How To Make Potato Vodka

I have wanted to make potato vodka for a long time. Why I'm not entirely sure, I guess I just like to try different things.
It turns out potatoes vodka tastes great. A little different, but interesting and unique.
This new video using Sweet Potato is even better:
• How To Make Sweet Pota...
If you want to make your own you can follow this recipe:
20 kg (44 lb) of high starch, or roasting potatoes. Brushed not peeled.
5.5 kg (12 lb) of crushed malted barley
Plenty of water (present to drink water)
3 tablespoons of bakers yeast (I used "Angel")
Put the potatoes into a large pot and steam them for 45 min (or until tender and easily crushable)
Mash well
Add 8-10L of water ( 2.1 - 2.6 gal)
Mix well and ensure all larger pieces of potato are crushed
Slowly mix in the malted barley
Gently bring the temp up to 63 c (146 f)
Let mash for one hour (or until you pass the starch test)
Cool to pitching temp 25c ( 77 f)
Pitch the yeast and ferment at 25c
Let ferment go until fermented out. Optionally let the ferment sour slightly by waiting another 1-3 days.
Strip distil the whole batch
(you will either need to strain the wash first or use a suitable still to distil on the grain)
Distil the low wines with 3-4 plates or reflux still.
Make appropriate cuts and proof down to your desired abv/proof.
ENJOY!
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[@StillIt]

FOLLOW UP, I turned some of this potato vodka into a "Savoury Potato Gin" Check that out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZmGZpWuKg7l0d80

[@machematix]

I don't know why KZbin recommended this to me. I do some homebrew beers/ciders a bit, (ginger, stout, and a feijoa this winter) but have never distilled anything or googled distilling. However, I'm subscribed now. Super informative and funny!

[@user-os1in7kt5j]

I was going to suggest putting a branch of Dill in some for a few days. Serve with pirogi and Kielbasa.

[@jasonprier1476]

Try a paint mixer and drill

[@blackgriffinxx]

funny note about potato. Most Apple ,onion and potato have same taste. It more the smell than taste or what you add to them or how cook them. weird note. they have been cooked in similar ways across every point. hash, PIE ,bake ,roasted, bread, fried ,candied , stuffed.

[@grizzlyaddams3606]

Ugh... I was super into the video until you cheated. Lame.

[@Cinos03]

yknow, ive cooked potatoes so many times in my adult life, i had no idea I was 1 step into making potato vodka. this changes everything.

[@saidarahaasayyangalam3445]

Also the first step towards shitting the next day.. 😂

[@tonylopez6585]

Bruh there was like 30 steps after he cooked the potatoes

[@therearenonamesinthevoid5772]

Distillation is a pain in the ass if you're not in love with it, more like 47 steps away. But yeah, sugary potato water is coming close to it.

[@jeremyoosthuizen62]

@@tonylopez6585 Right! But every journey starts with the first step. Go for it, Andrew!

[@joshuar3632]

Ever replaced a tire on your car? 1 step close to doing the brakes too...🤯

[@AMBEE-sp2ev]

In Soviet Russia, Potatoes are made from Vodka.

[@Aiken47]

Poland too

[@adonygrapes]

Poland na na na they do it a little different there first they get some ripe bananas turn it into vodka then make potato’s out of vodka

[@themarathon6217]

Nobody: Restaurants in Soviet Russia: I'll have the potatoes. Waiter: you mean the vodka

[@adamdrozdzewski7021]

@@Aiken47 Its true , I want to say this.

[@russelmartin1976]

@James Rhodes no he meant what he said, it was a joke.

[@conornolan8547]

Potatoes were one of the main ingredients in making Poitín after alcohol was taxed in Ireland (from 1661 onwards). This was because potatoes were, by then, in abundance and very cheap as opposed to local Grain (Wheat, Barley and Oats) which became scarce and expensive due to it being grown for export. While making your brew if you were to add in a small element of of turf dried malted grains, for the conversion of Starch to Sugar, and after that process, mash in a small amount of Crowberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Apples and Plums - you would have the basis for a pretty good Irish Poitin. It would all be distilled in a Pot Distiller and, if there was time, put through again. Similar methods and recipes were common in the UK and particularly in Scotland where they called it Moonshine (not to be confused with US Moonshine which is largely made from Corn).

[@JustChris47]

To hell with taxes

[@nfsrome]

Never knew there was multiple type of moonshine from different nationalities, nice fun fact

[@JustChris47]

@@nfsrome all distilled alcohol is technically moonshine, the only reason it was our is called moonshine is because it's distilled in the hills under the moonlight. But today all alcohol starts off as a clear spirit till it enters a barrel

[@davehall8921]

Am I right in thinking that the term Moonshine came about because you could only safely use the Stills on dark and moonlit nights? Thank you. 👍

[@timoleary92]

​@@davehall8921That is correct. Illicit stills historically operated at night, when nosey people are all asleep.

