Running a Still Spirits Air Still

[Hannible100]

Hi Sue do you wear the same top for a whole week lol ,, just kidding good product i,m going to get one. I guess if i just upped the ingredients i can do about 50 ltrs i have a 60 ltr bucket. Good vid thanks Hanny.

[jf4ree]

Ummm the fermenter I'm your video

[2dstill]

@jf4ree you should contact the store you bought it from if there's a problem with your fermenter.

[jf4ree]

Also can you make a video on using bark chips in my spirits

[2dstill]

Using oak chips is easy to do, you just add them to your finished spirit following the instructions on the packet. It is not necessary to make a video for this.

[jf4ree]

The smell is in my house still because the fermentor lid don't seal answer my question asap please

[2dstill]

@jf4ree Hi there, im not sure what type of fermenter you are using, but if it does not seal you are best to contact the store you bought this from.

[SuperNathan90]

do u have to mix water in it or can u just have o.p spirit.

[demvaril]

So if I make 25 litre wash, lose a litre at the bottom, gives 6 x 4 litre runs in the air still. Wait till you got 800ml distilled I have been advised which makes 1.2 litres a run - total of 7.2 litres = costing about £1.50 a litre. Which is £15 cheaper than the supermarket per litre!!

Am gonna get one!!

[Hannible100]

@demvaril Hi dude did you get one of those air stills i,m gonna get one too just wonderd if ya did was it ok? Thanks dude

[demvaril]

@Hannible100 Not yet mate, but a friend of mine has one and says its really good, he made jaegermeister last week and said it was exactly the same as the shop bought stuff. I'm waiting till i finished a couple of batches of wine :)

[Hannible100]

@demvaril Thanks for the reply dude. I,m going to order one from a site in Liverpool UK you get the still and enough stuff to do your first brew its 150 uk pounds i drink about 4 bottles of vodka a week so wont take long to pay off. I,ll let you know what its like if you want Hann

[prolific187]

all that for 1 litre lol

[rhythm2007mc]

I have an air still and have done everything right for the wash. Except for the temperature being lower than it should be. We have faulty heating system and the wash has been fermenting for 8 days. The start temp was 22 degrees. and most of the week on 20. But has dropped to 16 since yesterday. It still bubbles but I tried an alcohol reading and got 0. The carbons sinking and it has bitter smell. Do I just wait longer or has it not fermented. I used turbo yeast and is my 1st time with spirit

[MrsCiastuszko]

she is so f...ing clumsy

[lyricaNZ]

once you have put the flavour in, will the spirit go clear or stay cloudy? will it improve if left to age?

[recidex]

do you get as good quality alcohol with this air still then you would with the reflux stills cheers and the carbon filters for filtering the alcohol, do you need change them every use or can you reuse them .

[Jarvo325]

I brew beer atm and thinking of trying spirits but just thinking with all the products you have to use and only making 750ml does it work out much cheaper than buying a bottle at the bottleshop?

[andrewslatter]

hi why do u only take 4 litres of wash. is that because the air still only holds that much or is there something wrong with the rest of the wash

[watchmanuk]

@andrewslatter : It only hold 4 at a time , and then once you've done your batch ; discard the remainder in the Still , and start with another 4 litres of wash.

[MrMrtiki]

Thats just Diesesol right and where can I get one of these distillers + I should be able to just keep racking the brew instead of carbon filtering can`t I .

[kenfo0]

can someone clearly explain the TOTAL cost to produce the legal limit of homemade booze with this gadget? Say, per 100 gallons.

[purplemutantas]

@kenfo0 In the USA the legal limit for home distilled alcohol is ZERO. Distillation of alcohol is illegal in the US (and everywhere else except New Zealand) without the proper permits. But don't take my word for it, look it up. The website for the Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau has all the info.

But if you want to distill anyway. Check out the home distiller site. TONS of info on how to do it right. Also, you would be better off making a still than buying one of these.

[kenfo0]

@purplemutantas I am quite sure that's wrong. If it is illegal to distill at home, then any device allowing you to do so would also be illegal, and yet they are not. There is some amt you can legally make FOR YOUR OWN USE, not for sale. I'll check. Seems to me it's something crazy like 10 gallons per month per adult. Drinking that much would kill you quick, I'd think.

[purplemutantas]

@kenfo0 Stills can be used for things other than alcohol. Extracting essential oils for example. 

