Via Spirits is the vehicle for North Carolinian songwriter and artist, Shan… Read Full Bio ↴Via Spirits is the vehicle for North Carolinian songwriter and artist, Shan Doe. He writes, performs, records, and edits all of Via Spirits' songs. Via Spirits' sound can often be described as dark, creepy, personal, and somewhat indie in a sense. Influences that surface the most prominently are Nirvana, Dinosaur Jr., Radiohead, Sebadoh, Brain Jonestown Massacre, Sonic Youth, Nick Drake, Blind Boy Fuller, Deerhunter, Robert Johnson, Bob Dylan, Scratch Acid, Unwound, and Mark Lanegan.

Contact Via Spirits:

smg8053@gmail.com

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Eclectric
Via Spirits Lyrics

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Comments from YouTube:

Erzsébet Kovács

Seems like a great little product. I wonder whether it can be used to distill flower waters and ethereal oils, as well.

David Albright

2y↑458

The Air Still is a beast for making rum...on a sailboat. My wife and I cruise fulltime on our 40' sailboat that is 100% solar powered. I experimented and refined a recipe using Golden Barrel Dark Brown sugar (high molasses content). 2 gallon wash yields just shy of a half-gallon of 40% abv rum that is quite tasty. Aged in the bottle with toasted white oak chips for about ten days. The water used for the wash comes from the ocean, after being desalinated through our reverse osmosis watermaker, again, powered by stored energy from the sun. The power draw is around 28 amps at 12 volts and 280 to 310 watts. Run time (if you plan to collect tails or wring out alcohol to use dunder/backset) will nearly double the manufacturer's estimate. 4 hours is the usual time frame for a two-gallon wash. That equals 120 or so amp hours or 1.2 kilowatt hours- which is quite doable for us, with our lithium battery banks.. Honestly, I would never buy another bottle of rum, having nailed this recipe. Not a lot of room on a sailboat and the Air Still stows away nicely and doesn't hog space in the galley when in use.

David Albright

@Lawrence Wood , jump in. The water is warm.

Lawrence Wood

1y↑1

I want be to you when I grow up lol

Dan Shaw

1y↑1

Just say it... You're a pirate!

David Albright

@Nigel Chua, when proofed to 40% abv, I get just shy of a half gallon of product. Dealing with the AirStill is a breeze. Set it and collect your product. Since it is a sugar wash, there is virtually no methanol but the first four ounces of foreshots are harsh, so I save them for use as fuel for our alcohol stove.

Nigel Chua

1y↑1

Hi @david, just wanted to ask you much methanol a batch for of 2 gallons this would make and how you personally deal with distillation on the machine

67 More Replies...

john scales

Great for distilling hemp oil as well

Daxter T. Snickers

What stops me from getting a huge pot, bending the lid, fitting two pipes and cool it with salted ice in a bag? Does it matter so much what shape and material these things have?

Stuart Conner

1y↑1

There's a lot of inexpensive (less than half the price) air stills for "water distillation" on jungle-type websites. Quality concerns aside, one theoretically only needs to run the heating element using some sort of power control and the fan at 100%. Easy Enough.
But does anyone do this and is there a cost savings when you add the controller, and what does that controller look like? A dimmer/variac? A resistor in series? A micro controller based pulse width modulator? Is there an initial cost savings with that added to the water still vs. buying a "Still spirits" or "Vevor" unit that is specifically intended for alcohol?

parker Azz

Homedepot has a similar unit for $150 less with free shipping.

Nigel Chua

when distilling low wines, how much would the "4 shots" of methanol will need to be disposed off in a 2 gal air still?

Billy Bob Jackson

hey there. Wellington speaking. If you made a stronger wash - like 23% or more (depending on yeast), Would it get distilled through the Air Still at a higher percentage than 60%? Might make a better quality end result

SW Washington Rigging Specialist

Great way to clean up alcohol and make alcohol.

You can also make oils.

KenithCopeland

personally i got one of these rather then getting a "proper" still because i wanted less thinking. i wanted to focus on making a wash i liked and then could shove all that in something i didnt have to do too much math to use. plug n play then drink all day

James Micheal Whitehead

I use mine for making my HEMP EVERCLEAR TENICTURE and Distilled water BASE HEMP TENICTURE for those who don't like alcohol !

Jack Alexander

2y↑8

At the time I bought my Air Still it was the most affordable while I had no work during covid and I wasn't sure if I really wanted to get into distilling. The Air Still Mini Distillery kit ($365 AUD at the time I bought it) had everything except the water and sugar needed to have a successful first run. A year later I'm building a bigger 10 plate reflux still on a 35lt Digiboil temp controlled boiler. I found the air still a great introduction to distilling and still use it regularly for small runs of wash and experimentation. I found it a great value purchase.

bigclivedotcom

2y↑97

A technique for adjustable power is apparently running the base on a dimmer and powering the top with a separate IEC lead so the fan runs at full power.

NO J in DOJ

The dimmer switch will give you heat control, but only less heat. If you want max heat using that dimmer switch, you're first gonna have to bypass the thermostat governor to give you full adjustable power. We used to do this with the hot pot warmers they allowed us law breakers to have in lockup, and turned them into boilers. Just saying...

Albert Langer

@bigclivedotcom To have Clive's advice, volunteering, is something to take in.

håkan magnusson

I use a wattmeter to see the power I putting in. One of Thore that you plugg in between the wall plug and the air still.

