Does anyone distil their own spirits, vodka etc at home?
Discussion
I don’t entirely know why, but I have an urge to try making my own flavoured alcoholic spirt drink.
I’ve enjoyed a few different spirits over these last few months such as various flavoured vodka drinks, ‘Toffee Nut Moonshine’, and that sort of thing.
I would like try running my own ‘Still’ and see if I can actually get anything that is even vaguely drinkable out it, without going blind from drinking methanol or whatever the byproducts are...
There seems to be a good few UK websites out there that will supply the required alcohol distilling equipment for a few hundred pounds.
Anyone had a go at this?
I’ve enjoyed a few different spirits over these last few months such as various flavoured vodka drinks, ‘Toffee Nut Moonshine’, and that sort of thing.
I would like try running my own ‘Still’ and see if I can actually get anything that is even vaguely drinkable out it, without going blind from drinking methanol or whatever the byproducts are...
There seems to be a good few UK websites out there that will supply the required alcohol distilling equipment for a few hundred pounds.
Anyone had a go at this?
In the UK? 
I know someone who did this locally using cast off pharmaceutical equipment and built a reflux still. Stainless steel pressure vessel heated by a gas ring/stainless distillation column/copper microbore cooling coil. 4x demijohns of fermented water/sugar/beer yeast produced one litre of at least 80 proof alcohol. Didn't go blind but was cautious with the tails and temperatures etc. Only made a couple of bottles as a proof of process.
I know someone who did this locally using cast off pharmaceutical equipment and built a reflux still. Stainless steel pressure vessel heated by a gas ring/stainless distillation column/copper microbore cooling coil. 4x demijohns of fermented water/sugar/beer yeast produced one litre of at least 80 proof alcohol. Didn't go blind but was cautious with the tails and temperatures etc. Only made a couple of bottles as a proof of process.
Edited by Marlin45 on Tuesday 19th February 10:55
Buy this or visit your local Polski Sklep who will likely sell it as well.
https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/15105/spirytus...
Look up some recipes.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?ei=q-BrXMaZNdGP1fA...
Enjoy without going blind, dying or being arrested for running an illegal still.
https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/15105/spirytus...
Look up some recipes.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?ei=q-BrXMaZNdGP1fA...
Enjoy without going blind, dying or being arrested for running an illegal still.
I recently did a morning gin making course. Quite interesting and informative. All seemed like a good idea for a home hobby using
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CopperGarden-still-Arabia...
However, our starter was 1/2 litre of vodka which was distilled to whatever ABV with our chosen botanicals then reduced back to a drinkable level with water.
So basically turned 1/2 litre of vodka into half litre of gin.
Novel idea but easier to buy nice gin.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CopperGarden-still-Arabia...
However, our starter was 1/2 litre of vodka which was distilled to whatever ABV with our chosen botanicals then reduced back to a drinkable level with water.
So basically turned 1/2 litre of vodka into half litre of gin.
Novel idea but easier to buy nice gin.
jurbie said:
Buy this or visit your local Polski Sklep who will likely sell it as well.
https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/15105/spirytus...
Look up some recipes.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?ei=q-BrXMaZNdGP1fA...
Enjoy without going blind, dying or being arrested for running an illegal still.
Lady Marylebone is Polish so I have ‘encountered’ Spiritus before...https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/15105/spirytus...
Look up some recipes.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?ei=q-BrXMaZNdGP1fA...
Enjoy without going blind, dying or being arrested for running an illegal still.
The fun is in trying to make it though, it just buying it and then putting cherries in it for flavouring or whatever.
Going blind, dying, or getting arrested is all part of the fun of trying to make your own spirits at home!
21TonyK said:
I recently did a morning gin making course. Quite interesting and informative. All seemed like a good idea for a home hobby using
https://www.amazon.co.uk/CopperGarden-still-Arabia...
However, our starter was 1/2 litre of vodka which was distilled to whatever ABV with our chosen botanicals then reduced back to a drinkable level with water.
So basically turned 1/2 litre of vodka into half litre of gin.
Novel idea but easier to buy nice gin.
It’s always easier to just buy it.https://www.amazon.co.uk/CopperGarden-still-Arabia...
However, our starter was 1/2 litre of vodka which was distilled to whatever ABV with our chosen botanicals then reduced back to a drinkable level with water.
So basically turned 1/2 litre of vodka into half litre of gin.
Novel idea but easier to buy nice gin.
But making something resembling vodka/moonshine in my own garage at home sounds much more amusing and satisfying.
