Home Distillation - Part 2: Distilling Wash into Spirits

How to tutorial on distilling alcohol wash into neutral spirits (vodka). I use an AirStill by Still Spirits. It converts 4 L of fermented wash into 1.2L of 40% neutral spirit (vodka). Running each batch can take about 2.5h on a good warm day, but most runs take 3 hours. I then top up to 1.25L by adding extra tap water to bring the % down to 40%.
Removing lid off of a fermenter if it is stuck: • How to undo a fermente...
Home Distillation - Part 1: Setting up a Wash
• Home Distillation - Pa...
Home Distillation - Part 2: Distilling Wash into Spirits
• Home Distillation - Pa...
Home Distillation - Part 3: Filtering Spirits
• Home Distillation - Pa...
Home Distillation - Part 4: Flavouring Spirits
• Home Distillation - Pa...

[@glenbogger1873]

I like you. A lot. Thank you well spoken including the small important things a novice needs and not in a manual I have to read.

[@johnman559]

Bravo absolutely fantastic demonstration

[@matthewlomax5925]

2:50 I believe the word you were looking for is stingy :) Love this set of videos and the little brew hacks within. I now have the same kit and your walk through is absolutely brilliant. Cheers.

[@karlfowler3742]

The air still works great without all the proprietary ingredients. It also works great as a secondary distiller. You can use about a tablespoon of Butter to stop foaming and prevent Puking. My favorite way to use it is to do stripping runs with an 8 gallon column Still and then use the Air Still to make cuts. Great video.

[@steviebboy69]

I got something similar to the air still and you can adjust the temperature on it, I haven't used it as yet as I just got it the other day, but I thought maybe try it with cheap cask wine to test it out.

[@karlfowler3742]

@@steviebboy69 I ran water thru mine the first run. I haven't used it with wash in it just been doing cuts after stripping runs. I have some peach wine from the summer that never cleared. I may run it thru and see how it goes. Good Luck.

[@steviebboy69]

@@karlfowler3742 Yes I will give it a go and see how it works, the wine sounds nice by the way.

[@stevealford230]

If you have a functioning column, you shouldn't need cuts after the column run... just a foreshot cut from the column and then it's all neutral hearts until you hit high temps at the top when almost all of the ethanol is gone. The point of a column is that it forces reflux and makes the heads and tails impurities fall back down into the boiler. Edit: If you want to make gin, then sure, take the neutral from the column run and put it in a pot and rerun it with botanicals... but otherwise, still no need for cuts after a column run, unless your column doesn't work properly.

[@barrygiddey9139]

Cool video thanks for sharing

[@outie555two]

Thanks for watching!

[@TheAlbiCollier]

It'd be awesome if ya revisited this alot of us would like to see where ya went from here also did you every try secondary distilling in the air still? Some people swear by double distilling...

[@keithwilson9378]

good video if you can do one with pressure cooker i remember seeing when a kid old folk using preesure cooker with copper worm making this shine

[@BryTheNiceGuy]

3:44, my wash didn't look as clear and it looked more like the way it looked when I poured substance A and B. Is there a reason why it is not clear even after 24 hours? I used about half of each A & B bag Stirred like instructions said on video and the bags themselves Anyone knows? Last question is on doing this step for actual fruit based wash. After I have it go through a cheesecloth, do I need to do this step to add carbon and then remove it with A&B clear liquids too? Or can they go straight into the AirStill after straining the fruit wash?

[@outie555two]

I do not recommend making a fruit wash, as the methanol levels can kill you or make your eyes blind. Many people have died from that by drinking it once it was made by someone that didn't take precautions to remove the methanol. The air still might not be able to refine a safe amount of it out from a fruit wash, you'd probably need a reflux still. You'll be ok with a sugar, water and yeast wash. Less methanol per run with the air still than is naturally present in an orange.

[@RewStein4039]

Crustaceans and metasulfateds are the allergens in turbo clear. I am not sure if they remain after distilling

[@leeryan8992]

Hey love your videos. Do you have a video on how to use the juniper berries through the air still?

