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.
 

Read More

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.

Read More

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.”

Read More

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.

Read More