Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Hey all

From many many years of all-grain brewing and lots of time and $$ invested over that time, I have decided take the turn to distilling. I am hoping I can cross over some of my equipment into this venture.

As far as a still set up, I am thinking of a 50L keg converted to a boiler, but I cannot decide if electric or gas is my path, and been looking at the 2" Pelican build. I don't plan on needing any neutral spirit, unless the wife wants me to make some liqueurs like Lemoncello and such. So this has me solely down a pot still build.

The spirits I am targeting is Rum, Bourbon, Tennessee whiskey, Rye whiskey, Whisky and maybe even Brandy. I would love to have a crack at tequilla, but feel I don't have enough room to grow a vast amount of Blue Agave

JB

Welcome here mate, I'm sure your brewing knowledge and equipment will serve you well in this hobby.

Electric may be slightly more expensive to set up but it has more advantages:

- Quieter
- Better control and repeatability (with a power controller)
- By far safer, open flames near high ABV output needs to be watched like a hawk.

If you have a big gas burner you can get up to temp quicker but if you have good 15 amp dedicated power circuits you can get going pretty quick with 2 x 3600W elements ;-)

Sam. wrote:Welcome here mate, I'm sure your brewing knowledge and equipment will serve you well in this hobby.

Electric may be slightly more expensive to set up but it has more advantages:

- Quieter
- Better control and repeatability (with a power controller)
- By far safer, open flames near high ABV output needs to be watched like a hawk.

If you have a big gas burner you can get up to temp quicker but if you have good 15 amp dedicated power circuits you can get going pretty quick with 2 x 3600W elements ;-)

Yeah was already aware of the dangers, like smoking a ciggie at a petrol bowser. As far as sparks fly at my house, I only have a single 15amp in the shed. The RIMS ran off 4 x 2400w (1 in the RIMS, 1 in the HLT and 2 in the kettle, ran seperately over their own dedicated 10amp outlets). So I thought about 2 x 2400w over 2 different 10amp points.
I do have a HP regulated burner that is used for my crab cooker, similar to a duck billed wok burner

2 x 2400w will get you up to temp pretty quick in a 50L keg :handgestures-thumbupleft:

:text-+1: Yep. About 37 minutes to boil.

Welcome JB.

Your AG experience will come in very handy for whiskies.

+1 on the above advice. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers,
Prof. Green.

Sam. wrote:Welcome here mate, I'm sure your brewing knowledge and equipment will serve you well in this hobby.

Electric may be slightly more expensive to set up but it has more advantages:

- Quieter
- Better control and repeatability (with a power controller)
- By far safer, open flames near high ABV output needs to be watched like a hawk.

If you have a big gas burner you can get up to temp quicker but if you have good 15 amp dedicated power circuits you can get going pretty quick with 2 x 3600W elements ;-)

I had a surge of high alcohol out my parrot on an early run of my bubbler, and it would have gotten HUGELY exciting if I had a gas burner. It was just real exciting as it was.