What’s the Best Copper Still Design to Make Whiskey ?

Although you can distill whiskey out of any type of copper still, some designs of whiskey stills for sale are superior for making the best whiskey. When you purchase a copper still knowing that you’re going to specifically use it to make whiskey, you may not need to be as concerned about the size of the whiskey still, but you may want to pay a great deal of attention to the design.

The Onion-head Pot Still

The pot still is probably the most basic design of copper stills for sale, used around the world for ages to distill water, alcohol, essential oils, and more. The pot still is comprised of a boiler pot, an onion-head shaped short column, and a condenser coil. Materials are distilled by putting a mash in the boiler pot, heating it, and collecting the condensed steam that collects from the condenser coil.

In general, the rule is that the less distance between the mash and the condenser coil, the more that heavier chemical compounds will make their way into the coil and the final product. These heavier compounds can be different types of alcohol or other micro-compositions that affect the final flavor and strength of your moonshine, wine, whiskey, or other spirit.

If you want a full-bodied, flavorful whiskey, a pot-shaped whiskey still for sale will help you achieve it.

The Conical Column Still

There are some pot stills that use a cone-shaped column to transition from the pot to the condenser coil, rather than an onion-shaped piece. These stills will generally be taller, even when the pot size is comparable, because of the column’s dimensions.

The conical column allows for a refining distillation process called “reflux,” meaning that steam collects at the top of the cone, condenses, and drips back into the pot to be boiled again. This additional evaporation process helps purify the final distillate better than a still without a conical cone, so fine whiskeys may not need additional distillations before reaching the desired purity. The taller the cone, the more reflux can occur.

If you want a lighter flavor to your whiskey, you want whiskey stills for sale with tall conical columns.

The Cylindrical Column Still

A cylinder-shaped column still is an ancient design in which a tall, round column is attached to the top of the still’s pot, separating the pot from the onion head and condenser coil.

While cylindrical column stills are often used to distill water, essential oils, and other spirits beside moonshine or whiskey (such as gin), they can be used if you want a highly refined whiskey, or if you want to infuse a moonshine with the essence of a certain botanical. You may consider a column still if you want to distill vodka or other alcohols, as the greater temperature variation in a cylindrical column still can help with the flavors of these spirits.

However, for a fuller, more robustly flavored whiskey, a column still may filter out too many of the chemical traces that provide the variety that whiskey lovers love.

No matter what type of whiskey flavor you enjoy, enjoy your homemade whiskey responsibly.