[@Redmile2006]

I have no idea what this guy's talking about but it makes me happy to watch someone teach something they're passionate about!

[@LarVikCar]

I don't know how I ended up here, but found this to be really interesting and you seem awesome!

[@robertbordevik5072]

Same!

[@thegoodvibesgemini]

💀

[@northbound4469]

no cap imma get right on it

[@somelonelyweeb2062]

Tbh same,idk how I got here but im still watching

[@TanMan741]

Same here

[@chrisfryer3118]

you pretty much covered everything I learned in 8 years of distilling, in 20 mins..

[@lukewarmwater6412]

so you could say the information was distilled?

[@kirkjohnson9353]

@@lukewarmwater6412 hahaha

[@HauntedChronicles]

True, but learning how is not mastering...there is still Art among the Science.

[@lukewarmwater6412]

@@HauntedChronicles I agree, without question.... couldnt help being a smartass though.

[@HauntedChronicles]

@@lukewarmwater6412 I loved the pun...I have a dark side, too. :-)

[@brotheradam]

My great grandmother used to make it on the back of the coal stove during the winter.. She used the main potato for Bobka and for Potato Bread and for Pirogi, but she used the peels for the vodka... she went through hundreds of pounds of potato ever winter in the celebration bobka etc.. so using peels only was OK.. but as you did, her shortcut for Pierogi was to boil the whole potato, then scoop out the centers for the pierogi dishes, and toss the peels in the pot for vodka. Bobka she peeled to potato before shredding, but, not a problem as again the skins went in the pot, and when full enough, she added rye flour to it, and then it went in closet and next pot went on back of stove..lol..a cycle- I wish 4 year old me had taken more notes as ere in Jamaica I only get Vodka when I fly to USA

[@peckhamian]

Do you have Polish roots? You say "pierogi" which are Polish dumplings :-)

[@jus1taj]

That’s pretty cool man.

[@rowanbrecknell4021]

You Kiwis ahead of the game. I have an old copper head still made in New Zealand. Been over 14 years now still cooking no probs.

[@RetroGamerzzzMUSIC]

That was usual thing in our villages in Poland. Most of farmers had own alcohol made form potatoes through 100s of years. My grandfather is still master in it.

[@mumblesbadly7708]

My Polish grand-aunt made her own vodka, some of which I was given to drink when I was 8 years old. Holy CRAP (!!!)… I got a BIT socked on the small glass of it I had!

[@talosgak1236]

@@mumblesbadly7708 Least alcohol addicted person in Poland

[@mumblesbadly7708]

@@talosgak1236 LOL, ‘cept I don’t live in Poland. That grand-aunt was visiting us in the US.

[@nugsymalone1247]

I quit drinking, but my drink of choice was Polish vodka. Nobody makes it better than the Pols

[@adamkozianowski4910]

To have a better yield they let the potatoes freeze first

[@jcbrothers2489]

"Im gonna sleep early tonight" Also me at 3 am: ah yes vodka

[@StillIt]

Ahhh, the youtube rabbit warren! Hope you got some sleep in the end haha.

[@affani215]

it's litterally 03:05 am for me right now when i finished this video and scrolled down to read the comments XDD , this is soo accurate XDD

[@lordrocountinsnacks5742]

3:20 for me, half way through the video lol

[@michaelfeather1494]

2:55am. I think there is some sort of time vortex leading to this point.

[@keijbee]

3:06, same bro

[@dcr645]

First alcohol-making video I've ever watched and your energy is infectious. im just happy now. cheers from 🇸🇪!

[@eyesredfromtheweedismoke1435]

"Boil it, mash it, stick it in a stew" a quote from one of the best films ever made!

[@slurdrip]

When the DNA test says you’re 50% Irish and 50% Russian

[@lestererikssonl]

Or just 100% Russian

[@RustedCroaker]

Russians make vodka from wheat or rye. Potato vodka is a Polish thing not Russian.

[@areleve5479]

I'm 70.4% Irish

[@lestererikssonl]

@@RustedCroaker yeah, it’s a joke dude

[@RustedCroaker]

​@@lestererikssonl A joke must be at least near the truth to pretend to be funny. Russians doesn't make and doesn't drink a potato vodka. It's that simple. It's like burbon and scotch. Both are whiskies, but made from complitly different cereals and in complitly different countries.

