A Really Neat Pair Of Stills (You Can Make)
In my travels, I have come across two still designs that I believe are really noteworthy. I will include links to both of these units here.
The first is a design called the amazing still. What I like about this still is that the unit is made to work unattended. It is silent, it is odorless, it is in a sense automated and can be left alone to work. Some people say that it is slow. True, when compared to a conventional type of still it is slow, but if you are making almost 750 ml of product every day, to me that's not bad at all. All you have to do is visit it once daily and pour off 500 - 750 ml of spirits, or whatever you are distilling. Sounds pretty good to me. People that have the conventional stills claim that this is too slow, but the unit is made to operate unattended, while their non conventional designs are not.
It is made of plastic, so it is easy to clean and very inexpensive. I have to commend the person who designed this unit for thinking a little differently than the rest of the distilling community. This unit is truly remarkable.
Here is a link to the amazing still
Some people like the hard core traditional method of distilling. If this is you, and you want to see how one of these is constructed, here is a really simple, very basic design that can be made with one trip to your neighborhood Home Depot store. Actually, any home supplies store that sells plumbing equipment will sell the materials necessary to make this still.
What I like about this unit is that it is simple to make, it is relatively inexpensive, and it was designed to use everyday materials. The unit works well, can produce spirits about as good as any other column still, and can be used in one of two ways, depending on how much time you have.
When I can access this site, I will be including a link here to the mini still. I haven't been able to do this today. so this info is on temporary hold.
Are stills legal ?
In some countries, it is legal to distill spirits for use at home. This is not the case yet in Canada and the US. But, it is legal to own a still as long as you don't use it to distill spirits (Sears sells a small tabletop unit used for distilling water).
So, if you decide to make one of these, please only use it to distill water and you'll be ok. If you ever do decide to make spirits with yours, please do not sell what you have made. This will only result in bad kharma and will get you into deep, deep trouble. It is one thing to enjoy what you have made with your friends and quite another to be illegally selling what you have made. Don't do it.