Top 7 Distilling Safety Tips

Distilling can be very dangerous. Although it produces terrific results - essential oils, distilled water, moonshine, and other spirits - distilling involves several steps during which someone could get hurt. If you are thinking about distilling at home, you should consider the top ways to keep yourself safe.

1) Know the Law

If you are shopping through fine copper moonshine stills for sale, considering one to use to decorate your home, or to distill water or essential oils, there is no need for you to get a permit or register your moonshine still.

If you are considering purchasing a moonshine or whiskey still to produce your own fuel or to distill your own alcohol at home, read the federal laws and permits you will need to become a registered distiller. 

2) Temperature Control

Two essential factors affect the temperature control of your moonshine run: heat source and material of your moonshine still. Always use a heat supply you can easily control, and always choose a copper moonshine still with a lead-free solder. To assist you with temperature control, you can also get a handheld temperature scanner. 

It is important to monitor the temperature of the condenser as well as the onion head of the copper moonshine still - if the condenser overheats, flammable vapor can catch fire without you seeing it. Keep the condenser cool with frozen water bottles, ice packs, or a stream of cold water. If the condenser ever becomes warm to the touch, stop distilling immediately. 

3) Ventilation

Always distill moonshine outdoors. That’s the nicest way we can say it. If you’re distilling essential oils or water, you might consider distilling indoors, but you will want to make sure the room is well ventilated. However, distilling alcohol produces flammable gases, and ventilation is absolutely necessary. That’s why we recommend distilling alcohol outdoors, every time.

4) Fire Safety

Distilling uses a lot of heat, and things can go from “hot” to “on fire” very quickly, as many a moonshiner can tell you. And fires caused by alcohol vapor are not put out by water. Keep a fire extinguisher handy as well as other heat-protective gear like gloves and eye protection.

5) Don’t Drink and Distill

We know you enjoy a nice glass of whiskey or moonshine, but wait until after the fire is put out and all the hard work of collecting the best moonshine you can make yourself is completed, okay?

 

6)  Collect Your Moonshine in Glass or Copper, Small-Mouthed, Away from Heat

Tried and true, glass and copper can handle moonshine and won’t melt if something goes wrong. Don’t run your copper moonshine stills plans condenser into a plastic container, ever. 

If your collection jar has a small mouth, less alcohol vapor will escape. And the farther away you keep the collection cup from the heat, the better. In case something spills, or in case alcohol vapor escapes, decrease the chance of having a fire. 

7) Throw Out the Fore shots

Anything collected from your copper moonshine still before the onion bulb reaches 174 degrees Fahrenheit is dangerous to drink. Methanol is poisonous as well as one of the first alcohols to vaporize and condense in your collection cup during every moonshine run. The first 5% or so of your run is called the “fore shots” - it’s always garbage, and you should always throw it out.

Now that you know more about how to safely distill alcohol at home, consider whether you want to purchase one of the best copper moonshine stills for sale for decoration in your home, or a more practical use. If done safely, making moonshine at home can have benefits that will last you a lifetime.

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Choosing Whiskey Stills With Their Different Sizes

What size do whiskey stills come in?  

Alcohol yield is a tricky thing, influenced by many factors. To distill alcohol or moonshine, you begin by making a mash out of a grain, sugar or yeast (or both), and water. There’s no standard size containers for making mash - moonshiners use all types of equipment - but most distillers prefer to standardize their measurements somewhat.

Most recipes for whiskey mash measure the ingredients in gallons, and once the alcohol wash has been extracted from the mash, it will probably be measured in gallons too. The best one-piece copper whiskey stills are available in standard 1 gallon, 2.5 gallon, 5 gallon, and 10 gallon sizes. There are, of course, larger whiskey stills for sale, but something that big is really only necessary for commercial distillers. 

Influences on alcohol yield

Alcohol by volume

The biggest factors that influence the alcohol yield after distillation come from the wash’s starting alcohol by volume. The alcohol by volume of the wash is determined by the ingredients and process you use for your mash. Using distiller’s yeast instead of regular bread yeast often produces an alcohol wash with a higher alcohol by volume; so does having the right proportion of ferment able sugar in the mash. Generally, more sugar is better, but too much is just waste.