[@doditamihai]

Teacher: please no eating or drinking Me and the boys at the back of the room:

[@diartgallapeni1421]

Hahaha nice

[@Emess_902]

I always went to school with a pint and a quart along with cigs n weed. If class wasnt eventful, fuck it I was doing my own presentation in the Alley with my fellow stoners

[@tarvy624]

you're teacher ate and drank you at the back of the room even with your buddy.. i honestly hope you reported this to the school board god bless you

[@poopypooppoop1042]

@@Emess_902 lol same. I never did weed or cigs at school so that they aren’t suspicious of me but i do like to get drunk in school

[@walterjunovich6180]

Wow ! 😳 I never knew it was so much work. Truly a labor of love to do this. Hats off to you. 👍👍👍👍

[@gristledassow5373]

Excellent. I know nothing but enjoyed this immensely. Thank you!

[@davelaye7003]

I first thought "shit I'm gonna make vodka cheap from spuds" Then I saw all the equipment! Bugger!

[@StillIt]

I used the "over the top" equipment on this one just for the fun of it. I'm lucky I have it. Plenty of the other stuff I do is with much more basic equipment. Check out the new peach brandy is for example:)

[@Manup2day]

Kiwi bro?

[@duckhunter8203]

Ha ha I thought the same. When he got past mashing I was like oh dear🤦‍♂️🤣

[@sahar3547]

Same 🥺

[@jeromebreeding3302]

Does'nt look like something you could pull off at home with rudimentay equipment.

[@gabrielreis4382]

I was like ight cool I can make this at home... “ throw in the distillery” oh nvm

[@jahmulugu4425]

That gutted me as well. I remember my mum making potato alcohol for easter ones no distillery I wish I had followed each step. Was too young.

[@SuperValdez7]

@@jahmulugu4425 you can make home made stills just gotta catch the evaporated alcohol

[@Thevincent]

You can freeze destille too. You just freeze it and pour the liquid off. Repeat over and over. Only negative is that you can't make cuts

[@eliskull]

you can still do potatoes wine and use bread yeast and raw honey and or sugar I say raw honey because it has enzymes and bacteria and what not for fermenting

[@eliskull]

super easy to do bud

[@Gemories]

The first instructional on KZbin that actually makes sense

[@tomhansen7765]

As a newbie home cook using a small, 5 gallon readily available 3 pot still cooking on an electric stove, I found this video absolutely smashing. From a small American town I thank you for the excellent lesson. So far I have made several batches of grain type hootches such as corn mash and malted barley to a mix of oats, corn and barley. I have also made some blackstrap molasses rum. My highest yields were with my straight, old fashioned corn recipe which yielded a whopping 180 proof. I have found that blending my various jars to around 50% is the best sipping liquor. I have only been doing this now for a couple of years but will now definitely try a vodka distilling or 2. I managed to made a couple of batches of homemade tequilla using agave but it was too darned expensive and tasted like crap until it had set and aged for 6 months. Once again, thank you for the great lesson!

[@mrprimarch6484]

Me: Time to study This video: Want to know how to make vodka out of potato? Me: Good question lets go.

[@SAK59]

This video came up on my recommended videos and I thought, "Hey! I can make vodka from potatoes? Awesome!". After watching it, I thought, "Maybe I'll go to the Liquor Store and buy some vodka." Hats off to you and all the people who go through all of this just to make their own. That's the real spirit I admire! Great video, by the way. A lot of fun to watch!

[@Master_G86]

Same here 🥴🤣🤣🤣

[@blainej6789]

me to as I drink my coffee at 9:30am. I'm like hmm this could be easy! I got as far as "put more butter on my mashed potatoes" lol :

[@argonthesad]

That's a factory level setup.

[@theslavicimmigrant4795]

vodka has to be made from potatoes. otherwise it's not vodka.

[@SAK59]

@@theslavicimmigrant4795 Sorry. This isn't true. From Wikipedia: "Vodka may be distilled from any starch- or sugar-rich plant matter; most vodka today is produced from grains such as sorghum, corn, rye or wheat. Among grain vodkas, rye and wheat vodkas are generally considered superior. Some vodkas are made from potatoes, molasses, soybeans, grapes, rice, sugar beets and sometimes even byproducts of oil refining[32] or wood pulp processing."

[@DROKMELCHISALEM]

He is so funny. Great sense of humor, I mean the kind you hear around Washington, DC Upscale-High-End Restaurant-Bar or Night Club-Bar. Thanks for sharing ♥️!

[@alexnoya6910]

I know this is an old video, but I am so intrigued by this process. I looked this up on a whim because I was curious now I want to learn more and get my own still.

[@robertreed164]

"The beauty of this hobby is you do whatever the hell you want. You make stuff the way you like." Brilliant, Sir, simply brilliant.