[kenfo0]

@purplemutantas ok, I checked the site you provided and YOU ARE CORRECT, I WAS WRONG. I checked state laws as well, and they do not mention the ability to produce "spiritous liquor" either, meaning it is prohibited at state level as well. That is crazy. I can make a bunch of wine up to 16% alc content, or a bunch of beer, but not booze. While I've known we are not free in our "free country", this is clearly absurd, and apparently a money-making scam. I have a test I'm going to try.

[kenfo0]

@purplemutantas let me add I am pretty sure this is illegal at the Federal, but not State level. Nowhere does Congress have the right to make laws that do not relate to interstate commerce or "general welfare"; home distilling fits neither. I find this subject fascinating/disturbing. I am pretty sure (I am going to test this week) that the State doesn't follow it's own law on liquor purchase, let alone the law doesn't make sense. It says it's illegal to buy more than 8liters at a time. (cont)

[kenfo0]

@ken(cont). That means I can buy 8 liters, put it in the trunk of my car and buy 8 more liters until the end of time. Our state law says "at one time". One second after I make a purchase, it's a different time. It is unenforceable, because how do you define "at a time" other than checkout? It is (even State Constitution) un-enforce-ably vague. Further, I find it hard to believe that if I try to buy 9 liters at once, the ABC employee (the State) is going to stop me, breaking their own law.

[purplemutantas]

@kenfo0 I think it would depend on the state. There are probably states that prohibit the distillation of alcohol. But, since it's federally illegal, they might not bother.

Also, where did you get the %16 max alcohol content on home brew wine? Is that just a state law?

[kenfo0]

@purplemutantas 16 was a state figure.

[purplemutantas]

@kenfo0 Liquor laws are all about taxes. Thats how it's been since the founding of this country. Look for the history channel documentary "Rum runners, bootleggers, and moonshiners" for a look into the history of illegal liquor in the US.

Safety might be a secondary concern. Home distilling can be a very dangerous hobby. If you have a leak in your still the jet of alcohol vapor can catch on fire. On the home distiller forum there are stories of people getting nasty burns from still accidents

[kenfo0]

@purplemutantas the "danger" thing is nonsense for this reason: I have a 400 gallon propane tank in my yard, probably 75ft from a neighbor's house.  If that thing blows, every house in 500ft will have no windows, and several people will be dead/hurt. I have at LEAST 10gallons of gas in my garage, people are burned by gas all the time. etc, etc. I thought that angle through. I think it is taxes + protecting rich guys' money streams. I'm going to have a chat with some lawmakers.

[purplemutantas]

@kenfo0 I don't think the danger is nonsense. If a jet of hot alcohol vapor from a still ignites, you can seriously burn your self or burn your house down. On the home distiller forum there are a number of stories of accidents involving a still. Of course distilling can be done safely at home with a properly built still and the proper safety protocol.

Of course as I said, the main reason distilling is illegal is because of taxes. But the dangers involved in distilling shouldn't be downplayed.

[kenfo0]

@purplemutantas when I say "nonsense", and in the context of my email, I did not say "no one can get hurt" or "nothing could go wrong". If you've ever seen a propane tank explode, you'd understand my argument.  Same goes for gas in the garage or smoking in bed, and yet none of these products is illegal/requires taxation/permitting.

If I choose to burn my house down because I am an idiot, how is that ANYONE'S business, in a "free" country. One could have simple codes to deal w/safety.

[purplemutantas]

@kenfo0 Right. There are plenty of dangerous things that are perfectly legal. So if we allow other dangerous things, then banning distilling on the basis of it being dangerous would be hypocritical. Many many more people are killed by cars than would ever be killed by home distilling accidents.

[Pewpew667]

Very Helpful vid, Thanks.

I was wondering if there is any way to use more of the left over wash because I seem to be discarding alot of it. I am trying to get more because the cost involved in doing this is about $20 to $25 per litre wich is not anywhere near the $8 a litre that I was initially told.

[Gazzz87]

way too much work. its like $40 for 700 mls of spirits and dan murphys... if you think this is better, you're an alco!

[alishabab3]

@Gazzz87 True but the point is you can make your own..

[Idiotsmakemesad]

LoL Almost smell?? Even if it was perfectly pure ( and we both know it isn't) the alcohol alone at that concentration produces an extremely obvious odor.