Choosing a copper whiskey still

Copper is the best material for a moonshine or whiskey still, and will help you produce the best alcohol yield. Because alcohol boils at a lower temperature than water, temperature control is key to distilling the best moonshine and whiskey. Copper is known to heat evenly and has been used in kitchenware and stills for centuries. Distillers like copper for the precise control it gives them over their distilling temperature.

    

End of a run

Most moonshiners also don’t get every last drop out of a run. It’s common to get about 85 - 90% out of every run - meaning that getting the last 10 - 15% or so of alcohol out of your whiskey still is difficult, and often not worth it. That “bottom of the barrel” stuff isn't the best from the run. So, you can expect that each run will have some wash left at the end.

Final Answer: how much alcohol will I get out of my whiskey still?

Considering variations, a standard run will yield about:

3 - 6 cups of alcohol from a 1 gallon copper still
.5 - 1 gallon of alcohol from a 2.5 gallon copper still
1 - 2 gallons of alcohol from a 5 gallon copper still
2 - 5 gallons of alcohol from a 10 gallon copper still

Whether you’re looking at producing small quantities or large, making alcohol at home is about convenience and availability. Purchasing multiple sizes of a copper whiskey still design that you like makes it easy to always have access to the size still you need, when you need it.
 

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How much whiskey will my whiskey still make ?

Whiskey stills for sale come in different sizes, and depending on what you want to make, you need different sizes for different products. Is a 1 gallon copper still too small? How many runs** will you need to do in a 2.5 gallon copper still to make as much alcohol as you need? When choosing a whiskey still, think about how much alcohol you want to yield, so you can purchase the size that’s right for you.

**Each distillation of alcohol wash in a full whiskey or moonshine still is called a “run.”

First, we want to remind you that US law requires all home alcohol distillers obtain a Federal Fuel Permit - and this is for alcohol that will be used for fuel, not for drinking. For personal consumption or to sell whiskey that you distill yourself, check out the requirements for a Federal Spirit Distiller’s permit.

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Still For Sale with Whiskey & Moonshine

While moonshine is often distilled and served in its classic recipe - flavorless and sharp - private distillers and companies are now creating a variety of moonshine flavors based on seasonal harvests and exotic blends. Owning your own moonshine stills allows you put your personal twist on classic moonshine recipes, and enjoy a customized drink with friends and family. Some of the most popular recipes for moonshine in the US include apple pie moonshine and peach moonshine. In other countries, some distillers make moonshines as wild as “weed-infused scorpion moonshine” in Bolivia, and as harsh as “Changaa” in the Congo, which translates to “kill me quick.”

Moonshine for Cooking

There are as many recipes for dishes that use moonshine or whiskey as the day is long. Cooking with whiskey has been popular for ages, and dishes range from whiskey-infused vanilla frosting for desserts, to bourbon glazes for chicken or seafood. From whiskey burgers to chili using moonshine and bacon, people love to cook with distilled spirits. But, finding the right whiskey, bourbon, or moonshine, and keeping enough of it around, can be difficult and expensive.

Once you have obtained your Distiller’s Permit, you can use your own whiskey or moonshine for baking and cooking, without any additional permissions. Consider how distilling your own spirits lets you control the flavors of the foods you cook. The right still for sale today can be the right tool that helps you cook a priceless dinner tomorrow.

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Uses For Legal Moonshine

Moonshine as Fuel

Home distillers have been making ethanol alcohol at home for decades, to be used as fuel in cars and other vehicles. With the correct permit - the Federal Fuel Alcohol Permit - from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, home distillers can produce up to 10,000 gallons of fuel ethanol per year. Generally, distillers who produce alcohol for fuel are most interested in 10 gallon copper still for sale (or larger) that provide a quality batch of alcohol free of impurities; they want a still made from the highest-quality copper, so it lasts a long time.
 

