Adelaide Stills

[Theeye]

Hi - Yep I'm a newby who has been doin some research on gettin a still. I understand this question may have been forwarded many times to the forum, however I've listed a few things about ourselves below and any LOCAL info on whats best for those specific needs would be appreciated.

Some details about us
- Me and missus drink about 1 - 2 litres of bourbon each week and occasional we go mexican with some tequila shots favoured when our favourite footy team wins (No - its definately not the crows or power :naughty: ).
- We live about 80km from Adelaide, thus Adelaide pick up preferred
- We are not that mechanically minded, so we not really welders etc and would like to purchase an entire kit thats ready to assemble easily and thats got some basic instructions.
- We have limited rainwater supply which tastes great to us - however it is not a filtered supply and it is in very limited supply especially from December to April ... thus we would prefer some form of set up that includes a recirculating/reusing supply over various batches (if possible).
- Hoping to find a recommendation for a full still set up for our bourbon supply needs that is very easy to use, easy to clean etc whether by a major manufacturer (we've read the sales pitches for the turbo 500 and pure distilling home spirit maker ... is one of them the the best option for us beginners) or is there a reliable 'Aussie Distillers Forum' home made Adelaide supplier that is reccomended?

Any and all help truly appreciated :text-thankyoublue: Pete

[blond.chap]

Hey mate,

There's probably not anything that fills all your requirements in one package, as a starting point for you:

- Talk to MacStill or WineGlass about building your still head and boiler. For bourbon a pot still will be fine, coudn't tell you what to use for tequila.
- Buy a "Commercial Electric" 500W pump from Bunnings, a few hose lengths and fittings, and a a water tank (300-500L) or 44 gallon drum so you can reticulate
- Rainwater is fine

Other bits of advise:
- Don't buy a still from a home brew shop (500 or pure distilling), they cost way too much
- Best to steer clear of turbo yeast, and essences. Most agree that making neutral and flavouring to be like bourbon or tequila just doesn't taste right
- Do a bit of reading around before you get started, all the information you need is available here. It will keep you safe, save you money and help you make the best product possible.

Also, welcome aboard, great to get more SA people.

[SBB]

Welcome to the Forum, Blonde has pretty well said what I was going to. His advise is good.

[BackyardBrewer]

Welcome, good to see another south Aussie!

[Kimbo]

Hey mate,

There's probably not anything that fills all your requirements in one package, as a starting point for you:

- Talk to MacStill or WineGlass about building your still head and boiler. For bourbon a pot still will be fine, coudn't tell you what to use for tequila.
- Buy a "Commercial Electric" 500W pump from Bunnings, a few hose lengths and fittings, and a a water tank (300-500L) or 44 gallon drum so you can reticulate
- Rainwater is fine

Other bits of advise:
- Don't buy a still from a home brew shop (500 or pure distilling), they cost way too much
- Best to steer clear of turbo yeast, and essences. Most agree that making neutral and flavouring to be like bourbon or tequila just doesn't taste right
- Do a bit of reading around before you get started, all the information you need is available here. It will keep you safe, save you money and help you make the best product possible.

Also, welcome aboard, great to get more SA people.

:text-+1: To all that ;-)

[bt1]

Welcome bloke,

Definitely talk to Macstill or WineGlass for the still solution.

Just given our weather in summer a good condenser is a must. The guys can help you out with this.

Reckon about 400lt with a pond pump would do for all but a Plate still on full noise. You can use variety of cooling systems to recirculate to reduce water return temps.

A double run pot still made bourbon is not a bad drop.

If the budget is not a limiter might consider a plate still even.

A plate still would go closest to being able to do both drinks types mentioned...although a mezcal or tequila if done from scratch is a fair bit of work believe me.

If your 80km and want to stay under the radar you'll need to do a spot of thinking for supplies. Buying 4kg - 16kg sugar a week does raise a few looks. If you need a hand with suppliers let me know should be would be able to assist here.

Good luck and enjoy the learning curve, get stuck just ask

bt1

[Sam.]

Welcome mate, looks like we are having another influx of SA members :handgestures-thumbupleft: \\ :text-+1: as to all the advice so far.

[vqstatesman]

Fellow newbie from SA here too... I'm green and fresh and have no experience but have you considered an "air still" ? They don't require any water for cooling and use fans only.

I'm sure someone here will give you much better advice though :)

[MacStill]

Welcome Theeye, just sing out if there's anything I can help you with.

Enjoy your time here :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[emptyglass]

I wouldn't recomend an air still for 1 to 2 litres of product a week.
A 50 litre boiler with a 2" diameter pot still would be a good start point for bourbon. I've never made tequila, but I believe a pot still is all you need.

To get 1-2 litres a week, you are going to want to make 3 -4 litres, so half of it can age, or you'll be drinking white dog (un-aged hooch) forever. I don't mind a bit of white dog here and there, but its nice to have some aside, getting flavored with oak.
For your Tequila, you could ferment some agave, if you have a source.

The biggie is time. Strip and spirit runs can take a while, so be prepared to sit by a still for a few hours at a time.
As for water consumption, if you use a tank/drum and pump, you will cut down a lot of consumption but an efficient condenser can help here.

With a 60 litre fermenter and a simple recipie like UJSM (or UJSSM or uncle jessie's), you can push out enough to cover your needs.
A bubbler, or plated column is faster and makes a better product from the same given wash, but they are a lot more expensive than a pot still.

[Jesiah]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm a good 600km out of Adelaide and have to buy everything online. All in all I get better quality and can research what I buy before hand. I bought a still from Macstill about 6 months ago, so glad I got one of his instead of the store bought pieces of junk.

For Tequila, it is made from the fermentation and distillation of the blue agave cactus, they look like large pineapples and to buy one big enough in SA would set you back $50-$100. I have tried to ferment Agave syrup (sugar replacement) but it just made something similar to bicardi. And was rather pricey. Not to mention good tequila is 12+ years aged in oak. But if you are up for it best of luck!

-Jeremy