[@tristanbulluss9386]

Like meth?.

[@humlakullen]

Most vodkas are made with grain, but my absolute favorite vodka is the ones made with potato. My favorite brand is "Chopin". Perfectly chilled, it feels like you are drinking water. That's how smooth it is. No kerosene after taste like from Smirnoff, for example.

[@everettamador9870]

Smeared-Off-The-Wall.....a fairly good paint thinner!!....

[@Limejuice305]

Chopin is nice. I'm a belvedere man myself

[@MigorRortis]

Any other potato vodkas?

[@isetta4083]

@@MigorRortis Vodka Metropolis is a nice Polish Potato vodka, its a middle shelf type drink but I like the stuff, cheap in the UK too

[@snatchhog]

Silent Sam

[@ballsrgrossnugly]

I recently tried crystal head vodka for the first time, and it wasn't like any other vodka I had ever had. If I was to describe it, it would be pretty much exactly the way you describe yours, I think you made crystal head mate!

[@Jack-gn4gl]

Yes good drop

[@michaelmckinley2221]

was watching a documentary about potato... reminded they can be converted into vodka, my next search brought me here... Love your T Shirt.... also i am going to marathon your videos, to get "up to steam" about the equipment and process.... I was hoping for something less complicated, and more back yard.... but I am really enjoying the show. 100

[@ishansarraf333]

I just came here because my chemistry teacher didn't teach me practically. Cheers 🥂

[@StillIt]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@forecaster182]

"I like flavor" -drinks vodka

[@chanux]

Finding flavor in unlikely places should have its own thrill.

[@edim108]

On one side yeah. But there is a huge difference between cheaply made vodka and actually high-quality one. I don't know what it is, but the good ones just don't burn on the way down like the cheap stuff. Vodka can be flavourful, but you have to know what to look for.

[@poopypooppoop1042]

@@chanux that’s what she said

[@Gingersrevenge2]

I don’t know how at first glance I read it as “how to make a potato from vodka” but it got me really hyped

[@Turbobrat_Motorsports]

Stumbled upon this video, as a suggestion from KZbin. Watched it all the way through, and you just earned yourself a new subscriber!! Cheers!! Great job. Can't wait to dive into some of your other creations.

[@timg2727]

"Were gonna be pushing this pot to the limit." - Snoop Dogg, probably

[@michaelkartman3543]

“It makes me want to do weird things” This is exactly how I want to feel after sipping my vodka.

[@captainjules6033]

Funny, I don't get this feeling 'till I've drank a _lot_ of vodka.

[@michaelkartman3543]

@@captainjules6033 Drink enough of an booze and you’ll want to do weird things 😂

[@poopypooppoop1042]

Nah thats sober me. Drunk me likes to sit down and watch south park while playing around with guns

[@michaelargenta3856]

Try blowing air out after u sip any liquer gulps. The burning stuff is on the bottom, so if you blow are out it will get rid of the bad flaver for a smoothier taste//..

[@ginosko_]

@@michaelkartman3543 lmao "AN" BOOZE

[@annvandermerwe7763]

Thanks loved watching very interesting from SA

[@HepCatJack]

Some questions: - Have you considered using Cassava instead of potatoes ? It's a big starchy tuber used in Central America much like potatoes are used. Some places even make French fries from Cassava. - Other option sweet potato ? The sweet potato must have more fermentable sugars right off the bat that need not be broken down from starches or perhaps a mix of yellow beets and sweet potato. - Wine Yeast can go up to 20% of alcohol per volume before the ethanol starts to kill it. It's a way to get more of it from your mash. - Have you tried putting a bay leaf in your vodka ? - How do you exclude the Methanol that comes out in the beginning ? How do you know when the methanol is gone and your still is now producing ethanol ? Is there come chemical test ? Thanks

[@kjb5128]

Isn't cassava very poisonous if prepared wrong? I feel like the distillation process could make that worse

[@HepCatJack]

@@kjb5128 potatoes too if exposed to sunlight they become green

[@ibandribew]

I've been researching distilling cassava as well. I'm quite confident it's doable (a mixture of two enzymes will break down all the starches), and I'm fairly confident it's safe (though there are different cassava plants of varying toxicity), and you can simply use tapioca starch if you want to be certain of safety, because it's just cassava starch. While plenty of people ferment cassava, I haven't seen much evidence of distilling it. I suspect it's an issue of cost benefit for companies, but home distilling it sounds really fun.

[@colonelwirehead2045]

HOT TIP: A power drill with a paint mixer will sort it out for you quite quickly, no need to hand mash.