[@outie555two]

No but you can get a botanical basket that clips inside the still to infuse the flavour into the spirit. It looks like a large tea strainer. I used the basket but only with copper bits in it to make a cleaner taste, not to infuse.

[@booshveg]

Great video . What can be used instead of liquid carbon though as we don't have access to it where i live . Can i mix active carbon instead ?

[@outie555two]

Just let it all sit an extra few days after fermentation and it should clear up.

[@andrzejsewe]

Ciekawe i w sumie fajne zastosowanie popularnego destylatora wody do produkcji domowego alkoholu. Mam jednak jedną uwagę co do zakończenia destylacji przy poziomie 0,8 litra przy 60% alkoholu co jest bardzo dużą utratą alkoholu. Myślę że można odebrać to 0,8l i kontynuować zbieranie dalej do drugiego naczynia. W ten sposób można jeszcze odebrać około 0,3 l alkoholu o mocy około 40%. Ten odebrany alkohol można ponownie przedestylować. Pierwszy sposób dodając go do następnej destylacji, drugi sposób po zebraniu odpowiedniej takiego alkoholu i zmieszaniu z wodą 1:1, taką mieszankę ponownie destylujemy otrzymując ponownie alkohol dobrej jakości o mocy 60%.

[@TheGreatest1974]

Thankyou I will try that. You mean take away the 800ml, and just filter it like it is? Or take it away and dilute it?

[@tedlovesbbws1]

hi i bought an air still for hand sanitizer can i run the whole 4lts through in one go thank you ted

[@donnarobb1095]

very good video

[@outie555two]

thanks, hope you get/got a lot of information from the series :D

[@WesTpaintninjagc]

Do you find leaving it longer to clear gives you a better result with the airstill.. I did two washes on my first run one came out well the second made me a bit sick. Second wash was slightly grey as i think i went too early. Any tips you can give me for the air still maybe leaving ferment an extra day and clear an extra day? Im in aus also qld.. And also no 2. So you get 1L out of it which is 200 above the 800 recommended. But that is 40-45% so no need to add water?

[@outie555two]

I've put washes that were grey from not sitting long enough in the fermenter once I've added the clearing agents. It still worked in the still but I had to clean the inside of the still afterwards from the buildup on the sides. Best to let the wash sit for a few days after you've added the clearing agents, or at least until it's nice and clear. Will smell less when distilling and less mess to clean out of your still. From the still I get 1.2L at 40% per run, and don't add water to dilute as it's already at the right percentage. The way the instructions tell you to do it will produce better tasting spirits but at 35% alcohol. But if you are then filtering through a carbon filter you probably won't notice any difference.

[@TheGreatest1974]

@@outie555twoyou said you don’t water it down but you did water it down in the video?

[@willcollis4544]

a teaspoon of honey to the finish spirits takes the edge of a bit, I think it is an old shiners trick.

[@karlfowler3742]

Vegetable Glycerin it the old Shiner trick you are thinking of.

[@skurvy8496]

If you havent already, maybe look into a tpw/birdcatchers wash or an FFV, no need for turbo yeast, no clearing agents, no charcoal filtering etc. And its shitload cheaper and wont have that "rubbery" taste you discribe.

[@outie555two]

I tired with gerbers baby food. worked but not high alcohol from the wash. think it was 12-14% before hitting the still. its in this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rafamXqHmMd2aLs

[@metalmulishajason]

Damn, i just use water , 8KG sugar and 1 pkt of yeast and leave it for 1 month. and that's it... ive never heard of this carbon packet. But i do use a homemade refux still and condenser with marbles in the stem.

[@outie555two]

Yeah that's still a great way to do it. The carbon and clearing agents really do cut down the time though if you want to have a drink earlier, but if you have plenty of booze in reserve its still going to achieve the same result your way, just requires more time

[@ProTurbo1988]

Where did get the ceramic beads. Thank you.

[@outie555two]

Just use google and search for "Still Spirits Ceramic Boil Enhancers" and hopefully you can find some online.

