Distillation is a crucial step in the production of spirits, allowing you to extract and purify the alcohol formed in a fermented wash. The type of still you use can significantly impact the flavour, purity, and alcohol content of your final product. This guide will cover the essentials of stills and distillation to help you choose the right equipment and understand the process.
What is Distillation?
Distillation is the process of separating and collecting a component of a liquid mixture based on the differences in the boiling points of the components in the mixture. In the case of a fermented wash containing alcohol, ethanol is the alcohol component distillers want to separate.
- Contents Heated: The fermented wash is heated in the boiler until the alcohol begins to vaporise.
- Alcohol Vapourises: Alcohol, with a lower boiling point than water, vaporises first.
- Cooled Alcohol Condenses: The vapour is cooled in a condenser, converting it back into liquid form.
- Collect Alcohol: The distilled alcohol is collected and can be further processed.
For more on creating a wash, refer to our wash and fermentation article.
What is a Distillation System?
A distilling system or still is a device used to separate liquid mixtures that have two different boiling points. In this case, alcohol (ethanol) and water are separated by heating them to a point where the alcohol vapourises and separates from the water (fermented wash). The vapour is then cooled to be collected as distillate. Stills come in various designs, but they all have the same basic components: a heat source, a container (boiler) for the liquid (wash), and a condenser to cool the vapour (alcohol) back into liquid form.
Main Components of a Still
- Heat Source: Provides the necessary heat to boil the liquid mixture (fermented wash).
- Boiler: The container that holds the liquid (fermented wash) to be distilled.
- Condenser: Collects and cools the alcohol vapour, returning it to liquid form.
Key Considerations When Choosing Your Still
When selecting a still, several factors need to be considered to ensure it meets your distillation needs.
The first is the type of Spirits. Decide whether you want to produce neutral spirits for flavouring or more flavoursome spirits, as this will influence your choice of still.
Pot Still: Ideal for producing spirits like whiskey, rum, and brandy from characterful ingredients. Pot stills allow for greater control over the distillation process, enabling the distiller to make cuts and separate different fractions of the distillate.
Reflux Still: Designed for producing high-purity, neutral spirits such as vodka. Reflux stills incorporate additional columns and packing materials to increase the purity of the final product. This produces a spirit that is a blank canvas for flavouring or for use in a pot still to incorporate botanicals for spirits like gin.
For more detailed information, refer to our article Reflux and Pot Stills: A Guide for Home Distillers.
Space & Volume: Ensure you have adequate space to set up and operate your still safely. Consider how easily the still can be moved and stored if you have limited space or can't leave it set up. Determine how much spirit you want to produce in each distillation run. These factors will help you decide if a smaller bench top or a larger still is right for you.
Water Consumption: Some stills require continuous and varying water supply amounts for cooling which can affect your choice based on water availability.
Air-Cooled Systems: These systems do not require water for cooling and can be more convenient in areas with limited water supply.
Hands-On Time: Some stills require more monitoring and adjustment during distillation. Pot Stills and some reflux stills are more labour-intensive during the distillation. Some smaller benchtop stills require less monitoring and adjustment, making them great for learning or testing small batches of spirits.
See our range of table top Distillation Systems here.
General Distilling Process
A fermented wash is needed to start the distilling process. In its simplest form, it consists of water, yeast and a sugar source. As the yeast consumes the sugar, they produce alcohol (ethanol). Once the yeast has finished fermenting, the wash is cleared and ready for distillation.
The cleared fermented wash is added to the boiler with conditioner and boil chips. Once the still is set up, the boiler is turned on, and the condenser system is tested.
For all stills after the still reaches the appropriate temperature, the condenser system is started and the alcohol vapour is separated from the wash. This vapor is then condensed to a liquid and collected as it drips out of the still. The first portion of distillate, known as foreshots, should always be discarded as it contains harmful alcohols that should not be consumed.
For reflux distillation systems, the system is run continuously until the appropriate shut off time for the equipment.
For Pot distillation systems, further separations (cuts) are made of the spirit that is coming out of the still:
- Foreshots: The initial distillate which contains undesirable compounds.
- Heads: The next fraction after foreshots, containing some unwanted compounds but also some useful ones.
- Hearts: The middle portion contains the purest ethanol and best flavours.
- Tails: The final portion contains heavier compounds that can affect the flavour.
Making cuts allows the distiller to separate these different fractions to control the flavour and quality of the final product. Many Pot stills and washes have variability in temperature and separation of the cuts. For a detailed explanation on making cuts, refer to our article Spirited Separation: How Distillers Make Cuts.
Double distilling: You may want to improve the quality of your distillate after the first distilling run (this is generally referred to as a stripping run). For reflux distillers, they will dilute the distillate from their stripping run to a far lower ABV and put it back in the boiler for a second distillation. This will further improve the quality of their neutral spirit. For pot still distillers, they will want to do what is referred to as a spirit run. This is where they will also dilute their spirit and put it back in the boiler but will take cuts from the distillate that is produced. These cuts are then blended together to create their final spirit or further processed by ageing.
Choosing the right still and understanding the distillation process are key to producing high-quality spirits at home. You can select the equipment that best suits your needs by considering factors such as space, water consumption, budget, and the type of spirit you wish to produce. Remember, the distillation process is both an art and a science, so fine-tuning your techniques will help you craft the right spirits for your taste.
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