[@StillIt]

For sure. I think I mentioned it didn't I? Perhaps that was another video.....they all blend into one hahaha. Cheers mate

[@igorpotocnik7231]

2:56

[@LAMBRIGHTCONSTRUCTIONLLC]

@@StillIt are you the kangaroo kind? Or the kind attached to Scotland? Either way the kangaroo people are better

[@anne-droid7739]

@@LAMBRIGHTCONSTRUCTIONLLC I don't think he's either one--that accent sounds Kiwi to me.

[@LAMBRIGHTCONSTRUCTIONLLC]

@@anne-droid7739 ahhhh saint Brenton Terrant

[@emceeunderdogrising]

I started drinking vodkas a few years back because it was for the most part perceived as neutral. Than I tried some locally distilled vodka made with local grapes. It had this extremely subtle cognac finish to it. Very smooth. Good vodka has a huge range of notes to it.

[@geraltofrivia3344]

It’s by far the easiest liquor to drink

[@califranky]

@@geraltofrivia3344 That is the original recipe of vodka with grapes, now days they have forgotten this though as they promoted potato being the real one and made everyone believe it to normalise it.

[@kronop8884]

@@califranky Cereal grains not grapes is the traditional recipie when making vodka. The use of potatoes originate in Sweden by the work of Eva Ekeblad, the first woman elected to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences,in 1748 for Her work with the potato, including how to make vodka out of potatoes,

[@bigboiganiga8356]

@@califranky If vodka is created before 1740s, it must be made something other than potato because it it the Brits that introduced potato to the world as potato originated from the Americas. There were no potato in Europe before.

[@ginosko_]

Drinking bad for u

[@michaeldaigle7207]

I was already going to watch this, then you threw in that "what's taters, precious?" and i was completely sold on the channel. Subscribed.

[@StillIt]

😂😂😂

[@Jennifer-jt9cb]

The way I always did it was to cut some potatoes apart, throw them into water in something like an ice cream bucket (anything with a lid) then seal it up and let it ferment for a couple months. After that, I would mix in a bunch of fruit juice along with several berries to give it a good flavor, and let that ferment for a while, and voila: potato liquor.

[@ricardoroxas7690]

My third-world chemical engineering degree is drooling at your home setup. Loved the video!

[@Shadow-or2bv]

So uk

[@isellcatlitter]

my grandpa used to tell me stories about making sour mash whiskey in the 1930's and how he used to beat the feds, he died in 1970 at the age of 84....i wished i made him tell me the recipe and how he made his copper and brass stills, but i was only 6 years old at the time... should a, would a, could a....

[@billbill7894]

Copper is for the worm needs to be coiled and housed in something you can flow cold watter through have a good old metal milk jug thats idk about 2 feet tall make a cone hedder with a hose out the top (all have to handle the heat and pressure) also when it gets down to about 40% keep a keen eye if it stops being clear stop the run and toss the non clear stuff. Make sure you filter through a char coal filter

[@TheReader6]

I don’t drink and I love this channel.

[@954dsm25psi]

Im so glad i happened to find this. Now i have to go watch the rest of your videos.

[@appledroplarry]

I would be drunk as a skunk half way through the video. The 2nd half of the video would be me sitting in my backyard in my underwear talking to my dogs.

[@gordslater]

I drank so much I can't even see your dogs, but I can hear them.

[@jonathanpelser8218]

Lol sounds accurate

[@desktopevil]

This is the right way to do it

[@flyingdickcheese3577]

I would probably do the same 😂

[@sgarnon]

Excuse me, it's called "Assessment" lol

[@andrewmatchette7496]

“Very very very slowly” *proceeds to dump all the barley in at once*

[@Emess_902]

If they pass the flick test. You ight

[@colinwhite5355]

Gave up spirits two years ago - need to find a way of watching this fella without being drawn back in. Great presentation- just the right mix of warmth, humour, information and potatoeeishness.

[@peachesschnapps2590]

Omg. Who first thought to do this process, it’s just amazing go me. Same with the whisky process, it’s just amazing. I live in Scotland not far from a lot of the stills. It’s always amazing to pass them and smell!!

[@ZOCCOK]

The whole video he went like: "Funnily enough this smells like potatoes and when I taste it, it tastes like potatoes." I love this guy 😍

[@wanderland7413]

Poitín. It's pronounced "Pot Cheen". This Potato spirit was stilled by many a house in Ireland as a Gaelic cure all for everything from muscle aches and colds to giving donkeys a lift in the cold winter months. The drink was taken as a boost against the harsh winters and to bring about the wisdom of the other side. It was common and good, until the tax collectors established them selves and after the great hunger of the 1840s and 1850s the way of the rural still became quieter. It's the original moonshine. As the Irish emigranted so brought was the Poitín.