[@jamieadams3574]

Great videos - my question is so once you have made your drinkable spirits, is there any uses for the remaining wash, weed killer lol or something, I also wondered about continuing to distill the wash, as this would still contain some alcohol? Thinking window washing or other uses not drinking? Trying to make the most out of my time and layout per batch. Cheers!

[@ray.patterson2136]

I wonder the same things. Maybe there's a way to use that remaining as a base for another wash, or another type of spirit.

[@stonedsavage7814]

@@ray.patterson2136 that would most likely kill the yeast.

[@sandycole4047]

I use the wash in the garden. Good nutrients I was told and didn't do any harm, cold.

[@sandycole4047]

Oops sorry 😞. I was talking about the original wash in the fermenter.

[@karlfowler3742]

Yes you can continue to distill the alcohol out down to 0. However, you will begin to pick up Fusel Oils in the lower percentages. I go to 40% on stripping runs and 60% when making cuts. Check out the "Still It" page. Jesse is the best teacher on KZbin.

[@sydthegoat88]

That flame showed high methanol as it was all blue. Ethanol burns blue with a distinct orange tip

[@outie555two]

Myth number 1.

[@TEKutso]

Sugar washes don't have methanol, as there are no fruits or grain in the wash. Methanol forms from the pectin in fruits and grains. So you are most certainly wrong about this.

[@sydthegoat88]

@@TEKutso Not sure about that, you dont know whats added to some sugar. The chemistry can get wierd. Methanol is just a more broken down chain of ethanol. Like splitting sugar into smaller chains like invert sugar, stuff might happen under different heat/pressure/ph conditions. Or addind stuff might add as a catylyst to that reaction. Prob some of industry tech is proprietry no doubt

[@TheAlbiCollier]

Considering buying two stills to help with the yield and redistilling without having to use taps, thermometers and running water.

[@TheAlbiCollier]

I now have 3 airstills haha thanks!

[@TheAlbiCollier]

Made a couple of dozen bottles hahaha what a journey thanks!

[@tyannabeasley69]

I did Exactly what was said and my alcohol turned into vinegar what happened?

[@MrMusickey]

Tyanna Beasley Sounds like an acetobacter infection. Did you sterilise your buckets and everything that would touch the wash? Could be a leaky bubbler or opening the lid too often during fermenting.

[@joakim1967]

Whats the brand of the timer? Looking for one thats works with half hours.

[@outie555two]

Unbranded. It was a cheap $5 one. Still works great. But now technology has progressed, and you can get Smart power point plugs that have phone companion apps to go along with them. Most cheap ones will have a timer option in the app. I got some from ALDI, Medion brand and use the life plus app which is compatible with Google/apple/alexa home

[@gungorayar6667]

Hi,I have the same distilling machine as yours ,and I adjust the heating between 85 and 95 degrees as advised ,but after distilling one littre the alcohol that comes is 35 degrees.If I prepare the ingredient with 4 kilo of sugar and active yeast-100gr-will I get a higher degree of alcohol,or what should I do,thanks

[@TheGreatest1974]

I always buy ‘still spirits’ pure yeast, carbon & wash clearer in a multipack from eBay. Then I mix 6 bags of sugar into my wash at 30 degrees to start away.

[@dannieleddelson5612]

About the distiller, can i use it to make distilled rice wine?

[@karlfowler3742]

It will no longer be wine if you distill it. It will be Rice Brandy.

[@drdzdd]

thanks for the video, where can I find your still ? Its nowhere to be found

[@toxictina135]

Amazon. Once I get enough extra money I plan on getting one so I can make RSO Rick simpson oil for cancer patients.

[@ProTurbo1988]

how much head you discard at the beginning ....1 once ?

[@outie555two]

Yeah about 30 ml or 1 oz or 1 shot.

[@ProTurbo1988]

@@outie555two where did you get those ceramic beads, thank you

[@ChelseaJadeC]

Is it just the alcohol at the start that's highly flammable or is all of it?

[@kimjong-un2830]

The alcohol is more pure n concentrated at the start the longer u run the weaker alcohol content thats dripping out

[@fenderblues1744]

Hi. Is there any smell to this before or after putting in the clearing solution. Such as Camden smell or taste, thanks.

