Home Distiller

Obviously a loaded question, no one would use any other still if they were all around better. But most of the high end commercial products are pot still based, and lots of people swear it leads to more flavor. A pot still is all I've ever used, both based on my budget and what I like to drink commercially.

But is a column still just like running a pot still slower with tighter cuts? Because if that was the case, I'd assume a column still is universally better. Of course, a large scale, commercial, continuous production is very different from what people use small home based column/reflux for, and that is what I am referring to. You are still going to get foreshots, heads, hearts and tails - and I'd assume a more efficient still would just give better separation.

From my (very limited) understanding a column still will produce more and strip out more product. So if you want a higher efficiency and are making vodka or gin then that's the way to go, a pot still can make vodka and gin but not as pure as some would like, as for whiskey, rum etc. you would not want to use a column still because it would take all the lovely stuff out of those products.

I think pot stills can be better in good hands . Personally I was crap at using one ... but then again ... mostly it was due to me being greedy and taking too much tails in my cuts .

I now use a 4 plate still for my Rum .It makes a much nicer drink with a much larger yield .

I use a tall packed column for Vodka . Thats something I could never do in a pot still .

One day if and when I retire and have heaps of time on my hand I would love to revisit the Potty. If others can make it sing , I’d love too also.But for now , I don’t have the time or patience to watch dribbles come out of a potty only to get to keep a small fraction of it .

Regarding commercial setups ,particularly Rum and bourbon , many use continuous stripping columns . These also have the benefit of being able to separate push the tails out with the waste water . They then batch distill the strip in a Pot still to remove the foreshots and a heads cut .
So it is sold as Pot stilled . But its a bit different to how we do it .

It does take time and practice to master anything.
They say generally 10,000 hours to become a master.
Considering how slow the runs are this may be achievable with a pot still.
That being said, there's a lot to be gained from building your own rig and running it many, many times.
No matter what kind of rig.
You get to know it, you learn the sounds it makes and what they mean.
You learn the way it puts out fores, heads, hearts and tails and many things become consistent.
It does take time and practice, but this isn't a hobby that lends itself to instant gratification.

I will argue that a column is better. A pot still only has one variable you can control, heat input. That makes it easier to run and since it doesn’t provide all that much separation passes through a lot of flavor.

A column has more variables, vapor speed, reflux rate, amount of packing or plates, type of packing or plates. This gives the distiller a lot more control of the final product. Is it better, maybe, maybe not, really depends what you like. I like the ability to Taylor a distillation to what I am making. A white, run more plates and bring it off at a higher abv for a cleaner lighter spirit. Barrel aged, take out some plates, smear it at a lower abv for more flavor in the barrel.

Gotta agree with the above....anything I ever made with a pot was shite compared to what I can achieve with my plated column . There are those that disagree and thats fine everybody has different tastes.
Having said that some of the best home made booze I ever tasted was a UJ style sugar head made with a potty run real slow and with real tight cuts, which also goes against the ideals of some.
Pots are great for making Gin , Ouzo and other flavoured drinks were you can distill high quality re fluxed Neutral with botanicals added.
Over the period of time that Ive been involved in this hobby Ive seen plated columns go from a minority to become one of the most popular of stills.
I dont see many folk going from a plated column back to a pot as their favorite still. I do see lots leaving pot stilling behind and moving on. I reckon that alone speaks for its self.

It seems they are not. At least: not always.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ful ... 02/jib.117

Kareltje wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2019 2:44 am It seems they are not. At least: not always.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ful ... 02/jib.117

Of course the plater got better results, they were comparing it to a single run with a pot. Did they get their distilling education off Youtube?

Which is better - A hammer or a wrench? That's the question you're asking. Pot stills and Column stills (and all their derivatives) each have a purpose. They are aimed at making specific spirit types. One still isn't better than the other, it's a different tool for a different job.

Pot stills are meant for a spirit that brings more of the flavor over from the base material - like whiskey, brandy, and some rums. The fractions in a pot still do not separate as much and there is more smearing. This is what creates the stronger flavor.

Column stills are mean to increase the separation of fractions and as a side effect will decrease the flavor of source material. How much will it do it - it depends on many factors but the main one is how many plates there are. The more plates the more neutral/vodka like the spirit will be. The lower the plates the more flavor it will have. It's common to have 1-4 plates for whiskey, brandy, rum. Commercial stills can hit 40 plates to make a true neutral spirit with little flavor at all.

https://homedistiller.org/wiki/index.php/index.ph ... to_make.3F

There's all sort of exceptions as to how you run a still, the number of distillations, height of the lyne arms, cuts, etc etc. The key is understanding what flavor profile you want and utilizing a mixture of the type of still, yeast, fermentation time, and how you can run the still to achieve it.

There's nothing wrong with mixing the output of the two. Blended scotch is a mix of pot stilled Single Malt and column stilled grain whiskeys. Blended Scotch sells more than Single Malt. I wish we talked more about blending on here but most people don't have the time/output to make blending a bigger thing.

From a perspective of palate, most people prefer a lighter flavored spirit. That's why vodka is the number one selling spirit in the US. And most vodka in the US is made with corn on a continuous column still. But make the same corn wash on a pot still and you're get something with much more flavor of the corn.

Hate to say it, but I think it probably comes down to cost. You can make some huge pot stills for a lot less than huge column stills. Each still type has a purpose, but the traditional methods were using pot stills. They are also the most affordable. Putting two and two together, that's my opinion why so many large distilleries use a pot.

I love my potty and while I would enjoy adding some plates I make very good product as is. I do have a ccvm setup so am considering adding some plates instead of the packed column to do a two plate flute for whiskies. Looking for pre made 3” plates to do this if at all.

Cheers!
-jonny

NZChris wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2019 3:27 am

Kareltje wrote: ↑Mon Aug 05, 2019 2:44 am It seems they are not. At least: not always.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ful ... 02/jib.117

Of course the plater got better results, they were comparing it to a single run with a pot. Did they get their distilling education off Youtube?

I do agree about the very strange design of the test. At least a combination of stripping runs and spirit run with the potstill would have been nice.

I think the question is "When are pot stills better?"

Answer: When it's what you have! or When they make what you like.