There are lots of things to think about once you’ve decided to make a moonshine still. The type of still and the materials you use are the first things to think about. This article gives you some tips and things to think about to ensure you make a great still that gives the results you want.
The popular Prohibition-era image of a still – made out of spare parts and a copper barrel and hidden in a clearing in an Appalachian forest – is a pot still. In a pot still, after the mash is fermented, it’s boiled, and the vapors condense and collect in the pot. The alcohol is flavorful, but it’s only about 40-60% pure. You can put the distillate back into the put and boil it again, and that will increase the purity of the alcohol to 75-80%. But that process, boiling it and distilling it twice, will reduce the flavor.
To get a distillate that has a higher purity without multiple boiling, try a reflux still. In a reflux still, the distillate is collected in a packing material and trickled back down for another distillation before being collected. This creates a very pure, very neutral end product, suitable for mixing.
A reflux column still is an amped-up reflux still. The column, called a “fractionating column,” in this type of still is very tall and packed with a material high in surface area. A long column can capture almost all of the liquid vapors and distill them to a high level of purity. A 4-foot column, well packed, can produce a tasteless, 95% pure alcohol – almost the theoretical limit without using a vacuum.
The reflux column still is absolutely the best model for a moonshine still, because it produces such high levels of purity and clarity. Free still plans for this type of still are available online from this website, stilltutorial.com.
Here are some ideas, tips and things to think about when building your moonshine still:
The popular Prohibition-era image of a still – made out of spare parts and a copper barrel and hidden in a clearing in an Appalachian forest – is a pot still. In a pot still, after the mash is fermented, it’s boiled, and the vapors condense and collect in the pot. The alcohol is flavorful, but it’s only about 40-60% pure. You can put the distillate back into the put and boil it again, and that will increase the purity of the alcohol to 75-80%. But that process, boiling it and distilling it twice, will reduce the flavor.
To get a distillate that has a higher purity without multiple boiling, try a reflux still. In a reflux still, the distillate is collected in a packing material and trickled back down for another distillation before being collected. This creates a very pure, very neutral end product, suitable for mixing.
A reflux column still is an amped-up reflux still. The column, called a “fractionating column,” in this type of still is very tall and packed with a material high in surface area. A long column can capture almost all of the liquid vapors and distill them to a high level of purity. A 4-foot column, well packed, can produce a tasteless, 95% pure alcohol – almost the theoretical limit without using a vacuum.
The reflux column still is absolutely the best model for a moonshine still, because it produces such high levels of purity and clarity. Free still plans for this type of still are available online from this website, stilltutorial.com.
Here are some ideas, tips and things to think about when building your moonshine still:
- Use only copper or stainless steel for your still parts: copper is easier to work with, as it only requires simple soldering. It is more expensive and harder to find used.
- Never use plastic – not even for your collection vessel. Use stainless or glass.
- Recycle a beer keg into a collection vessel.
- Think about insulation. Copper requires more insulation than stainless steel.
- Make sure all of your materials are lead-free. Pay special attention to soldering wire; it often contains lead.
- Increase the length of the column to increase the purity of the end product.
- Pack your column with material very high in surface area. A pot scrubber works well, but be sure it is pure stainless steel or copper. Pure copper column packing is available for purchase online. Other high surface area packing materials include glass marbles and hollow ceramic cylinders known as “raschig rings.”
- Make sure yourmoonshine still is large enough! Think about capacity for each part as the liquid will move through all parts of the still. Good moonshine still plans, like on this website, will help you get the right capacity in all your components.
- Be attentive for leaks! Test with plain water before you run your first batch, and solder any leaks shut.
- Don’t get intimidated! It is even possible to make a still on the stovetop using a pressure cooker. The better quality the still, though, the better quality the moonshine. Check out the moonshine still plans at stilltutorial.com. Building a reflux column may be easier than you think!