Moonshine for Drinking

In the US, if you are interested in distilling alcohol at home to use for human consumption, you need to obtain a Distilled Spirits Permit from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Once you have this permit, you can produce moonshine, whiskey, and other distilled spirits tailored to recipes you would like to try. 

While moonshine is often distilled and served in its classic recipe - flavorless and sharp - private distillers and companies are now creating a variety of moonshine flavors based on seasonal harvests and exotic blends. Owning your own moonshine stills allows you put your personal twist on classic moonshine recipes, and enjoy a customized drink with friends and family. Some of the most popular recipes for moonshine in the US include apple pie moonshine and peach moonshine. In other countries, some distillers make moonshines as wild as “weed-infused scorpion moonshine” in Bolivia, and as harsh as “Changaa” in the Congo, which translates to “kill me quick.”

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Whiskey Still : For Sale of Moonshine & Much More

Federal laws about distilling alcohol at home confuse people about whether they should even own a moonshine still. American laws allow people to own whiskey and moonshine stills, and if you decide not to distill alcohol there are many uses for your copper still.

For sale on the market already are a variety of moonshines - ranging from the traditional recipes to some bizarre modern inventions. You can enjoy their recipes, if you like mass produced moonshine, or you can consider owning your own moonshine stills to put to good use.
 

Uses for Moonshine

As “moonshine” is a grain-based alcohol distilled and served without aging, it has had many uses through the centuries. Whether distilled spirits are used personally for fuel, drinking, or cooking, home distillers have a long tradition of making the most of their still.  Still For sale and distribution of moonshine, distillers typically move their operations out of their home kitchen.

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Copper Moonshine Stills

Peach Infused Moonshine Recipe

For every gallon of moonshine, you will need:
60 ounces of peaches canned in heavy syrup
4 cups of dried peaches, in about ½ inch pieces

After collecting the spirits from your moonshine still into glass containers, add the canned peaches with the syrup and dried peach pieces to a gallon of moonshine. Cover the glass containers and let them stand at room temperature in a dark location for at least 1 day. Leaving the peaches in the moonshine for up to 1 week will create a stronger peach flavor. Strain the solids from the moonshine, and discard them. Your peach moonshine is ready to enjoy.

If you can find them:The “sweet but tart” blood-red Indian Peach is reportedly the best type of peach for flavoring a peach moonshine recipe. If you can find this rare fruit, use between 8 and 10 to flavor each gallon produced by your copper moonshine stills. If you use Indian Peaches, you don’t need to strain the moonshine before serving, and the moonshine will gain peach flavor every month it sits on the shelf.

Our peach moonshine recipe has been adapted from several classic and modern moonshine recipes.

Distilling alcohol such as bourbon, moonshine, or whiskey - even for personal consumption - without a proper license is illegal in some US states. Be knowledgeable about local laws and comply with them. Enjoy your copper moonshine stills for many years, and enjoy it responsibly.

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Copper Moonshine Stills For Sale

We have searched high and low through the southern US - traditional moonshine territory - to bring you our top peach moonshine recipe. Using one of the best, sweetest fruits that the southern United States is known for, provides this moonshine recipe a unique essence to its kicking sweet flavor. So get your still started, and enjoy!
 

Peach Moonshine Recipe:

We have taken a few of the best peach moonshine recipes out there, and tweaked them to our own personal tastes. To make a peach infused moonshine, you will want to brew and distill your spirits according to a recipe that works best for one-piece copper moonshine stills, and will produce a quality moonshine with a sweet flavor.

Tips for Making Moonshine:
 
Corn meal might not filter well, and it may burn the bottom of your copper still
As you distill your moonshine, the first product in a batch will have the highest alcohol proof Let the yeast ferment correctly by using a hydrometer to measure the mash’s alcohol content.

Peach Moonshine Mash Recipe

5 gallons of malt (barley, rye, or a combination of grains)
1 package of bread yeast
10 pounds sugar
5 gallons warm water

In your moonshine still’s fermentation chamber, add 1-2 gallons of malt grains, half the sugar, and half the water. Use water warm enough to dissolve the sugar, but not hot enough to kill the yeast. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Add yeast and remaining portions of malt, sugar, and water. Continue mixing until sugar is dissolved.

