How to Build A Home Distiller

Building your own distiller is not very difficult. With a little patience you can be on your way to making your own distilled spirits in no time.

I built my first whisky still out of a 5 Gallon Stainless Steel Stock Pot, some 1" and 1/2" copper tubing, binder clips and vice grips. Yes I know that sounds like a back woods, poor mans way of building a small whisky still but I didn't have a lot of money to spend and it was the most affordable way for to built it at the time.

To make a long story short I cut and fit everything together. I used a single electric burner that I could plug into the wall and all of this I set up on my carport. I made my whisky mash, which took about 9 days to ferment and when came time to distill the mash I was excited. So, I read all of the information I could about temperatures regarding boiling alcohol and water. Once I learned the proper temperature to boil my mash I was off to distill my moonshine.

Well, although I thought I had built the perfect homemade whisky still I had not taken in account how long it would take to run my still. I had 5 gallons of mash and it took me over 13 hours to run that small amount through my make shift moonshine still. It was frustrating because I had already waited almost two weeks to be able to distill and 13 hours was a lot more time than I was willing to invest in distilling alcohol. I do have a life outside of making whisky so I didn't want to waste time.

I decided to mark this experience down as a failure and move on to a better way of making whisky. I began researching whisky stills that were made by professional builders. I found a still maker online named hillbilly stills. I had him make me a 13 gallon stainless steel milk jug still. It took him a few weeks to build it, but once I received the finished product I was more than amazed. Here is a picture of my 13 gallon pot still. ---->

If you are going to become a home distiller than I highly recommend purchasing an already built, professional quality moonshine still. Don't waste your time and money on building your own unless you are a skilled tradesman specializing in metal fabrication. Invest in a whisky still that will work constantly for you and will bring you moonshine enjoyment for years to come. Listed below are a few items I recommend for becoming a moonshine maker. These items will be life savers. Cheers!

• Professionally Built 8 Gallon Moonshine Still 
• An Awesome Ferment Bucket
• The Single Burner I Use For My Boiler 

And if you are a total newbie in distilling alcohol, I suggest reading the best moonshine making guide on the planet, written by Brian Davis. Brian is a world renowned distiller of spirits and he teaches you with step by step instructions through his book "How To Make Whisky: A Step By Step Guide To Making Whisky". I learned everything I know about ingredients, nutrition, and fermentation through Brian's book. Even if you "think" you know what you're doing you need this book because I assure you there is some things in this book that you do not know. Cheers and good luck on your moonshine making at home.

Remember, distilling alcohol is not legal in most areas of the US without having the proper permits. Be sure to check out your local laws regarding distillation before you begin.