Pics taken during vinegar run and I'm puzzled as to why the stream pulses, last 2 pics.

What are you using for your low wine cleaning run? I personally wouldn't use the backset from your cleaning run as my first run after the cleaning I only keep the hearts from the first run and use it as a neutral or vodka for making infused drinks. Greed tends to be one of our biggest enemies and for most it takes time and collecting enough hooch to realize we are really after quality. So my recommendation is to get in the right mind set now and start your backset after your first keeper run.

I would suggest the surging is from your heat source cycling on and off.

bellybuster wrote:I would suggest the surging is from your heat source cycling on and off.

Agreed, that hot plate is probably not designed for this. You're going to want to find something with a constant heat supply.