Home Distiller

Hey there gents and lady folk of HD, long time lurker, first time poster.
For quite some time I've been making compound gins using commercially available neutral spirits and I'm looking to cut some of the overhead cost by distilling my own. In my perusals I've come across a lot of controversy about just how possible this is, and I'm looking for some advice.
As this is my first attempt at distillation, I'm starting with a pot still in order to dip my toes into the water; can you suggest some good basic recipes/methods for such an endeavor? My still is comprised of a 16qt stock pot with an 18" column and a 15' 3/8"OD worm. I'll post pics as soon as my camera stops fritzing out on me.
Thanks in advance!

In the recipe section you will find various sugar based recipes, using things like tomato paste as nutrients, which are good as a base. If you do a search for bicarbonate of soda, you might find some stuff about that for helping make a more neutral spirit on a pot still (spirit run only!). I have not used that method myself, so can't really elaborate.
I believe that gin used to use (back in the 18th and early 19th Cs, in the UK at least) unaged whisky as its base, so there's that.
What I would do, personally, is use a recipe I've made a pretty neutral spirit from, which is Dextrose and cooked and chopped wheat berries, fermented at around 8% or 9%, and double distilled. I'm afraid I can't remember the exact details of the recipe, but I can't see how you'd go too far wrong.
OR buy the cheapest vodka you can find, re-distil that making cuts, and use that as your base.

No controversy at all, I would have said. It is possible. Full stop.

Read up about cuts in the new distillers's section, how to redistill and you will get there. No real problem at all.

Yeah, I agree completely. It isn't controversial, it is absolutely possible. Using a thumper is probably your best best, which if making gin is your end goal is a two-fer. Simply put your juniper and botanicals into the thumper and you can use it as both a doubler and a gin box.

Depending on how good your overall setup is, I would say a triple distillation with your thumper would result in a very clean and smooth gin for sure. Bicarb and perhaps filtering could even take it further.

But, reflux stills exist for a reason. I think before not too long you should start looking into a bokabob, I think it may ultimately be a better still for your needs.

Alright, thanks for the input! I'm eventually planning on moving into the world of reflux, but as this is my first time doing this it seemed the a pot still would be the better starting option.

To get started with, I wouldn't recommend neutral. Start off making something easy to ferment and easy to distill..... I personally think rum or brandy is your best bet there. Rum ferments easily and often needs fewer nutrients, it's a pretty good starter. Fruit wines can be made easily from concentrates at your grocery store, and again are pretty easy and a good starter.

While you're doing that, you can read up on reflux stills, see which ones you like, and start gathering the parts necessary and assemble it..... in the meantime you'll have the pot to work on making cuts and getting the hang of things.

In the end you'll be happy to have both stills anyway, as I think very rarely does anyone here ever stick to making just one thing......