[@nickr2663]

So that was the real cause of the great potato famine?😂

[@garyf2636]

@@nickr2663 2 million dead, 2 million emigrated.. Ireland lost 50% of its population and to this day has not recovered.. The grain warehouses in Dublin were full to bursting but London wouldnt release them as they were for exports.. English greed.. Hilariously funny, I bet you thought Schindlers list was a rom com...

[@dubhainoceanntabhail5262]

@@nickr2663 No potato famine, it was genocide. Pleanty of food in Ireland at the time but the British shipped it out to starve the Irish.

[@nickr2663]

@@dubhainoceanntabhail5262 Blah Blah Blah - Chip on your shoulder son?

[@evenlow610]

Yes and different families add different flavours like cloverock 🥰

[@andrewwalsh6401]

Don’t care for Vodka not sure how I got here, but I learned something and was interesting. Thanks for posting 👍

[@CrazyIvan865]

Okay. This is going to be long. Possibly 2 part. 1- I'm not a distiller, haven't dabbled in it yet. Not much of a chemist though I go love it and find it fascinating. That being said, oil jacketed still is an awesome thing. It keeps the entire vat at an even temperature so you don't have much to worry about anything scorching on the bottom. Great Idea 💡. I love it. That being said... I don't understand why people worry so much about scorch and tails and such. Water boils at 212F/100C, isopropenol (isopropyl alcohol) boils at 177F/80.556C (but you shouldn't be getting much, if ANY of that), Ethanol (the alcohol we want) boils off at 173F/78.3C, and Methanol (typically a methane alcohol. Poisonous/toxic, mostly comes from wood or woody vegetation, shouldn't be getting much of that either) boils off at 115.8F/46.5C (so you WOULD be getting all of the methanol). Now this does vary according to "altitude" above sea level. Actually. No. It doesn't. It varies according to atmospheric Pressure. So a simple wall thermometer/humidity/pressure guage made 100 years ago will help you fine tune it in. But for the sake of example we'll go with average barometric air pressure at sea level... if you get your still to 175F/79.4C you should be ablento let it go for 12 hours or so and it shouldn't boil off much of the water at all. Sure SOME of the dihydrogen monoxide molecules will split into hydrogen and oxygen and end up in the condenser. But is should be very very little and you should notice and obvious drip, almost a drop at a time rather than a stream. So there's that. A little bit of simple math and calculations makes it a WHOLE lot easier. As far as scorch, there IS a way to so it without an oil filled but works under almost the same principle. You put a collar around your still pot and basically make another pot around the still pot that is open on the bottom but has a "skirt" that comes down, say 3-5" past the bottom of the still pot. Then you raise the still pot up higher to where the heat hitting the bottom is mostly indirect and more or less drifts off to the sides. The heat rized to the top of the pot heating the sides and top, but as it does it cools and falls back down. The bottom half of the still pot should still be significantly warmer, but it creates an air jacket that helps to distribute the heat much more evenly with less chance of a scorch. A little engineering hack there. As far as that bottom of the batch that isn't as high proof in alcohol and tastes funky, don't throw it out. You can take the cheapest nastiest shit Vodka, run it through a Brita filter a half a dozen times or more and make a smooth top shelf Vodka that is actually HIGHER alcohol content than when it started. Why? My guess is the alcohol molecules are smaller and done soak into the charcoal as well as the water. How it works, I don't know exactly, I just know thst it dues does. Also once done with that, if it still isn't to your liking, throw in a pit of sugar, some spices and fruit into a ball jar, every day turn it upside down, the next day turn it right side up, in 2-8 weeks you'll have an incredibly good tasting flavored alcohol that is DANGEROUS because it tastes yummy and you don't realize it's over 100proof. I have also done this. I once had a party planned out with my roommates. So I got a flat (12 jars) of 1qt/.975L mason/ball jars, took 3 1.75L handles of the $7 (back in 2012) 80proof Vodka, 3 1.75L handles of the $10 100proof Vodka, mixed them all, filtered the whole batch through a Brita filter about 6 times (by the end it was coming out almost a drop at a time. It took almost 30 hours. Yes I slept in between) and then added 1/4 cup of sugar to each quart (brown for the apple and bear. White to the strawberry Banana) a bit of spices and such then rotated them for almost 30 days. The strawberry banana looked the worst but tasted good as all get out. The spiced pear snd apple pie were amazing. I will tell you. DO NOT EAT THE FRUIT. Doesn't matter if you've just been through a very bad breakup and it's the only alcohol left in the house... the fruit bits seem to absorb all the impurities, they taste like shit and you WILL get a massive headache.