You will want to cover the fermentation chamber of your still, while allowing the moonshine mash to breathe during fermentation. Depending on whether you let the mash clear naturally of yeast or if you use a product like Turbo Clear, it should take between 4 and 14 days to ferment. Watch the mash’s bubbles to tell when the mash is ready to “run.”

Distill the spirit from the mash using your copper moonshine stills, and you will end up with a fine high-quality moonshine between 90 and 140 proof. To make this drink additionally special, you only need to a few more things for your peach moonshine recipe.

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Best Recipes for Copper Moonshine Stills

After you have found out about the local alcohol distilling laws in your area, you can shop around for the moonshine stills that will make the batch size you’re looking for. Choosing a still takes time, so shop until you find the one that is right for you. 

Once you have purchased your copper still, the only thing on your mind is making moonshine. Get together all the bits and pieces you need, and then you can make your final preparations: purchasing the ingredients for the moonshine recipe. 

It does not take much to make moonshine. Most classic moonshine recipes require only a few ingredients - although, there is a great deal of debate about whether to use sugar, yeast, or both, making moonshine really only requires a fermenter (sugar or yeast), a grain (such as oats, cornmeal, or wheat), water, heat, and time. And, of course, one of the best moonshine stills for sale. But if you’re looking to customize the taste or potency of your moonshine, there are many recipes that allow you to concoct your own flavorful, highly potent alcoholic drinks.

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Copper Still For Sale

 A Copper Still For Safety

Copper is also one of the top preferred materials for food and beverage production, and is considered entirely safe to use in kitchenware, pots, pans, and other items used to make food and drinks. Most whiskey stills that are copper are unlikely to contain harmful materials such as lead, even in their soldering or fittings. Always check the materials list on your still when shopping copper stills for sale, and look for stills that feature silver, silver-tin, or brass.

Cast-copper stills are less likely than assembled stills to contain other metals, and give the most benefits that copper has to offer - from temperature control to impurity reduction. Many professional distillers recommend purchasing cast-copper stills in different sizes so you can prepare to make the batch size you need when you need it. If you consider a copper still for sale that is put together from a kit, make sure to read the materials list for all its parts.

A Copper Still For Beauty

And of course, nothing beats the look of a copper whiskey still. When new, they gleam, and as they age, they develop a charming unique patina. Shining copper whiskey and moonshine stills are becoming popular with interior decorators for restaurants, brewery, nightclubs, and other businesses. They compliment many designs and are always an eye-catching centerpiece for conversation. Consider how simply using a display of a copper still for sale in your storefront or restaurant window might entice customers to come inside. At your home, a copper still in your kitchen or dining room will certainly entertain and enchant your dinner guests.

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3 Reasons to Choose a Copper Still for Sale

A Copper Still for Temperature Control

Copper is the preferred material for distilling whiskey, moonshine, and other spirits. It has the most even heat distribution of any material that can be used for an alcohol still, and it has the added benefit of removing sulfides and other impurities during distillation. When you’re shopping for the highest quality still to make the best tasting whiskey and moonshine, you definitely need to consider a copper still for sale in your search.

Copper Still For Sale 

Although many claim that stainless steel is easier to clean and lasts longer than copper, a stainless steel still does not have many of the benefits of a copper whiskey still. It is important to remember that when boiling your whiskey or moonshine mash, alcohol boils off at a lower temperature than water - 173 degrees Fahrenheit rather than 212 degrees. Professionals and home distillers alike know that it is essential to be able to control the temperature of your moonshine still.

Copper spreads heat evenly and quickly, and heat will be distributed throughout a solid copper still with fewer cool spots. That makes it very easy to control the temperature of copper whiskey stills, as opposed to stainless steel or other materials. When you can control the temperature, you create a better product - no matter whether it’s whiskey, moonshine, bourbon, or even distilled water.