Looking to buy a rotary evaporator myself to extract from botanicals - then add grain spirit and water to get the % down.
Simply come up with a twee play on words as a name, add a funky label containing the word artisan. Step 3: profit?
Water boils at a lower temperature in a vacuum - I obviously wasn’t listening in chemistry at school!
Simply come up with a twee play on words as a name, add a funky label containing the word artisan. Step 3: profit?
Water boils at a lower temperature in a vacuum - I obviously wasn’t listening in chemistry at school!
Apparently you can buy a device that will produce distilled water. If you pass a wash through this then who knows what it may do to it 
A wash is essentially a sugar solution fermented with a high alcohol tolerant yeast commonly known as turbo yeast, it's legal to make this at home and can be quite strong (~20% ABV) even without being passed through any sort of distillation device.
A wash is essentially a sugar solution fermented with a high alcohol tolerant yeast commonly known as turbo yeast, it's legal to make this at home and can be quite strong (~20% ABV) even without being passed through any sort of distillation device.
C0ffin D0dger said:
Apparently you can buy a device that will produce distilled water. If you pass a wash through this then who knows what it may do to it
A wash is essentially a sugar solution fermented with a high alcohol tolerant yeast commonly known as turbo yeast, it's legal to make this at home and can be quite strong (~20% ABV) even without being passed through any sort of distillation device.
Interesting.A wash is essentially a sugar solution fermented with a high alcohol tolerant yeast commonly known as turbo yeast, it's legal to make this at home and can be quite strong (~20% ABV) even without being passed through any sort of distillation device.
I was reading about this process on a couple of websites.
The legality of making a few litres of my own flavoured spirit for my own amusement doesn’t worry me in the slightest.
It’s stupid that you can legally make your own beer, wine or cider, but not a spirit.
If it’s stupid, I shall ignore it...
wish.com seem to have some interesting looking still equipment. I can't vouch for the quality though, but I'v been tempted to give it a go..
My concern would be how to make sure you don't end up drinking the methanol produced in the process.
I believe it's fairly simple though. Methanol boils off at 62C, ethanol at 74C, so you need to catch the first part of the distillate and dispose of it, by measuring and pouring away the first 1-2% of the total liquid volume. So if you start with 20 litres of mash, then you through away 200-400ml of liquid.
My concern would be how to make sure you don't end up drinking the methanol produced in the process.
I believe it's fairly simple though. Methanol boils off at 62C, ethanol at 74C, so you need to catch the first part of the distillate and dispose of it, by measuring and pouring away the first 1-2% of the total liquid volume. So if you start with 20 litres of mash, then you through away 200-400ml of liquid.
I've flavoured vodka before and barrelled port.
Both involved buying cheap booze and turning into better or at least better flavoured booze.
Distilling is not something I'd like to try as it requires a lot of care and attention... and I'm lazy.
Both involved buying cheap booze and turning into better or at least better flavoured booze.
Distilling is not something I'd like to try as it requires a lot of care and attention... and I'm lazy.
eldar said:
To be 100% fair, it's not that dangerous. A lot of bootleg alcohol in places like Indonesia is cut with methylated spirits. A few years ago an Australian tourist in Bali died from drinking cut spirits. That isn't much of a risk when you're doing quality control yourself, however it's quite easy to end up with litres of poor quality product as happened a bit in my home brewing days. prand said:
wish.com seem to have some interesting looking still equipment. I can't vouch for the quality though, but I'v been tempted to give it a go..
My concern would be how to make sure you don't end up drinking the methanol produced in the process.
I believe it's fairly simple though. Methanol boils off at 62C, ethanol at 74C, so you need to catch the first part of the distillate and dispose of it, by measuring and pouring away the first 1-2% of the total liquid volume. So if you start with 20 litres of mash, then you through away 200-400ml of liquid.
Good points there.My concern would be how to make sure you don't end up drinking the methanol produced in the process.
I believe it's fairly simple though. Methanol boils off at 62C, ethanol at 74C, so you need to catch the first part of the distillate and dispose of it, by measuring and pouring away the first 1-2% of the total liquid volume. So if you start with 20 litres of mash, then you through away 200-400ml of liquid.
As for the bit in bold, I believe from watching a couple of episodes of Discovery Channel’s ‘Moonshiners’ a year ago, this process of discarding the methanol, and also the last dregs of the process, is known as ‘throwing away the heads and tails’.
Basically like you say, throwing away the first couple of litres or so that come out of a Still, but I suppose it depends how big your Still is as to how much you throw away?
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