[@dragonhealer7588]

The alcohol molecule is bigger than water. We use a 3A molecular sieve to dry alcohol, the water soakes into the beads which are removed and dried for re-use.

[@CrazyIvan865]

@Dragonhealer yes. After a little more research and reading scientific studies. The way that the methanol bonds, basically, it comes out the entire way through the run because it bonds more easily to the water and other molecules than the Ethanol does. Which is the purpose for a stripping run and triple distilation. Secondary or tertiary distilation will help it be more concentrated in the tails, which are often added to the next run. But even at triple distilation and even with a controlled temp you're going to get some in the heads just behind the forshots which are basically nail polish remover, and behind the heads you'll get almost even distribution of methanol that slowly ramps up the farther back you go and more water you get. So... I've learned a little more. And still have more to learn. However other sources I found suggest that, unless distilling, the amount if methanol isn't a concern. You could even do a stripping run where it's all collected in one batch after tossing the foreshots, load it up, do another stripping run where you toss the foreshots, and it would be fine, as the concentration and distribution for most alcohols is already below the legal limits. Also, after seeing how it's done commercially, my suspicion of commercial distilleries was all bur confirmed as they don't really make cuts as it's wasted product. They distill till a certain ABV is coming through, load it into a secondary, repeat and load it into a tertiary and repeat. Basically the only thin that is discarded is the foreshots which are measured and separated by the machine based on the batch volume loaded in. At least the 2 different distilleries I saw. With everclear I don't thing they separate out shit. Lol. Alcohol isn't supposed to feel hot, dry and burning, that's acetone and methanol that gives you that. Trust me on that one.lol

[@dreamwolf7302]

this reminded me of the 'moonshine' one of professors made once. He was a hobbyist, and decided to distill a vodka, but he added a bunch of blueberries, apple skins, cranberries, and pineapple juice to the mix before he distilled it. Probably the best 'jungle juice' i had in my entire 4.5 years of college.

[@skyper8934]

He added all that before fermenting it?

[@dreamwolf7302]

@@skyper8934 no idea when he added it, but it tasted amazing. My hobby is making knives and other metal items using traditional forging methods. I dont really know much about making alcohol other than that its a controlled fermentation process.

[@OmegaXis1064]

By any chance you wouldn't have a way to get the recipe, would you?

[@dreamwolf7302]

@@OmegaXis1064 I can fire off an email, see if anyone is still in contact with him. I graduated close to a decade ago, so i have lost touch with him myself.

[@RegulatedMilitia]

was this at penn state?

[@aryaanshastri2364]

i was expecting this guy to have a heavy russian accent

[@user-bw4mk7fc8c]

Me too!! I was expecting him to sound like Nicolai from COD Zombies 😆

[@ellerosewood4355]

Just started watching your channel and absolutely LOVE IT 💚 thankyou!

[@StillIt]

Glad you like it :)

[@johndavis7944]

One thing I do know about potatoes is their flavour is heavily influenced by the soil they're grown in and at different atmospheric pressure levels like at sea level and at mountain level. This would greatly influence their taste and texture. Unfortunately we are subjected to flatlands farming practices mostly around sea level or just above, so mountain grown potatoes in mountain soils are a rarity on the open market. This is when you become good friends with a hillbilly gardener. Volcanic ash soils are great for growing potatoes in. Their taste is unique and unmistakable. Try them in your vodka. Cheers 👍😀

[@ianhortonplant]

I've never searched for how to make alcoholic drinks and hardly ever drink so I have no clue why this was suggested but I was glued to the whole video! Great stuff.

[@risboturbide9396]

In such hard times, this video becomes a life-saving solution for any alcoholic. Thank you, man! 🍻🍻

[@bestopinion9257]

Yeah, so complicated to make it, you simply quit alcohol. Life-saving indeed.

[@The_Shitheads]

@@bestopinion9257🤣😂

[@hanzflackshnack1158]

Because I live next to the place that produces it, I can get good vodka for $7.50 a fifth (US). Given the skyrocketed grocery prices, I think it would be more expensive to make it myself?

[@hanzflackshnack1158]

44 pounds of potatoes for 2.6 fifths, yeah… sadly, for me at least, way cheaper to buy a bottle

[@akiamini4006]

​@@hanzflackshnack1158 yeah when they do it large its way cheaper to buy the bottle

[@WrathSkele]

i have no distilling experience whatsoever, but i'm impressed you managed to make Vodka out of Potatoes. this is interesting to watch :D

[@SantaMonicaBathroomRemod-es6xh]

Your video randomly popped up in my feed and I checked it out. I'm glad I did because it's really interesting.

