The Compleat Distiller

THE COMPLEAT DISTILLER 52
Designing and building stills
The Simplest Still
Perhaps the simplest still you can build is the “Wok-in-Pot” device.
This incredibly simple still is actually quite efficient, and may be
assembled or dismantled in seconds. To assemble one, place a
trivet in the bottom of a large pot, and then partially fill the pot
with the liquid to be distilled. Put a smaller container on the trivet
in the center of the pot, then place a wok on top of the pot and fill it
with ice. When the liquid in the large pot vaporizes, it condenses
on the cold wok, runs down to the bottom and drips into the
smaller container. The disadvantage of this design is that you have
to open it to collect the distillate, and you cannot see how it is
working. It can process quite a bit of material in a series of short,
small batches.
Fig. 4-8
The Pot Still
The pot still is also a very simple device, consisting of a boiler, a
condenser, and a connecting tube. Many successful pot stills
have been made from everyday kitchen pots and pans. Pressure
cookers are a common choice because they are sturdy, and can
also provide steam for processing botanicals by steam
distillation.
A common pressure cooker is more than ample for producing
steam for botanicals, but rather small for producing spirits from a
batch of fermented brew. Amateur distillers frequently use
boilers in the range of 4 to 50 liters (1 to 12 US gallons). You
should choose your size by carefully considering how much you
intend to ferment, and how often you plan to run your still. It is
easy and common to build something much larger than you
really need or want.
Fig. 4-9
Once the boiler is built, you need to connect a short tube to the top to carry the vapor to the condenser.
This is usually easy with a pressure cooker, because most of them have a nozzle on top for the pressure
regulator. A short length of polyethylene tubing can connect this nozzle to a similar diameter metal
tube (keeping plastic parts to a minimum). This metal tube is then connected in a similar way to a
simple condenser like a Liebig. If you have a modified water heater, then the tube can be screwed
directly into the outlet fitting. If you have custom-built a boiler, you will have to choose how to fit the
tube to the pot, and many methods are detailed throughout this book.