Hello :)

[jackmankelow]

I have just got this pot still from ebay to get me started. its 10l and all stainless steel. I have just done my first TPW and it has a funny metalic taste to it? can anyone tell me why? thanks :smile: my phone is not uploading the picture so this will have to do :p

[Zak Griffin]

Did you do a cleaning run first?

There also might not be any copper in the vapour stream, which will lead to shit taste...

[jackmankelow]

yes I did a cleaning run, would you mind pointing out what the vapor system is..... im rather new to this hahaha

[SBB]

Jack all stills need to have at least some copper somewhere in the path of the alcohol vapors the still is producing. To put it simply, copper reacts with with sulphides in the Alcohol and reduces bad tastes.
The second problem I see is that TPW was never designed to be put through pot stills, It was developed to make a neutral spirit using reflux stills of different types.
To have any hope of making something drinkable using the current set up you will have to double or preferably triple distill.
reading up on cuts and learning about the different fractions produced in a run will also help, as will cutting pretty ruthlessly once you have learned about them.
To put it bluntly the learning curve has just begun.
In short your still would be more suited to Rum or UJSM washes, even then it should have some copper somewhere in the system.

[jackmankelow]

Thanks SSB, I am hoping to get some rum going weekend after next, but maybe i will wait for the copper! can it be as simple as sticking a bit of copper in the path of the vapors? or will i need to replace a section of the pipe?

[SBB]

Anything you can do will be better than nothing, Some people even put small off cuts of copper in the boiler as boil chips, For that matter I use them myself.
Do they help? ,I dunno for sure, but they don't do any harm that's for sure.

[jackmankelow]

I will distil again with copper and see how it goes. Thanks for the info :)

[kelbygreen]

your trying to do a neutral out of a pot still.

So you will need to do at least 3 runs to get anything half decent, I think as its been said to a flavored drink like a rum or whiskey

[Brendan]

I know you're going to make Rum after...but if you do want a neutral from a pot still, you're going to need a Weet Bix/All Bran Wheat Flakes wash that is distilled at least 3 times.

As mentioned already, a TPW is more for a reflux still that can achieve a high ABV output :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[kiwikeg]

Kiaora,
I have seen those stills before they pop up on trademe from time to time.
Things to keep in mind about your still as you do a bit of research on this forum.
1. its a potstill so any brew will need to be run through once as a stripping run and then diluted back to 40% abv and run a second time - called a spirit run.
2.on the final spirit run you will be wanting to run your still as slowly as possible and collect the spirit in a series of small jars called cuts jars as the taste of the spirit being collected will Change through the run an by collecting in small jars you can separate the good from the bad.