Drew Harrison

@Still It Then use the water still with a dimmer.

Mark Short

I use mine every month 25 L sugar wash and add flavourings and it is a great way to get cheap 4.5 L strong alcohol

14 More Replies...

Chris Robles

2y↑19

I had one of those years ago. Fun little kitchen gadget. Gave it away when I moved aboard. I would like to see some enterprising mind make an attachment similar to the air fryer attachment for an InstaPot that does the same thing.

Darren Langsford

2y↑7

I have had one for a couple of years due to it's subtly given rules were I am and also space I have available (wish I had a shed for something bigger). It's been great for trying all sorts of new things and for learning as it was all new to me. And yes size can be a problem for large batches. I have done 30l vodka washes double distilled so that 5-6 stripping runs and two spirit runs which at 2.5-3hr per run adds up so it often takes me a week, but I get a decent product that I can use for other stuff. Gin is next on my list. Pretty happy with the few batches of rum I've tried so far and it's been great for experimenting with recipe tweaks with out large batch costs. The one other thing I would mention for second / spirit runs using higher ABV product is to use less than the 4l full line, probably no more than 3l. I forgot one time and put 4l in for a spirit runan had issues with the top wobbling and eventually flying off as the lid isn't secured, it just sits there.

Citrus Lump

Pricing a home still in USD feels ironic.

Armchair warrior

2y↑10

Wow, I brought mines over a decade ago for actually distilling water. I didn't realize people use it for other things. My well water in my cabin was not good.

TheFoxfool

2y↑1

I've only seen big stills with the multiple pot setups before, and hearing that those are pretty dangerous to inexperienced people has kept me away, but a plug&play still like this definitely has me interested in picking up the hobby. I'm in the US though, so it's definitely going to be used for something like vinegar, not alcohol that I already make for myself...

Phil Smith

2y↑7

An excellent review. Very precise very informative. This was the first unit that my friend purchased and is an excellent unit for someone just starting this Hobby. He did eventually upgrade to the t500 which is also an excellent unit. Still spirits makes very high quality products. An excellent choice

mrLoftladder

2y↑38

purchased one of these around 15-20 years ago and it's still going strong. Cost me £99 and came with £20 worth of Still Spirits flavourings and bases. As someone who just makes spirits for personal and home use, I have found it ideal, making 25L of sugar-wash at 15% 3-4 times a year. as you said it is a slow process with each run taking around 2.5 hours its a full day to do the whole wash, on the other hand, once it's on I can leave it to distil away for a good 2 hours whilst I get on with other things.

mrLoftladder

@Alex Shealy not really an issue if you are doing a pure sugar wash and using Still Spirits or similar yeast/nutrients as methanol levels are minimal.

moto G4

1y↑1

@Alex Shealy what about them?

moto G4

1y↑1

@ben adams yes maybe. But he's still fun to listen to because he has such a happy & positive attitude. Plus he knows what he's doing.

Alex Shealy

1y↑1

What about the heads

ben adams

1y↑2

@mrLoftladder You basically told people what they want to know in one sentence, this guy driveled on about every but that for 20min 😆🤦‍♂

2 More Replies...

challis65

1y↑1

I've had mine for about 7 years. Absolutely love it! It's ideal for me as I make wine and distill spirits in a small room within my basement that has no running water. It's a pain getting the bucket of water (for sugar wash) down there, but once there it's all good. I'm in Canada on 110v, every 4ltrs of fermented wash will take just under two and a half hours to produce 750ml of 55% ABV, then topped up to 1ltr with fresh water to produce approx 1ltr @ 40%ABV. I can produce up to 6 ltrs in a good day. I usually distill on a day where I'm sleeping between night shifts. It means I can set my timer for 2hrs 25 mins, go have a snooze, come back when the alarm goes and put another lot on. I run the finished product through a water filter 2-3 times and get a beautifully clean tasting batch of shine, all ready to add my favourite whisky and gin flavourings.

DuWayne S

2y↑2

Have one of the temperature controlled water distillers for a coouple years now. Works great when used with a motor speed controller, and a direct connection of the fan to 11v. Also use it as a cooker when making inverted sugar, or heating a mash. Wife likes it because it keeps me from making a mess in the kitchen.

Steve Wardley (G6JEF)

2y↑6

Thanks for this great review, at last an objective opinion on something that does have it's limitations but is great for experimentation. There are a lot of AirStill haters on social media but I think it's because they haven't given enough time to get to know how best to operate it or been patient with it. I purchased the AirStill just before Christmas last with the intention of easing myself into the hobby but then just after Christmas an unexpected boost to finances allowed me to get a T500 too so I now have both and believe it or not I haven't used either of them yet due to other commitments but it's given me time to do lots of research, your channel being a lot of it, before I take the plunge, which will be quite soon. I feel better informed for not jumping the gun without the knowledge. Thanks Jessie for all your great content.

blenderbender

Thanks for a thorough, and as always, delightful perspective! I have imbibed some of the product from mine, though the majority of the use it gets is for running sugar washes for high proof Ethyl I use in making herbal tinctures. It saves a huge amount of money rather than buying Everclear or whatever.

crazyportagee17

2y↑23

The gin basket is great for stuffing copper mesh netting, also the spigot coming out is also another great place to pack with copper mesh to help capture impurities like sulfides. Love the channel thanks for sharing the craft! Happy brewing/distilling!

