StillSmart

Please keep us posted.

Build your own if you are thirsty or have a workshop or any combination of the two.

Looking back from this side of the world where it's all legal it's a funny old business.

The UK market is absolutely enormous given that you are such kittens when it comes to retailing distilling equipment. I mean that nicely - how else can you use kittens? ( Roald Searle " Hark hark the dogs do bark the Duke is fond of kittens. He likes to cut their insides out and use the fur for mittens" )

4 million people in New Zealand and last time I looked 70 something million in your front room so it cracks me up to know that a couple of fag puffing engineers and a lathe in some shithouse shed in The Hutt ( yes it's a place. Essex with trees) can manufacture a beautiful entry level still for shed less blokes with a credit card. I mean that fairly. It's a good product and they are honourable men. You my dear friends are like East Berlin before the fall of the wall. Looking at Trabants and someone offers you a Toyota.

Give it a couple of years after distilling is made legal in the UK and they will be just another packet of biscuits on the shelf. But right now they stand out and that is " good for you"

Last night I went to see a reading of James Joyce's "Ulysses" and maybe that set me up for tonight's rave. It's all true I tell ye. Every ill begotten sentence.

cracking and insightful post. Thank you..

Totally bonkers,and maybe true MR F.S.
Had me grinning from ear to ear.
Thanks for that.

Robert.

My T500 gives me an acceptable product with a single run and no filtering. The magic ingredient being time. Long cool ferments, wash clear enough to not need conditioner. Pouring the wash into the still is enough degassing after 5 or 6 weeks in the fermenter. Very slow low temp run, ~42'C. Although I've found that about 30 minutes into collecting hearts I can increase the temp to ~52'C with no loss in quality.

I've no doubt that those with sensitive taste and smell could find fault with my vod but everyone that tastes my stuff rates it better than store bought. Then again, I don't mix with people that pay over £30 for a bottle of vod.

wrt leaving the still unattended, it is a question of degree. If you do the same thing every time, it becomes routine. If you are the type to never be at home, then buy your booze in the pub. If you're home for the day, might as well run the still. Total invested time for a run for me is less than an hour. That includes making up a new wash, which happens while the T500 is warming up.

You have just done a cracking pitch for the slow food movement !!

I agree with you - on both count.

I suppose it's down to how you define 'Unattended'.

If you use a pressure relief valve or the new gizmo that Still Spirits sell to keep the water pressure constant then all you have to do is be at home and give the still a quick look every 15 minutes or so.

At first you'll need to be watching more frequently but once you know what to expect it's no hassle at all. Actual work time for me comes to 30 minutes per run. This includes making up a new wash which I do while the T500 is heating up.

The rest of the time I'm surfing or on Netflix.


I do regret trying to build my own instead of buying a T500 straight away. Then again, all I want is vod at a reasonable cost and minimal hassle.

John51 wrote:I suppose it's down to how you define 'Unattended'.




I do regret trying to build my own instead of buying a T500 straight away. Then again, all I want is vod at a reasonable cost and minimal hassle.

I sort of agree with you here.
I manage to run my home built pot stilled neutral almost by numbers and little effort,and generally while watching TV or surfing,but it really does benefit from carbon filtering.
My bonus,is to me ,that when I want to try a flavoured wash and spirit,I can play around to my hearts contentment.
Different strokes and all that.
Made easier by knowing the result that you wish to achieve.

Robert.

I have no regrets buying the T500,if you run it with a PRV it more or less runs its self.Once the temp settles down at the start of the run, the temp will move up and down a little but well within tolerance. I check it every 20 to 30 mins but it just works, and does what its supposed to do with out any fuss.

The way the column fits on to the lid could be better,sometimes its a faff to get it to seal properly, you might have to have a couple of goes before it seals. Tried new seals PJ etc the design could be improved.

Had a problem with the product turning a pale straw color over time, that was caused by not cleaning the copper saddles, cleaned them in citric acid and put another packet of saddle in as well so now it has twice as many saddles as standard.

I tried a Eccencia filter but I prefer to do two runs,a stripping run then a spirit run, more work but better product I think.Are there better stills on the market for a similar price, probably. I looked at stills from the US that were a about the same price as the T500, but it was risky in the fact if it got lost in transit you had no come back on the supplier, its just easier to buy of a UK supplier with no hassle.Buy one you wont regret it.