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Whiskey Stills

Whiskey lovers love good whiskey. And handmade copper whiskey stills make the really good stuff. Shop around different whiskey stills for sale and you’ll find that every distiller agrees on one thing - even if they can’t agree on which is better, Scotch or Irish Whiskey - they agree that copper is the best material for distilling. Many distillers prefer copper for distilling moonshine, too. Copper holds its temperature better than anything else.

Real whiskey distilling experts and moonshine drinkers also know that the best copper still for sale are the ones that are cast in one solid piece. If you can find copper stills that include the vat, column, and condenser coil as one piece, get yourself one in every size. You never know how much whiskey, moonshine, or other alcohol you’ll want to brew up in your next batch. A little non-copper soldering on a copper still is ok to smooth things out - but a solid, one-piece copper whiskey still is what you want for fine, quality alcohol.

Once you have found the high-quality copper whiskey still for sale that you like, buy it. Then, you can start planning for the process of making and distilling your homemade spirits. And after that, of course, you can get onto everyone’s favorite part: the drinking.

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Whiskey Stills for Sale

If you are shopping around looking at who’s got moonshine and whiskey stills for sale, the truth is: many stores online do. But not all manufacturer’s products are equal. When you’re looking for the best whiskey or moonshine still that money can buy, trust your purchase to someone who has the still that meets your needs and consistently provides you a high-quality product.

First things first: The hobby of distilling moonshine and whiskey for personal use at home has a long history with the law. Depending on where you live, if you’re thinking about shopping around for whiskey stills for sale, you should see what the law in your state has to say about owning a still and making your own alcohol at home. Our friends at the Hobby Distiller’s Association have put together a nice list of home distilling laws across the US. Don’t do any shopping until you take a look at that.

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The Best Whiskey Stills to use at Home

Knowing how to distill whiskey is essential if you want to make your own quality product at home. For centuries, people around the world have experimented with different still designs to find out what makes the best whiskey stills. Although the process of making distilled liquids is universal, the best whiskey still is the one that suits your particular needs. Although commonly known as a “moonshine still,” a one piece copper still can be used to distill the highest quality water and essential oils, in addition to alcohol and spirits.Local and state laws vary about distilling home alcohol - even for personal consumption. In many states, making alcoholic products such as bourbon, whiskey, or moonshine without a license is illegal. Please enjoy your copper Whiskey Still responsibly.

Choose a Copper Still

For centuries, people have tried distilling liquids with many different materials. The process of making a distilled grain liquid begins by creating a mash from steeping a grain such as wheat, barley, or even oats, to create a high-sugar solution called “wort.” The wort is fermented with yeast to produce fermented wort, ready to be heated in your moonshine still. A copper whiskey still allows distillers to heat fermented wort evenly and maintain temperature control. Because distillation is a temperature-intense process, choosing a copper still allows a distiller the best chance to efficiently use the fermented wort.

In addition to being the ideal material for temperature control, copper is considered a highly safe product for making food and other consumable products. It is ideal for cooking. When choosing a whiskey stills, you should always ensure that it is made of materials that are 100% lead-free. Lead is not a safe material for items that are used to prepare foods or other consumed products.

Choose a Solid Still

People have been distilling liquids for over 2,000 years, and throughout that time, distillers have tried many different designs for stills. Because a still is three main parts - a vat, a column, and a condenser – a still can either be assembled using multiple pieces, or designed as one solid piece. The best stills for moonshine and whiskey are stills that consistently perform and give you the best control throughout the distillation process. Distilling professionals and experts agree that a solid, one-piece copper whiskey still provides the most consistent temperature control, the ideal condensation environment, and the best chance for whiskey and moonshine distillers to make their ideal product.

The best moonshine stills is always the one that fits your needs. Consider the room you have for the distillation process, and for storing the final product; that will help determine what size copper whiskey still is right for you. Consider if you will want to make multiple products in batches of various sizes – sometimes you may want to try a new recipe in a smaller quantity and then make a larger batch. You may need multiple whiskey stills. As long as you consider the various factors, you will choose the best copper still to use at home.

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