Jimmy Hamilton

Yeah I use copper saddles in the basket. It holds 100g nicely.

Cynicallad Very

2y↑1

@Robert Pettigrew pot scourers.. make sure its all copper though.

Robert Pettigrew

Where do you get copper mesh?

Smeif Chapman

2y↑2

oooo thats a great idea. im looking to buy one for test batches and to infuse my future spirits. wine maker now only. building a still site currently hope to have it ready before winter. top notch tennessee spring water thats bottled elsewhere down stream but runs thru my property. ive been blessed with that good tennessee whiskey making water so i gotta make likker lol.

Alex Scott

2y↑34

Thanks so much for reviewing this! Personally, I LOVE mine. While it's the only still I've used so far, it's been a perfect learning tool to get into the basics of distilling. I've done a cheater 'bourbon' (using corn sugar and DME), a double-distilled gin, some birdwatchers, a spiced rum, and a peach liqueur, all of which turned out surprisingly great. It's dead simple to run, feels very safe and consistent, and while it is slow, it's really easy to set it up in the kitchen and watch some TV while it does it's thing. For anyone curious - if I do a 5-gallon wash, it takes about 4 runs through the still at about 90 mins each to get (on average) 3 or 4 750ml finished bottles when proofed down to 40%. So about 4-6 hours of actual run time. That's it coming off the still at around 65-70% initially and running it down to about 40%, without cutting much from the run. My washes generally have been around 10% ABV to start. This works great for me, because I don't feel the need to be producing 10-20 bottles of product at a time, that just feels like a liability for someone just starting out. 3-4 bottles of finished product - a few for me, a few for friends - is perfect. The air still doesn't seem to impart any flavors or funk, and it's discreet and super easy to clean. For me, it's been the perfect intro tool to learn the craft, and unless I get more serious about doing it I don't really feel the need to upgrade to anything bigger or more complex. Thanks again Jesse, love your channel, I've learned a ton from you. Keep up the great work!

Nigel Chua

How much methanol do you throw out during a 5 gallon run?

TruthSeeker

2y↑2

Hi considering your experience, may I ask you what you think of the idea of a tiny continuous hobby still that can produce 60% to 93%abv, basically instead of putting the wash into the pot you have a tube you put into your wash drum and a waste tube and a spout. The processing rate is about 1 L of wash an hour, but you can just let it run and do 200L in about a week with very little labour. I have been refining a larger still like this for about a year now and I can process 200L in two days, but I think it is too big for hobby use, So I redesigned it and I am testing a much scaled down version...What do you think of the idea, basically, I would appreciate some marketing feedback. Thanks

p.s. cost about $200USD.

Alex Scott

2y↑7

@gmonkman It was awesome! I live in Colorado, where we have incredible peaches every year from the town of Palisade. Basically, I macerated a full case of peaches into 5 gallons of water for a few days, strained, and added cane sugar to get up to correct starting gravity. Then pitched turbo yeast, fermented, ended up with a 10% wash. Ran that through the still, then took the resulting peach 'brandy' and soaked another half-case of peaches in that, leaving the skins on. Strained that real and there ya go. Insanely fresh peach flavor, not too high ABV by the end (25%ish) since the peaches have so much water in them. Dead simple recipe that produced my favorite thing I've made so far.

gmonkman

how was the peach liqueur? And if it was nice, could you summarise the recipe please?

TransplantinNZ

Very happy with mine. Using it for months. Well made and easy to use. Small footprint doesn’t take over the kitchen! I have put copper mesh in the nozzle.

Nelly Nelson

2y↑2

I got a air still very much like this to start out. Its adjustable and I thought I would be selling it once I got its bigger brother. Nope, love it. Everything Jessy mentioned is spot on. My 2 50L pots have their uses. But they need sooooooo much wash where this, 25L bucket, job done and experiments are so much fun.

Mr.Schitzengigglez

2y↑5

Thank you! Looks perfect for use in my converted bus.
When everything is run on a 3000w inverter, and setup, and breakdown of things already takes up enough of my day, simplicity is key.

BeerBackwards

2y↑1

Great review! I’ve been following your extensive use of this little guy. Great to see you confirm that you enjoy this handy little appliance.

Alan Johnson

I have been using one of these for a few years. It works great if you accept its limitations, and what it's intended for. I make rum and some other basic distillates.
I use a simple electrical timer so I don't need to watch it constantly, it takes about 3 hours to run a gallon of wash, and in that time I will end up with approximately a liter of product, so you will spend most of a weekend to distill 5 gallons of wash, usually I distill it twice.

Steve Metzler

Bought my air still a couple years ago and love it. I have tried a bunch of recipes and techniques so far. My out put has been VODKA - which had a distinct aftertaste that it should not have had but is not noticeable in a Bloody Mary or Daiquiri; RUM -which was too much work in a 5 gal wash to be worth doing again and BRANDY - first from a cheap gallon of store bought wine (results were pretty darn good after aging), from homemade peach beer and peach beer wine that was too alcoholic for to drink straight (which is/was fantastic after 6 months aging with oak and cherry,) and from homemade blueberry wine, is now aging. Unfortunately - as I age - the cost of the hangover consuming my own brandy is getting higher all the time - but I will be making more rum from a simpler recipe & process in a few weeks. I can take the pain if the product is as good as I expect.

