NOFO DISTILLING Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Hi- I am looking for some advice on a good inexpensive still to learn on. SOmething that is under $3000. I have had a hard time pulling the trigger on those stills on www.copper-alembic.com as I have not seen anything good about them. I also don't want to start on one of those moonshine column stills made from a keg. Does anyone know of any good quality inexpensive copper pot stills for sale? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe Legate Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I have bought 3 stills from Iberian Coppers (www.copper-alembic.com) and have nothing but praise for their product and their customer service. If you want a traditional alembic still, they are a great place to start. Perhaps you want something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delaware_phoenix Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 The basic Portuguese stills, the one's with a swan's neck are fine. Do not pretend that they are a Carl, a Holstein, or Vendome or other serious professional still. Get the kind that have soldered unions. But realistically, the information you need to learn is in mashing, fermenting, aging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 http://tridentwelding.com/ http://www.revenoor.com/OurProducts.html?cid=2&step=2 Ian Smiley has a good reference book too....his site: http://www.home-distilling.com/ Best, Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sherman Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I make them custom for smaller operations. http://www.artisanresources.com/sales/pot.htm These are in your price range. These are traditional ones. For a little extra they can be fitted with man ways, drains and the top permanently attached. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porter Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Of course there's the Colonel in Arkansas. Seen several places with his custom units. coppermoonshinestills.com 85Lashes in St.Louis has 2 of his. And there's a distillery near Branson MO with a 150gal. unit of his. Take a look at his website, some good ideas if you have someone local who can put one together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Fiore Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 There is an old theory that says "you get what you pay for" and I can tell you that if you go to most of the german still builders and tell them you want to spend $3000 they won't even talk to you in german, nevermind english. I also have 3 stills from the same company that you are looking at and have nothing but great things to say about them. The last still that I bought from them is a 350L water seal and it works like a charm. for what I paid for I feel like I got way more then my monies worth. In the next couple weeks we will be recieving a vendome still and the price between the two is substansial however, the vendome people are also great people to deal with from my experience. If you need to learn distillation before you spend any money at all, my advice is for you to talk to Bill Owens and definatly take one of his courses, believe me that would be the best investment you will make in your career as a distiller. Wish you lots of luck in your adventure, cheers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwydion Stone Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I started on a 10-liter alembic still from Iberian Coppers, and it works great as a test still. Now I use a 500-liter, riveted alembic still that I had them custom make, and I love it. I paid under $5000, and the quality is exceptional. I also know a dozen other fellows who use these with good result. We had some communication issues related to the custom design, so make sure everything is clearly understood before you pull the trigger, but I intend to use them again for my whisky still. If you're making flavored spirits—whisky, rum, gin, etc.—you want a real pot-still, whether it's from Portugal, Kentucky or Arkansas. Spending $120,000 for a prettied-up pot still is completely unnecessary. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kristian Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I have a Hoga still and am very happy with it. The quality is good and I am happy with my distillate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mavnkaf Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 I believe Sherman has done work for vendome, he specializes in still construction and automation. or http://tinyurl.com/2aqmlyd Cheers Marc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panama Jack Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 There is an old theory that says "you get what you pay for" and I can tell you that if you go to most of the german still builders and tell them you want to spend $3000 they won't even talk to you in german, nevermind english. I also have 3 stills from the same company that you are looking at and have nothing but great things to say about them. The last still that I bought from them is a 350L water seal and it works like a charm. for what I paid for I feel like I got way more then my monies worth. In the next couple weeks we will be recieving a vendome still and the price between the two is substansial however, the vendome people are also great people to deal with from my experience. If you need to learn distillation before you spend any money at all, my advice is for you to talk to Bill Owens and definatly take one of his courses, believe me that would be the best investment you will make in your career as a distiller. Wish you lots of luck in your adventure, cheers. Is the reason you went to the more expensive Vendome still consistancy and volumn of output? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Action Equipment Corp. Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Hi- I am looking for some advice on a good inexpensive still to learn on. SOmething that is under $3000. I have had a hard time pulling the trigger on those stills on www.copper-alembic.com as I have not seen anything good about them. I also don't want to start on one of those moonshine column stills made from a keg. Does anyone know of any good quality inexpensive copper pot stills for sale? Thanks It's not clear if you are looking for a still large enough for production purposes or one just to learn on. But if its the latter we make stills you may be interested in. See these at www.moonshinestillpro.com . Gary Action Equipment Corporation Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Fiore Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Is the reason you went to the more expensive Vendome still consistancy and volumn of output? To be honest I fell in love with that still the day that I saw them @ the Vendome facility in Louiville the day the ADI had the field trip. What I am planning on doing is using my three Portugese stills just for strip run, since we are mostly distilling grape skins and other byproducts of winemaking. We plan to use the Vendome for finishing the product. Normally my strip run comes about 50% or 100 proof more or less. What I would like to achieve is a heavy 160 proof +. I'll let you know more after the Vendome is in place and under operation. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluestar Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 To be honest I fell in love with that still the day that I saw them @ the Vendome facility in Louiville the day the ADI had the field trip. What I am planning on doing is using my three Portugese stills just for strip run, since we are mostly distilling grape skins and other byproducts of winemaking. We plan to use the Vendome for finishing the product. Normally my strip run comes about 50% or 100 proof more or less. What I would like to achieve is a heavy 160 proof +. I'll let you know more after the Vendome is in place and under operation. Cheers Mike, if you are using the Vendome for grappa production, please get in touch with me about your experience. We are planning distillation from pomace, and are considering Vendome in addition to Carl and Kothe. We will work with local wineries for pomace, if we can work out logistics of transfer, etc. Best for the New Year, Derrick (Blue Star). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Fiore Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Mike, if you are using the Vendome for grappa production, please get in touch with me about your experience. We are planning distillation from pomace, and are considering Vendome in addition to Carl and Kothe. We will work with local wineries for pomace, if we can work out logistics of transfer, etc. Best for the New Year, Derrick (Blue Star). Derrick, You shouldn't have any problem getting pommace in your area. I know a lot of great wineries that make some fantastic wines, one of my favorite happens to be Fen Valley Vineyard and Gran Traverse and many others. Whatever still you are going to use my advise is make sure it has a stainless steel screen twards the bottom, or some kind of mixer so the pomace dosn't stick to the bottom of the still. To make grappa it is very easy, just a matter of mixing the skins with plenty of water. You must make sure that water is free of chlorine, spring water works best. Let the mixture distil, on the strip run I recomend you keep the head and tail all togeather. The alcohol extracted should average between 30 and 40%. There are many untold operations that makes this grappa taste exquisite. When you are ready lets sit and talk about it. Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fall-line Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Great information here, thank you for your comments. Does anyone have direct experience with their (Iberian's) Whisk(e)y stills? I've been itching to pull the trigger on the beautifully (and traditionally) designed 16L Whisk(e)y still here: http://www.copper-alembic.com/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=257 Though it is tempting to purchase the much more affordable Alembic style, I can't help but want to go for the still I really want, which is a one with a design in keeping with scottish tradition. Thoughts? Thank you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViolentBlue Posted April 17, 2011 Share Posted April 17, 2011 we're working on a 30 gallon plated still that would be a good starter unit. we haven't quite got it ready for sale yet, but it should be ready by summer. if you're looking for a potstill, I cant recommend Sherman's stuff enough. his work is nothing short of fantastic, true functional copper art Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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