StillSmart

Hi Lads

Has anyone here bought one of these stills. If so, whats are they like.

Well their first language is not English for starters.....

These appear on ebay too. I don't think we have ever had a review on them.

To me it looks, looks, like good value and I know I couldn't make a still like his irl 94 type for the money. I also looked at distiney still from China. We're in conversation to see about a deal. I'll let you know how I fare out.

Gotta ask. What do you want to make and what's the budget? There might be a better way?

marlyman wrote:To me it looks, looks, like good value and I know I couldn't make a still like his irl 94 type for the money.

You could for half the price.

I do not know which country you are in, but if you are going to import a still from overseas or outside of europe, then you will have to get it through customs. This may not be an issue for you but it may be for others, take care.

GOOD POINT YHB - I have been stung by import duty. Yes +20% to the retail price !

If you are a newbie to distilling, One of these might not be a wisest move.
You are buying a still that nobody on this forum has, so if you need to ask some questions. It will be much more difficult to give you an accurate answer. AND we also know that still manufacturers, lie profusely in their instructions and sales literature. Some could say worse than the fuel economy on a volkswagon :-)

Also, if you come to upgrade, you might want to sell it. AS & T500 stills enjoy quite a good residual value. A prostill will not - basically because it is unknown.

A better question for this forum might have been something along the lines of...
"I want to be able to make a neutral spirit/brandy/whiskey/run.
I probably drink nnnn bottle per day/week/year.
I don't really want to spend more £50/£100/£150 what still would you recommend? "

......... I am sure you would get a lot of advice and some informed answers on that one. And it would help you make a cracking decision and not waste money - either short-term or long-term.


Just my tuppence worth

Mash wrote:GOOD POINT YHB - I have been stung by import duty. Yes +20% to the retail price !

In addition to the cost, you are declaring to the goverment that you are having a still delivered to your home. You do not want to make it too easy for them Sorry, I forgot to take my paranoia pills today.

+1

You're on fire today YHB

I think that Mash and YHB have covered the points that concerned me here.
Lets see which side of the fence marlyman jumps, and what he has to report.
Even an idiot like me can build a still, it can't be too hard.

Robert.

OK. I'm new here so for some background I started out with beer kits and through learning got excellent results. I've made a st Peters kits that rivals any good all grain kit. Then I moved to wine kits. Ticked that box and now I make mostly fruit wines from whatever growing around me. Apple and pear was my nicest so far.

The idea got a grainfather and started all grain beer. I have a weak sports for abbey blokes and wheat beers. The idea got an alembic pot head for it and I've gotten to grips with that. I mostly make whiskeys from a grainfather 9kg mash.

I like the maths of it , the tasting of it, the learninguy, the sharing, with other brewers and trying their produce.

I have now started using sugar was and turbo yeast and I would like to strip out the neutral spirit in one pass. I use a 50 litre fermenter and with the yeast I use i get it up to 21.5%. Using the pot head I can get to 75% with some aftertaste from the wash due to off tasted from the yeast. I could get a t500 but the that would mean 2 25litre passes. Now I know it's not nice stuff but it's not for me.

Time is my enemy. I like to drink what I make. My mates like to drink know it too. So I want to make neutral spirit, flavour it with still spirits top shelf whatever, pass it off to them (for free) and mind my own gear for me. Budget is 600 euro.

After reading a lot on here, thanks everyone, I'd like a 3inch reflux colum , 60 litre capacity. 3 to 4 kw power, agitator, power control, 2 digital thermometers .

I live in Ireland. Importing from abroad is not a problem for me. I've seen plans but few are complete and easy to build. I'm the type of guy if I build something it has to be spot and I know if I build it it won't be.

What would be cool is if someone here was selling theirs . Or if some wanted to build one for me, I don't know if I can ask that. Ah well.

The Chinese lad has gone quiet by the way. The prostill guy is Polish. He's mad to do a deal. Says I can use PayPal to pay him and all and if I don't like it he'll take it back. Mmmmmm his pitch is a bit pushy but he has confidence in his product.

Marly

One word.

Caution.

More words.

More caution.

Supplying mates, even for free,is a slippery slope,

Robert.

Robert I hear you. I will of course also be consuming the majority of neutrals myself

Marlyman if you've already got a Grainfather with an alembic dome and a pot head, just buy the reflux column and getting cracking.

That'll give you all the neutral you need. Use one of the tried and proven vodka neutrals eg Fast Fermenting Vodka or All Bran Wash ... I strip the wash once in pot mode ( fill a 5 litre jar) then run that through the reflux column.

No carbon filtering required.

I'm conservative with my wash alcohol levels and my cuts ... This method returns me a little over 2 litres of clean neutral at 40% per 23 litre boil.

PS I was worryied it was the drink then I realised it was your auto correct.

Did you end up buying ? Interested to hear what you think of it. I was looking at the stockpot pot stills thinking they looked half decent. Was also looking at the reflux columns for turning one of my kegs into a reflux still.