Bryan Keener

2y↑2

I picked up a version of that from Amazon for around $75. I’m in the US and use it for water distilling. It’s temperature controlled. I SUPPOSE you could use it for that if you set the temperature a few degrees below water’s boiling point for your altitude. SOMEONE told me that they get a consistent 55% output. WAY (like half the speed of elderly fornication) slow,but absolutely no babysitting required. Sets between your coffee pot and air fryer in the kitchen. Absolutely great for small test runs

Mr Paul

2y↑1

Jesse you just hit the nail on the head! I picked up a water unit and it's suited my every need so far. I add a bit of copper mesh in the up tube in the lid and the downspout that way I can direct flow and get that long argued copper effect. Terrible for cooking from mash but a queen at reruns!

Stephen Davidson

2y↑2

I've had my air still for months now and I love it. Depending on what yeast you use and how much sugar you used in your wash, it usually comes off the still between 110 proof (55% ABV) and 160 proof (80% ABV). I use a zero water filtering system to filter my alcohol with after dilution. The carbon filtering kit is extremely good but it's also extremely slow too. The still comes with a bottle of anti foaming agent and some small raschig rings which work extremely well. It takes 50 to 55 minutes before you start collecting anything and I throw out the first 30 ML's (1 US Fluid Ounce) and I collect around 900 ML's (just under 1 US Quart) of spirit before unpluging it. To complete 1 run it takes about hours.

moto G4

2y↑1

Stephen Davidson you may need to check what you wrote & edit it.

Kees Veerman

2y↑1

We made a lot of tast extracts with it. 1 liter neutral with around 40 grams of a herb sit for a week or 2. You will get a super stong taste. Now we have 20 separate herbs in 500ml bottles at 80%. You can use like 3 drops of few diferent herb bottle in a glas with a neutral wodka to design a gin. This allows you to test combinations very fast. Then calculate back to the herbs and do a 1 liter test with the actual herbs. If it comes out great you can have a go on to the big still.

Chris Norman

2y↑2

I use one of these. You must double distill for the best result. I also let it heat for an hour before plugging the fan in and a fast yeast mix in the wash. I found running two wash buckets makes life easy.

Don Freeman

2y↑8

Love your assessment of the air still, I have had mine for a few years, and love what comes out of it. I make loads of wine, and have used some of it to run through this. I have also run all grain mash through it, all with very good results. Yes, it takes a long time, yes I have the time especially on these long winter days in New England. I us ally save the first 750ml, put it in a 2 gallon bucket, and move on to next batch, usually around 45-50%. I then take the next 50 or so ml, and put them into a gallon jug... when I get the gallon filled, I run that through, and 65%.... then I just sit the assorted woods in it for a little bit and voila....whiskey....... or if it has a nice flavor as a clear, I dont do anything and just drink it as vodka. Keep up the good work on the videos...thanks

Smeif Chapman

2y↑1

this is what i wanted to read. i make wine from local fruits and always wanted to know what would it be like if i ran it threw a still and finally building a still site but i want one of these anyhow for infusing and test batches but was curious how well it did with turning say a blackberry wine or muscadine wine into something with a bit more bite

Adam

If you have the ability, build your own from a pressure cooker and some air conditioning copper (no welded seam). It worked great for me and it's the cheapest option by far.

Bryan Elliott

2y↑1

You know, after careful consideration, I've decided that despite all the problems, the air is still worth it.

Mark Goff

I have one similar it does have a thermostat it works great for small batches it works great with 110 volts no problems. I use it for test runs or redistilling small batches of stuff. The liquid comes out a little hot in temp. I would recommend one.

Mok214

Electrically, it works very similar to those cheap Rival crock pots. So I don't think the difference between 240 and 120 is going to be very small.

Louis M

I have a 8 gal reflux still and I use this to flavor my neutral spirits I get from it. Super convenient setup and size.

Stefan Luke

I use one of these a lot like Jesse seems to, for gin and various experiments using product from a bigger still (I agree that it's a fair bit of work to make volume with this unit).

A great mod for these units is a power controller. I plug the condenser directly into a separate power source (a standard PC cable fits the socket on the unit), and plug the kettle power to the STC unit so that it's variable. Then the condenser is always running normally, but you can adjust power to the kettle. You can do all that Jesse talks about, but it's much more controllable when you want to slow down the output for any reason. The parts for this are probably $50 on Amazon - well worth it for a unit like this given how versatile it is.

Peter Davis

I started this hobby with a SS Airstill. I progressed through 2" reflux and 4" plated column. I still regularly use the Airstill for gin and macerations as you described, using well cut neutral.
I would like to add 2 comments.
Firstly, I often run the still through a power controller to slow the product output. This does require the use of a second power cord for the condenser. I use an old PC power supply cord connected straight to the condenser. I find this improves the quality of the product.
Secondly, the unit is well suited to those who don't want huge quantities of booze. I really enjoy making and drinking my grog, but a 3 litre run of gin lasts me a loooong time.
Cheers on another great vid Jesse.

Colonel Angus

Thanks for revisiting this.

I like the idea of this and the t500. Its great seeing you use both so I can make i formed decisions.

Solo Caretaker

2y↑1

Fantastic review brother. You hit all points. I’ve been all in for awhile so had to get an Air Still myself for my hobby It’s 110v , power issue is not an issue for me and I use it to do test runs on already distilled goodies plus it’s so small my wife has not a dam thing about it sitting on the kitchen counter. Working on second distillations of home made sake Spoiler alert. Not very good. Yet. Thank you!