[Wheelz77]

That video shows a litre of ready to use spirit being taken after 300ml water added.

I read a magazine advert for this Air Still claiming to produce 2 litres of spirit per load.

Seems to be a conflict in advertising.

I made 3 x 25 litre washes which yielded 20 litres of 40% spirit through a standard Reflux Still. A little mo hassle but better result.

[merdwerkz]

that whiskey has to taste like garbage.

[kitch2481]

I contacted my local stillspirits shop and I was told that "you cannot top up the still but have to throw the rest of the wash away and start again. If you choose to just add more wash this will dilute the next batch and so on and so on to the point you will end up with no alcohol coming out of the still."

Just finished a 21L wash. Out of that I made 2 types of whiskey, a bourbon, rum and southern comfort.

[kitch2481]

I have a question relating to back to back distilling.

Once I've drawn off the first 700ml, do I have to throw away the wash that's left in the still or can I top up to 4L and carry on. The reason being that I want to get as much as I can from the initial 21L wash I produce.

When I did my first batch, I was using 4L wash for every 1L of alcohol. But then I thought that if I just topped up the still after each run, I could get a lot more from the wash.

[TiaTheBengal]

@kitch2481

Good question... i would like to know this answer too.

[stoiulicu]

whisky? where is malted barley there, where is corn or rye? This is a poor product beacuse you were not discarded the foreshots. Carbon filter does not catch the methanol, acetone or ethyl acetate beacuse they have small molecular size, carbon is for fusel. You are lucky beacause of the sugar wash, if you try to ferment some fruits you will get a lot of methanol there.

Where are the nutrients for healthy yeast?

plastic is not suitable for storing the alcohol

I not agree with those additives

[alanaldapierce]

@stoiulicu The foreshots do not need to be discarded in this case. Also, proper graded plastic is more than adequate for storing alcohol.

[223jezza]

just wondering if u can filter the wash before stilling?

[willbrems]

very well made video! I found it to be very helpfull! Thanks!

[ideaswoman]

For men whisky? Women drink it as well!

You never said when to use the alcoholometer.

I suggest when you are filtering in the final stage, do it outside. The fumes are over-powering.

[subskdetty]

SPIRITS? Where I'm from we call this MOONSHINE (and it's illegal :( ). I love New Zealand.

[lilgodzillr]

If you want a good whisky then DO NOT use essence! Even the best essences are no where near as good as using real oak chunks from a whisky barrel.

[TheNoelDavid]

Fabulous but the facts don't seem to agree with John Stone's Making Gin & Vodka?

[redfin777]

From 7litres of wash you end up with only 4litres to destil?.....can you use the other 3 litres?..

[vr83]

Can help with some advice on my first batch results, I used a 25 Litre fermenter, filled with 21 litres spring water, adding the sugars brings the total volume to around 24 litres. After a week of fermenting with triple distilled yeast and adding the clearing agents, I was left with almost perfectly clear 21 litres wash final 3 litres is basically only yeast and carbon which is discarded). After running 4 litres worth of the wash with the air still, result 1000ml distillate around 48% purity

[satcheee]

Yup your only suposed to take 700mls at 60% or 800 at 55% anymore will bring the A/V down and also wont be as pure of spirit ;) so i take 800mls

[lafarms]

Good clear instructions. My only complaint is that the camera man wobbles around like he has already been drinking.

[Xenderdrax]

Awesome video Sue.........Im gonna get me one of these airstills........ Looks DAMN EASY!!!

[vr83]

What about the methanol that comes out at first boil? Should the first 100ml or so be discarded?

[2dstill]

If you are using Still Spirits Triple Distilled Yeast then no heads need to be removed, all other yeasts you will have to remove maybe 50mls of heads

[vr83]

Thank you for that information, just purchased my own today, can't wait to try it out :)

[lilgodzillr]

@2dstill

That's dodgy, I would remove around 20ml of heads when using that still. There will be small amounts of methanol produced which need to be removed.

[LoLoCoSt224]

@2dstill What about if you use the triple distilled yeast and during fermentation the temperature creeps up above the recommended range? Will more methanol be produced then and would you need to remove heads?

[Hithlim]

Very well done video. A real good effort and easy to follow. Thank you.

[tommydee1978]

Nice video thanks but your out of synch.

[sniffmedog]

Not sure how to use red base a, b, c for red liqueurs when using a distiller anymore videos?