[@outie555two]

there will be a smell of watered down alcohol with charcoal. not sure what Camden smells like. it wont be too offensive.

[@fenderblues1744]

@@outie555two Thanks. Camden is used to kill and stop any bacteria from forming in Beer and Wine. It has horrible smell and taste it's in some of the clearing agents. Im trying some P potassium Sorbate to clear at the moment no smell as yet.

[@outie555]

Well the turbo clear stuff (pretty sure it's made from fish scales) doesn't have any strong odours.

[@fenderblues1744]

@@outie555 OK thanks.

[@darrenguy4300]

hey bro where do you buy the ceramic balls and the conditioner

[@outie555two]

eBay. You in Australia?

[@darrenguy4300]

@@outie555two thanks no i am from the Caribbean

[@youcoool12]

What air still do you have?

[@outie555two]

Still Spirits

[@X1Rules]

Hi, I have a question what is the temperature of the distiller because i bought a new temperature control distillers for water and alcohol and i set it up on 78 degrees alcohol boiling point but nothing happened!!

[@outie555two]

Try 90 deg Celcius but not much higher

[@X1Rules]

Thanks bro

[@keithwilson9378]

what 78 degress dont make alcohol try 140

[@melissamay5995]

I have just brought the air still and it says only use tripple distilled yeast (turbo yeast and carbon) is this true or have you used other yeasts if so how was the outcome thanks for the informative videos mate 😀

[@outie555two]

You can use other yeasts. You will get the best results though with what they recommend. As this type of still is called a pot still, and the purity won't be as high as reflux stills. What it comes down to is the taste of the spirit and how long you need to filter it after distilling. If you don't use the carbon in the wash it will still work and produce the same amount of alcohol, but it might need to be filtered twice once distilled, and the still will smell more when distilling. If you have a good filter for your spirits (once distilled) you probably won't notice any difference other than the still smells more when running.

[@karlfowler3742]

You can use any wash you want. The reason they use Turbo Yeast is because it makes a higher Percentage Wash. Most Yeast will die off with High Alcohol washes. Beer Yeast stops at about 10% and Wine yeast stops at about 14%. Bread Yeast works about the same as Wine yeast but offers a different flavor.(more for Corn Liquor) Turbo Yeast and DADY Yeast will go up to about 21%. With the limitation of one gallon you want the highest alcohol content you can get. I like to do what is called Stripping runs where you take your wash and just distill it down to about 40%. I use the anti-foaming agent with a wash to prevent it from rising and coming out the condenser. You know it happened if milky wash comes out. If it happens turn off the Still and Wait at least a half an hour before you open it. Add the anti-foam or a pat of Butter and start over. Do that a few times and then take your alcohol, mix it together with like batches and then proof it down to 40% with clean water and re- distill it. Don't run anything higher than 40% in your Still. Make your cuts during this run. You will need a Proof and Tralle Hydrometer to do the proofing.

[@harveysharma6756]

Any Alternative to ceremic beads ? Couldnt find near me at a short notice

[@outie555two]

You can do it without it but keep an eye on it in case it boils and throths up. It will need the solution added to help stop it. Alternatively smash an old ceramic cup or plate into small pieces. Maybe that would work but not sure.

[@bobtheelectrician6692]

Take an old ceramic coffee cup, put it into an old sock and smash it to bead-size pieces with a hammer. The goal is to have particles with unglazed surface area to moderate the boil.

[@jacksonstombaugh8553]

Marbles or cleaned pennies made pre 1960s works

[@ryanthethumb]

Does it cost much in electric

[@outie555two]

Probably not too much, maybe 10c or something. If I remember next time I do it, I'll connect it through my electronic meter plug which will let me know the amount of current drawn and estimated cost, but really didn't see my power bill spike or anything. Plus if you have off peak electricity rates you could always run it then.