Timmy Girard

Just purchased one from Adventures In Home Brewing. I had been inches from pulling the trigger on a really nice reflux setup from Mile High but I chickened out at the last minute because of the cost and confidence that I'd use it / get interested enough to justify the cost. After your review and a little looking around, I think this is the right choice to get in at a low cost and have a tool that is usefull through my growth, or, maybe I discover this is all I need... Cha, as if... Thanks again.

MrBincky

I think the airstill is much safer in use because you dont use gas to heat it.
The alcohol comes out a bit too warm in my opinion,but doesnt seem to be a problem.
I recommend one with a adjustable thermostat for heat control,i have one for 2 years now and its still going.so easy
Cheers.

Mike Clarke

2y↑7

Canada here, I bought one from Amazon, 110V, and mine has 1F/1C resolution temp controller, have done a couple runs of boxed red wine, removing heads and most tails. Worked great.

Adam Barker

how do you know what is heads, where the hearts are and what is tails. Any advice would be great! thanks

Some Random Guy

Ive looked at the vevor models they have adjustable temp and cost 100-150$(US) great video as always ..i think the easr of them is the big draw as you dont have to worry about babysitting the temp as much ..

Timothy Turtle

I have the mophorn air still from Amazon
Got it about 4 years ago and It has digital
Adjustable temperature.
I’ve distilled wine, mash and spirits.
Even used it for extracting essential oils.
I Highly recommend it for the price

Alan Fraser

Thanks for the video and the information you so frequently share with the community, in South Africa we have a version of the air still sold by Distillique, a magic little set up, just like the airstill but with a temp control, I.e. the element switches off at a set temperature, handy for stripping runs and I use it for rum too. The power input is not adjustable though, and the liquid temperature is used rather than the vapore, good it your using it to sous vide or to heat milk for yogurts (I would advise keeping the milk in a second container and heating water in the still) but I prefer vapore temp control for stilling

Mr. Harris

I agree with you completely. I prop my catch basin up as well. It is excellent for beginners like me and what you pay. If a person wants do more, then expect to pay more. I accidently bought one with your power plug and spent another $300 for a power converter and it works great. Still, pardon the pun, worth it. I have only made a rye whiskey with it once and it was fine and I was careful to throw out the first 50mL to avoid methanol. I stick to a sugar wash, so no worry.

BVoris6977

2y↑27

I've been using my for about 5 years now. Great product, very precise for timing and consistency in small batches. Works really well in small spaces, doesn't consume much power and is reliable.

TruthSeeker

2y↑2

@Daniel Danielson thank you for the feedback. It is much appreciated.

Daniel Danielson

2y↑1

@TruthSeeker it sounds too good, to be honest. But good look, brother.

If it works, like you described, that thing will sell like bananas.

First introduce one simple version to meet Break even and not to overwhelm users with too many variables. Later on when business is running you can introduce the version with all the bells and whistles.

TruthSeeker

2y↑1

@Daniel Danielson Thanks for the feedback, I want to aim it at the entry-level, but maybe two models, a bare-bones $200 DIY Kit and a $500 fully assembled with extras?

It is air-cooled, and I have a controller PCB with wifi (my day job is in embedded electronics) that continuously track and tune the settings, you can monitor and adjust if from your phone. It is about the same footprint as the Airstill (200x200mm) but it stands thin and tall (1.5m) but it unscrews into 3 500mm sections for shipping and storage.

I am working now on a github page with the details.

Daniel Danielson

@TruthSeeker thar sounds superb, but how are you separating your wash from your alcohol continuously? Is there a picture or a schematic drawing to find somewhere?
You could easily take 500-800usd if it functions well. But for me it sound rather not efficient enough in thr sense that quite a lot of alcohol is lost during the process,or it's rather difficult to fail in perfectly regarding different variables abv of the wash, cooling water, ambient temp and so on.

TruthSeeker

May I ask you what you think of the idea of a tiny continuous hobby still that can produce 60% to 93%abv, basically instead of putting the wash into the pot you have a tube you put into your wash drum and a waste tube and a spout. Processing rate is about 1 L of wash a hour, but you can just let it run and do 200L in about a week with very little labour. I have been refining a larger still like this for about a year now and I can process 200L in two days, but I think it is too big for hobby use, So I redesigned it and I am testing a much scaled down version...What do you think of the idea, basically, I would appreciate some marketing feedback. Thanks

p.s. cost about $200USD.

1 More Replies...

Chris Branuelas

2y↑2

You can fill the little flavor basket with spun copper as well. Good review!

Fluffyplaydohcat

I think that still would be a good fit for me, I would mostly use it for small experiment batches kinda like your meme spirits, sadly the only thing we are allowed to make here is beer and wine (neither of which I like)

TheBaconWizard

2y↑1

If you use a transformer to take it down from 240v to 110v or if you only have 110v you will find that you can get 5% more abv from your spirit run and the cuts will be less smeared (somewhat) But, it doesn’t take just half as long, it takes like 5x as long.

Additionally, while I have not distilled on the grain, I have used fruit and thrown it all in together without scorching (at full power)

Bob-a-FET

2y↑2

I've used mine for several years and it's great for small or experimental batches. Only problem I had was the fan motor died. Got a replacement fan for an oven that fit after drilling out the fixing holes, been solid ever since. Working on a larger still now.

