Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Hi Everyone,

Been wanting to buy a still for a while and now am getting serious with lots of research.
I am wanting to do rums and whiskey mainly but eventually would want to end up with a 4 plate bubbler possibly with a gin basket option
I have been looking at the beginner kits and like the option of the Pure Distilling Spirit Maker over the T500
So my questions are
* Can the PD option be run as a pot still by turning off the reflux
* Can you add bubbler plates later to the PD option, I see you can add a triclover sight glass
* Do I really need the bucket filter that comes with the starter kit

* Should I just save a bit more and go straight to a 4 plate bubbler

Thanks in Advance
Andrew

ButchersStill wrote:Hi Everyone,

Been wanting to buy a still for a while and now am getting serious with lots of research.
I am wanting to do rums and whiskey mainly but eventually would want to end up with a 4 plate bubbler possibly with a gin basket option
I have been looking at the beginner kits and like the option of the Pure Distilling Spirit Maker over the T500
So my questions are
* Can the PD option be run as a pot still by turning off the reflux
* Can you add bubbler plates later to the PD option, I see you can add a triclover sight glass
* Do I really need the bucket filter that comes with the starter kit

* Should I just save a bit more and go straight to a 4 plate bubbler

Thanks in Advance
Andrew

Hi andrew welcome to the forum.

Short answer is no to all your questions.

The still you referring to is a boka still. It needs the condenser to knock down the vapour to a liquid for collection, without it the vapour will just escape the top vent.

The still will only be good for making neutral spirit. If u are wanting to use essense this is ok.

If u dont want to pay for a bubbler straight away speak to andrew @ 5 star about the 4" pot still which can grow in to a bubbler.

Forget the filter, do your cuts properly using good recipes and yeast and you will be fine.

Forget the turbo yeast.

Welcome Andrew.
As above with the puredistiller jobbie.
However I did use my old 2" boka style as a pot still. Still need to run the cooling water with no column packing and collect everything that comes out though. A power controller made all the difference.
Having said that i had an oversized condensor and knew everything in my column could take the heat.
If you're keen on a 2" look at the 5* site as they sell a Boka for about the same price as the PD (without all the gimmicky kit stuff) in all stainless and Im sure you could probably run that pretty hard as well without worrying about melting something. Not a fan of pure stainless personally so might want to chuck a copper scrubber in there though.
The guys at 5* could probably assist.
Upgrading from 2" to 4" is like a revelation once you start running one though.
If you really want to take it seriously you can go the 4" pot and upgrade later as suggested before.

Hello Andrew
I went the 4 inch pot and 12 months later upgraded to the 4 inch bubbler and for me it was the perfect way to get into the hobby. Running the 4 inch pot taught me heaps about distilling as I had never done it before, now I am relearning with my bubbler but have a good knowledge base. To be honest I am not sure what would have happened if I went straight to the bubbler as there are extra variables when trying to get the flow rate right. Maybe I am slow lol
I also can’t recommend giving Andrew a call, there will be no pressure from him just straight forward honest advice.

Welcome to the forum and knowing what you want to produce is a great first step, ringing Five star will be another great step.

ButchersStill wrote:1. Can the PD option be run as a pot still by turning off the reflux
2. Can you add bubbler plates later to the PD option, I see you can add a triclover sight glass
3. Do I really need the bucket filter that comes with the starter kit

4. Should I just save a bit more and go straight to a 4 plate bubbler

1. Essentially, no. I've got one of those PD Reflux stills, does a good neutral but it's a one-trick pony.
2. No again. They can't really be modified easily and I wouldn't bother trying.
3. No. I used it once when using their "clearing" products. Not necessary with sugar washes (search this site).

4. It really does depend! Bubblers are comparatively expensive, a little more complex and take up more room. They're far more versatile though and you can create anything from a quality neutral to a rum or whiskey. The PD Reflux is more compact and easy to use, but you'll only be making neutral spirit.

Another thing to consider is that with a bubbler, you'll be doing larger volume runs. It needs a 50+ litre boiler, whereas the PD Reflux can be paired to a 20-25L boiler. This is either a positive or negative, depending on your situation.


In my view (having gone through multiple still setups) I'd recommend starting with a 5 Star modular pot still on a 25L boiler.