[@VentureWelding]

Okay just a few things I wanted to clarify. Not everyone disgards the TAILS. IN FACT you can actually save up your tails from every run, and run them through again. SECOND I wanted to say, to the creator and everyone please don't use yucky city treated tap water when diluting your spirits. It ends up giving off tastes in the finished product. Water companies use a variety of chemicals and chlorine to treat the water being provided to your home YUCK! WHY put that in a drink youre aiming to enjoy and taste as you consume it. It's ALWAYS BEST to use distilled water. It's 1.00 per gallon at the grocery store, don't be cheap, be smart. It took a week to get the product this far, as well as resources, yeast, sugar etc...don't cut corners when it comes to the final flavor of your product. It just doesn't make sense. Take pride in what you do, short of that you're pissing in the wind. Just my professional opinion

[@outie555two]

In Australia we have really good tap water, and on top of that, it's getting filtered through activated carbon to be even cleaner tasting. My amateur opinion 😅

[@CT--ed1gt]

What is in Part A and Part B? Any home made alternatives?

[@outie555two]

Fish guts and scales. Alternative is to let gravity sink any sediments but that will take a few days to a week.

[@outie555two]

You potentially could use finnings made for beer

[@bobtheelectrician6692]

Look at the KZbin video entitited "Clearing homebrew with bentonite"

[@cryptoponics]

@Samael Part A is kielosol and Part B is chitosan. If you are doing this a lot it is much more economical to purchase 1 liter bottles of each and add 10 mL of kielosol (part A), wait an hour or two and then add between 30 - 60 mL of chitosan (Part B).

[@harmfpv]

Maybe a stupid question, but any idea what kind of chemicals you add to clear the liquid carbon and to prevent the foaming? Anything that could be harmfull or done otherwise?

[@outie555two]

It's called finnings. I think it's made out of fish scales. They use the same stuff at the end of a beer ferment. But it won't end up in the spirits in the end as if any of it is in the still it won't evaporate and condense like the alcohol does.

[@karlfowler3742]

The anti-foaming agent is food grade Silicone and remains in the Pot when distilling. Look at Five Star Defoamer 105. It looks the most cost efficient and only takes about 2 drops for 5 gallons of Wash.

[@russquinn6099]

Hi, I use turbo yeast, and after 2 and a half hours my alcohol is 70%, I run it for another 30 to 40 mins and its still at 50%, so in all,I end up with 2 litres of 40% alcohol. So out of 24 litres of wash, I can get 7 to 8 litres, just by experimentation.

[@youcoool12]

Hey, what kind of still did you use? I ha e the same as in the video but i can controll tempreture between 85 and 108 C. But the one in the video he cant controll temp, si wondering if i shoud turn the temp all the way up.

[@RM-nm4bn]

Can you use a water distiller?

[@outie555two]

It is possible, but may need modification to make the temperature lower so it doesn't boil

[@Apollo-p1l]

You can. The wash will boil off the alcohol before the water anyway. It wont get to the boiling point of water until the alcohol has gone. Good for 50% alcohol distiilling anyway. You can modify them but it wont make much difference, will just make the process slower.

That IS a water distiller. Exact same machine.

[@youcoool12]

@@Apollo-p1l Hey, just have a question, i have the same still just with temp controll between 85 and 108 C. So what you are saying is that i can turn the twmp above the recommended 90C?

[@Apollo-p1l]

@@youcoool12 Mine has no temperature control at all. All thats required is you to regularly taste whats coming off it. You know from the taste when to stop. If its basically water, stop distillation. You will end up with 40 to 50 % alcohol depending on when you stop distillation.. If you know roughly what alcohol content your original wash is then you will also know the amount to expect after distillation.

[@brianleabo6295]

Why what are you using carbon?

[@outie555two]

For turbo yeast and pot still

[@MrJWise21]

shit, I've been calling that alco-meter a hydrometer all these years. I feel like a fool now.

[@outie555two]

Heck it's basically the same thing, but I think hydrometers measure alcohol content for beer and wine. But I could be wrong. I have both.

[@MrJWise21]

@@d.harris8635 anything around room temperature should give you proper readings. The density of a liquid only really changes at its state changing temps. At 32F the same amount of liquid would fit in a smaller container and look like less liquid but if weighed should be equal. I only bring this up because whatever temperature he is measuring at is most likely the temperature he is drinking it at and as long as he isn't selling it, precise measurements are overkill. Theoretical question: Shouldn't we measure ABV at body temp to see how it really effects the body?