AngryPasta

I have a water distiller but it’s not meant for alcohol distillation, yet it works just as good. Also my first distiller was a 3 gallon one

Greg johnson

Just got one of these, totally botched my first run, but that's on me. The product worked exactly as it should.

Beau Conway

2y↑5

The stickers on your sleeve are priceless...makes me miss the days when my kids were young...or was that your version of accessorizing? 😂

George L

2y↑2

Thanks, Jesse, I don’t have this still but I DO have an “Air Still”. I hate the whole mess of running water through a condenser. So I have an air condenser. No it does not condense air. It’s a copper pipe with fins, like a heat register on your house. Bolt it on the pot, aim a fan at it, and you are done. Heat your pot on a hot plate with a cheap PWM controller or use a conduction plate, and away you go. Takes 5 minutes to set up. No, it’s not as easy as your wee still and it costs a little more and there is a little DIY, but it was my first still. The air condenser does fine with a 115 volt, 1,300 watt heat source and a five gallon batch of grain wash. Cheers!

Lachie Mcfarlane

i love my little air still especially because i mainly do 25l washes with my alembic t500 and don't have the patients to build up enough low wines to run back through it so the air still is perfect in that situation

Renzor the Red

Just found your channel and loving your videos.
I've been looking on Amazon for your Air Still and other products like it, and I'm trying to find one with the ability to adjust power settings like you mentioned, but none of them appear to have such an ability, including the actual Air Still. What do you mean by power adjustment?

Shaun Sim

2y↑1

My mates farther made a batch or rhubarb wine 15 bottles and forgot about it in his loft, 6 years latter we came along and tested it to see if it was still good, What we found was the wine ABV was 32% in the bottle and it tasted just fine..

Andulvar

I like the idea of being able to test smaller batches the upscale in a proper still

Ibean Jerkinov

I still don't understand but I want a still!

Christopher Campbellc

2y↑17

One other advantage of this product is that it ships easily to countries where distilling is not allowed as the box has language about water distillation on it. (Can use the water Purificación card) No problem shipping through Indonesia and Canada.

Citrus Lump

@Fryinberg Depends on the state.

Joseph McNamara

Mim ko 0 loop

Fryinberg

Ok in the U.S.?

Steven Mobley

2y↑2

For anyone who owns one, it can be greatly improved with a 2 gang electrical box, standard power cord, extra nema 5-15p cord, duplex outlet, and dimmer switch. Run the power cord to electrical box to supply power to the outlet. Clip the tabs on the side of the duplex outlet to make it a half hot/half switched outlet. Wire in the dimmer to the switched outlet. The other outlet is always on. Plug in the fan to the always on outlet and the heater to the switched outlet. You now have an air still with heat input control. Some people gone a bit more sophisticated with SCR's and PWM, but this method works plenty well enough unless you are going to install an internal temp probe to monitor the actual wash temp and want to have it automatically controlled to a set point.

I've found that the heat input is a bit too much for higher ABV washes 10% or more in that it builds up more steam than can be removed through the cooling coil and the cooling coil is insufficient to condense that much when your ABV starts to get above 10%. With this controller box, you can lower the heat once you get to temp and even do 2nd distillations with this still. By controlling the heat input you never blow the lid off the top and you never waste distillate by it coming out as vapor. When doing lower ABV washes, you can always just remove the controller altogether for your stripping runs if you want because dimmers have some minor losses of power depending on the type.

Mostly Interesting

Or just buy the <80USD version with the PID control.

Danny Harrison

Thanks Christ for this review. Been looking for a review on this for ages for feints runs and smaller runs. Haven’t watched it yet but looking forward to watching.

hp depasse

the useful volume is limited to 3.5 liters otherwise the bubbling liquid passes through the condenser.
it is designed to distill water and I use it in this function but also sometimes to concentrate 70-80% ethanol, glass and bottle bottoms recovered and stored in a can. several passes are required.

Name Here

2y↑1

You should have a drip cap that snaps into the spout to help with the drip. Mine came with it and it works fine check with still spirits it will solve your problem of drip splatter. Good honest review. Have you heard from George. I miss his posts.

Ferriss

Thank you for the review. In looking to purchase an air still I have found two versions. One version shows 120 volts while the other is 320 watts. Which version would be preferable? Both seem to get the job done but I’m sure one is better for distillation.

yosi karl

2y↑1

I have bin using this for last 10 years its amazing and after sum small tweaks😁😁 its amazing and i get up to 88- 90 % alcohol with my experience

Mike Weidner

2y↑1

Great vid ! You can power it through a SCR or PWM like George builds. It pulls 6a.wide open and at 5a. it is perfect for a spirit run and reasonable cuts. Even with the reduced power and slower fan speed, the condenser knocks it down nicely. Or so I've heard.

ArcticBreaze

2y↑1

when you use a scr or pwm only plug it into the element, a standard jug (computer)cord fits into the fan lead leaving the fan at full speed. I have a water distiller, same shape but more watts so good for stripping runs. then turn it down for final run. it works out just as quick as my t500

Still'in Old School

Distilling with the grain still in the still is tough. The grain swells and grows while your heating up. That's why the submarine style still came to be. A 200 gallon submarine still is only filled half full, 200lb grain 100 gallon water and yeast.

George Pandzik

I've got one for distilling water for my CPAP, ice, and other things you'd need or want distilled water for (I'm in the US, and our alcohol distilling laws are ... sigh). But for water, it works great, and I highly recommend it! In my experience, it's been pretty plug-and-play.

Olin Seats

2y↑10

I've been using mine for about a year now. For what it is, it's great. Compact, easy to use and store in an apartment. I tend to make my washes in 2 gallon batches at 13%, and with generous cuts, I can consistently get about a 750 ml bottle's worth from each run at a good drinking ABV. usually around 55%. I usually run a 1.5X distillation for simplicity's sake (strip half the wash and add it to the other half for the final run) , though if I do a 5 gallon run, I'll do a full double distillation. My end results have been pretty good, and it's great for tinkering.

Billy Bob Jackson

@Arturo Apac What ABV would you get after a higher strength wash, like 23%?

Arturo Apac

So you make whiskey? Moonshine? Reply to me so we can talk please ...

Atago

2y↑2

I just started distilling, and I bought an air still from Amazon for 120 CDN, and it has an adj. temperature setting... Didn't want to spend hundreds on a 500 without knowing if I can do it :) Nice to see this !!

Brain Russell

Good thing you got it when you did... it's currently $228 USD on Amazon!

Aj's garden

Always a great video, ya I got the adjustable temp one and it is awesome helps to be able to get the spirit out at different temps instead of just running it hot being able to start the run at 80°c and end at 100°c makes a big difference in flavor. Only other difference is mine is a 1gal not 1.14 gal to fill it up. And I owe you big time for the butter trick to stop it from puking

Leigh Pattinson

I have the same unit and have been having big problems with a really horrible taste sitting in the background, over riding all the flavours. I started with an 8% pineapple wine that tasted good enough on its own, but the result was bitter both in the spirit and what was left in the still. Can't work out where I went wrong

Kyle Rayner

Great video. I asked about this still a while back and am happy to hear your input before I make the purchase.

Skeptic Fucker

I just picked up one with a digital temp control for 45 bucks on offerup. The timing of this video couldn't be more perfect.

wolf

2y↑7

I love my air still. It's just for fun and experiments but it works. No fuss, plug and play, I love it.
Edit: single best pro of the air still, is simply the safety. I have an infant around so I don't want to use any gas for fear of vapors, gas leaking, or an open flame. The air still is amazingly safe, just keep out of reach of children and your golden.

wolf

@god910 honestly, I haven't seen anything saying it is certified. Might have to look it up myself.

god910

@wolf Agreed, I was thinking of the fan. I know it’s borderline pedantic, was just curious if anyone knew if it was certified or not. No argument that it’s far and wide the safest option out there.

wolf

@god910 with no open flame, a sealed top, and even a relatively low temperature, it's far safer than any gas powered still. Unless there's a serious issue with the electrical outlet or power cable, there's basically no chance of a fire. Most dangerous part is if someone puts their hand on it during operation. I suppose you could burn yourself but that's about it.

god910

I was thinking the same thing, but was curious… any time you have an environment with flammable/explosive vapor, we have a certification requirement for electronics (intrinsic safety). Do we know if this product is certified intrinsically safe? If not, it’s still definitely the safest option… but not necessarily wholly safe.

Master Of none tv

This model is no different than a water distiller so save yourself some cash and just buy one of those.

ffwast

2y↑1

I almost bought one of these purely for the ease of use before I got my anvil foundry and remembered it's supposed to be compatible with a T500 out of the box and it was the same price on Amazon.

weaktearecords

2y↑27

Thank you Jesse! Vevor makes a much better version of this for half the price. It has a digital temperature control and guage (that work really well) and a really nice glass carafe. It also has a really nice set of seals that seal tight.. The whole thing is really well built and works great. I was blown away by how much better it works than the basic 'no controls' version. I highly suggest trying it out!

Skeptic Fucker

2y↑1

I just picked one up from offerup for 45bucks!

weaktearecords

@andybaldman No one would expect that. 😁

andybaldman

2y↑1

@weaktearecords Doesn't change my original statement.

weaktearecords

@andybaldman are you having a bad day? Did that make you feel better? Jesse doesn't deserve that kind of crap on his channel, he just puts out really great info to help us. I didn't know people would be so weird about recommending something, lighten up!
I (and others) really like the one I mentioned, not the (overpriced) model Jesse showed. I think that company is just trying to push you into a more expensive still, which is great if you have room and don't mind the obvious, monstrous piece of illegal equipment. However, even as Jesse has said (with sorry, an inferior distiller) air stills work really well with small batches.
(And if I could get kickbacks from Vevor I'll take them, everything I have gotten from them has been great and I could use the cash! 😁 )

weaktearecords

@Daniel Godfrey It's amazing how just a couple of degrees changes it.

9 More Replies...

Florida Boy

Great video Sir! Got a curious question and didn't have time to go through the comments to see if it was there. Let's say I wanted to do a flavored liquor like golden grain and fruit. Do I still have a dangerous Methanol head I have to be careful with or was it removed the first go-round? Thanks!

Alan Fraser

2y↑1

As for speeding up a longer run, I would like to ask if anyone has tried heating up the second, third, forth........4l batch to 50 or 60degC before adding to the still, I find most of the time taken is in heating the wash up, not the actual distilling

Smeif Chapman

this seems perfect for infusing say corn likker with flavors. i been making wine the old fashion way from berries and time for while, im saving up now to buy my first pot and would love to be able to infuse some things i have access to naturally seasonally around my area. so might have to get me one of these. test batch running also since im new would be a plus lol. also always wanted to take my wine and distill it. just to see how it taste cause i make a mixed berry one that people get on a reserve list a year in advance. i can only pick so many berries lol

The Alembic Diary

Great review! Thanks. Would love to see a big alembic still in your shop one day!!