[@cryptoponics]

@@d.harris8635 The temperature corrections are very small unless the temperature of your distillate is 20 C or more divergent from ambient temperature.

[@namenameson8353]

whats going on outie555? great vid. i just got an air still myself, your vid has been very useful. what i dont get is when you say the air still filters get expensive compared to the ultimate spirit filter, but as far as i can tell the air still filters are cheaper, so i dont get that. eg. ebay you can get 50 for $38.50 and run 1.4L per one so thats like $0.77 per run... then if you get the ultimate spirit filter the carbon is actually expensive too, they sell this carbon for $27 for 2kg or $115 for 10kg and if as you say in your vid you use 250g per run of 1.4L that works out to be about $2.80 per run compared to $0.77, so i dont get that. anyway just wanted to say i thought this video was very well done, keep it up, but if you get a minute answer me this filter question because im thinking ill stick with the air still filters for now as far as i can tell. cheers m8

[@outie555two]

glad you liked the video series mate. To clarify, the 250g of granular carbon filters the entire batch I make per ferment with both fermenters, so in essence 8 L of neutral spirit. I measure the 250 g with a cup size, so it's not by weight, rather by volume when dry. I still have at least half my 2kg bag which I bought a few years ago too. I do like using the air still filters if I am only doing a small batch with just the still spirits fermenter. If you are only doing a couple of liters of filtering then I reckon just stick to the airstill ones as it is simpler and you already have the equipment. Bigger batches, then it's easier to use the ultimate spirit filter or something like it as you can pour the spirits in from a container into the filter then out to another container with out much interaction. Handy to do overnight.

[@namenameson8353]

outie555 Oh I see. That makes sense. Thanks for explaining that.

[@PabloRobo1]

Why do you dilute with tap water? You should use distilled water - from your air-still

[@outie555two]

why because I cant notice the difference especially as it gets filtered with activated carbon before drinking.

[@bradykeyes6478]

100

[@nastasedr]

Why would there be any methanol? Any normal fermentation of any sugar, fructose, maltose and the like will only give ethanol not methanol.

[@outie555two]

Exactly

[@truthobservatory6767]

There will be trace amounts of methanol but not enough to harm you in this small of a batch

[@jpmangen]

Keep the tails and add to the next batch

[@outie555two]

That's a good tip

[@jgbelmont]

Tap water ugh. Put coconut water in it next time. Or at least distilled. Far smoother.

[@outie555two]

Australian tap water isn't too bad. Plus you're distilling the water once it's finished fermenting so I don't see the point of adding distilled water to make the wash. Maybe for beers and ciders but can't see how it would work for spirits. Have you tried it and did it work for spirits?

[@ivormectin.3046]

The amount of ethonol is tiny.. No need to bother... I never have...

[@cryptoponics]

@Frank Keller , I am guessing you meant to say "methanol" and you are right, with a sugar wash the methanol is negligible.

[@mnkybndit]

Give up on those smelly turbo washes and try a tomato paste wash,look for "birdwatchers". I used the turbo once... Never again, it smells like metho.

[@outie555two]

Yeah I am interested. I tried one with cereal and bread yeast but it didn't have as much alcohol as the turbo stuff.

[@GuthrieDennis]

Skip all the rubbish your putting in there. Get yourself a dimmer / speed controller like this one m.harborfreight.com/router-speed-control-43060.html to adjust the kettle temperature. Also use a old computer power chord for the fan (same connector) run on full for 1 hour or first drips then switch to variable at about 75% power adjust until you get about 2 drips per second. Takes about 4 hours to run down to 20% at that point it’s a waste of time to distill any longer.

[@youcoool12]

Hey, what temp shoud you aim for?

[@mattrotack7555]

I did this method collecting 800 and cutting to 40% and filtering 3 times through a brita Tastes like petrol 🤮🤮 Absolute shit

[@outie555two]

Try filtering through activated carbon with a filter that does a drip or two a second.

[@АлексейЕринский]

Сифилис