Jason Belliveau

I have been using one for about 3 years and I love to use it with a wifi switch. I would not recommend this but I set mine up to run for 3.5hrs and just let it go. For me thats enough to get down to 10%ish. Once I get my low wines ill do a final run and watch that one doing small cuts and what not as per the norm.

Ladybird

Hi Jesse, I have an air still and have used it many times, it's great for small batch made with raw sugar 8kg wash, but it seems to clog a bit with sugar and molasses wash, it doesn't run clear, go figure, had to put it through a mates bigger still and it run clearly, not sure what the difference was, any help would be great, thanks.

44RobC

Another big pro is it is a piece of cake to clean when compared to a column still with 40 individual parts plus packing.

Jason Kuetemann

I bought a water distiller clone product to try it out. Quite like it.

I can strip a charge at the full 750W a water distiller offers. For a spirit run I connect a power controller to the pot and dial the power down. The separate fan connection gets full power via a second connection to mains to run at full speed at all times. This also lets me heat up at full power to reduce run time.

Well worth looking at for small batch or experimental batch spirits and redistilling odd bottles you don't care for. It is not going to be a serious distillers main still but a nice option in some circumstances.

Karl Bjerke

2y↑27

Really great video, Jesse!! I'm in Canada, and have a 110 volt version, OPTIMIZED for distilling spirits, not water. I could not ask for a better tool for the purpose I have for it. I use it to reclaim high ABV spirits from tinctures that I prepare, and my end result is FECO. (Full Extract Cannabis Oil) What little losses I have are compensated for by simply adding a bit of premium vodka (or other neutral spirit) to bring back the volume. It also increases the ABV! What I'm doing is perfectly legal in Canada, but other areas may have different regulations. Now, I'm sort of wondering, after a dozen or so runs of cannabis tincture, what would the beverage actually taste like, if I proofed it down to about 40%... (I usually run about 85%). Weedohol? Pot Still Potable Potent beverage? After my next run of FECO (some people call it Rick Simpson Oil or RSO) I may just sample an ounce or two. It should be full of terpenes and flavenoids! Thanks for the video!!

timothy longmore

@Karl Bjerke thanks, you to.

Karl Bjerke

@timothy longmore While I don't sell anything, I do have a few mushroom varieties growing in my back yard. (Central Ontario) And three or four cannabis plants, solely for medicinal use. I just subscribed to your channel, by the way! Happy New Year!

timothy longmore

1y↑1

@Karl Bjerke Yeah it's $50 for 2 litres here. I've been adding it to my water extract so I have a "hot" enough dual extract to have a good shelf life. Using 100 proof vodka for some stuff but it isn't strong enough for some things. I've got some TT soaking too and trying to grow it to. Our state government ( ny) has taken over the cannabis business so I'm diversifing into other medicine. Just got to hang on till the greedy fucks tax themselves out of business, lol.

Karl Bjerke

@timothy longmore I just did a double extraction of Turkey Tail mushroom - a month in alcohol, then squeezed and the solid matter simmered in water for an hour. That was mixed with the alcohol solution and the air still reclaimed about 90% of the spirits. Yeah, "Alcool" is a hundred dollars for 750 ml here! Stay well!

timothy longmore

1y↑1

Thanks for posting this. I also make tinctures. Chaga , reishi mostly. I do make rso but don't really ever sell any. I just evaporate it now. But with the price of everclear I really need to recover it. Some don't want alcohol in there tinctures. I don't drink but like the alcohol for shelf life for tinctures.

4 More Replies...

Mike Novak

Great first step into distilling. Highly recommended for beginners.
When the heater gives up and fries (and it will) don't throw it away.
I rebuilt it into a thumper for my new 40L behemoth. It now runs a 25L wash in 6 hours on an induction hotplate.
Best part of having it as a thumper is that you can choose what botanicals you want (if any), with the secondary distillation producing the finest spirit. Only downside is that you need extra space as it is a more permanent setup.

You're lame

Good for the kitchen counter. It looks like a coffee maker I use to have.

Will Simon

I used the air still to start out before I got a reflux still. Good review 😁

J H

2y↑2

I've had mine for years. I love it. I purchased mine across the pond as a water still (which I have used it for too - cheesemaking needs distilled water). Mine is a little different in that it comes with an adapter to make the spout longer, allows the use of activated charcoal for vodka and the like, has some minimal adjustment options, and takes the lower voltage mentioned in the video. Sidenote: we have 240v over here too, it's just not standard. You can buy a special breaker that will convert from 110/120 to 240v. Mine runs crazy fast on 240, but that has it's place too. Also, yes, some truck inverters can go over the 350w requirement. I would recommend a lot of people buy one of these, even if just for water. It seems like an essential bit of home equipment.

Scott Ord

I hadn't considered that you could just run water through the still, cheers for the info!

Roy Van Ingh

I was literally searching today for a review from you on this! I want to start out with this. I have a busy year so limited in time to invest. But after this air still if I am still interested I will go for the t500.
Now I will watch the video😁😁

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