[@leiladekwatro3147]

Problem is I love potatoes so much id probably never reach the steps beyond "cook mashed potatoes"

[@tinkertailor7385]

Yeah.... about halfway through it would turn into an Irish stew.

[@EMBer3000]

"I wanna do weird things." Yea, alcohol usually affects me that way too.

[@YenDiki]

Good one!

[@morrinsville23]

Long time drinker, first time viewer, really great video and great to see a kiwi channel kia ora from west auckland!

[@Vikingwerk]

I had the pleasure of experiencing a whisky tasting at Flanigans in Bertram Texas years back. They make a spirit called ‘The Creature’ from potatoes, which is pretty fierce, but the also make ‘Texas American Gothic’ which is ‘The Creature’ aged in charred oak barrels. Easily one of the finest spirits I’ve ever had the pleasure of trying. Had an amazing mouth feel that reminds me of Cream Ale style beers.

[@stanervin6108]

Glad that you mentioned the mop bucket press. Should make my grape wine making season much easier! 🍷🥃

[@StillIt]

Yeah be great for grapes!

[@BbBb-bs8wk]

Get a grape peeler. Then a screwpress

[@rageztourettez1806]

@@StillIt how long? A month good!?!

[@gc4hydro11]

This will work so good to get liguid out of my grain

[@ScottyT47]

Honestly I really appreciate you not running mid video ads! Normally when I click on a video from a channel I've never heard of and there's mid play ads I click off lol

[@ishanfernando3064]

KZbin Vanced , SponsorBlock

[@krazyhoodies]

Just buy premium bro

[@ScottyT47]

@@krazyhoodies lol nah I'm cheap, plus it gets me clicking off videos so I waste less time

[@ishanfernando3064]

@@krazyhoodies not everybody has the money to buy premium

[@krazyhoodies]

@@ishanfernando3064 Everyone has enough time to make $5 a month

[@DavidWoods-rk8st]

Mashing is cooool and satisfying

[@anthonycoffey9412]

I've dabbled in making my own mead, simple & fun to play with the recipes. This looks like a fun endeavor after I get more learned in the brewing arts 😁

[@karenwilson3968]

I just started doing mead and wine. check out 'Rain Country Homestead'. Heidi has some VERY easy recipes to get you started.

[@buggsy5]

I have never tasted mead that that I liked. Almost all is very sweet and low in alcohol. I would much rather have a fruit flavored sugar wine with an ABV of about 11 - 12% - diluted down a bit for drinking.

[@montycarlo2053]

Funny how the algorithm changes when you act as unexpected

[@StillIt]

Indeed

[@APC3370]

@@StillIt what about the “ potatoes + grains “ ? Could you feed animals with it ?

[@austin3873]

@@APC3370 if you want drunk animals😂😂

[@APC3370]

@@austin3873 i was more thinking of recycling it with added cleaned wash water plus grain

[@johnhayes7590]

My family is from Northern Maine, and after potato harvest time anything left in the fields is free game, I've always thought about doing this

[@r1madbrit]

You spent so much time explaining why you didn't have time to explain you could have explained! Jeeezuz!

[@runamonk]

Dude, your excitement and charisma made me smile the whole time watching this first of many to come videos from you. Thanks man.

[@slapnut892]

This guy is a nut in all the right ways and I love it.

[@iwantcheesypuffs]

You should try an "ancient grain" episode. That would also be interesting. Great video. Love the science meets art of making Vodka.

[@ClutchNixon]

Bootleggers and moonshiners doing youtube now? This is trickery, I ain't coming out of the woods yet.

[@StillIt]

Not for me. I'm in new Zealand, totally legal for personal consumption here :)

[@brucesieverts1236]

Stumbled upon this and now I'm jealous of the setup you've got. I want a shed like this so I could mix all sorts of concoctions.

[@StillIt]

I'm lucky in the gear department. But honestly you don't need much kit mate. Check this vid out making whiskey with minimal gear. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qajNfnVumseKrJY

[@Truecrimecommunity]

I found him like a year ago and binge watched like 3 years worth of videos one night. It’s a lot to learn, and the main thing I’ve come to determine if one wants to make it a hobby and is overwhelmed by all the stuff he teaches is first one has to decide what type of equipment they can afford and then go from there. If you isolate that, the rest comes together easily

[@yakachayu]

I'm from Russia and I don't drink at all, but huge respect to you for pronouncing it Vodka not Vadka

[@weld_everything]

As I started watching, I heard my 4 month beard whisper "I want to be like him when I grow up".

[@dylanburnell6394]

lmao, same tho.

[@cbg1609]

help my beard wont stop crying after this video, i dont know what to do

[@andreimocanu6135]

Very interesting video mate but I have a suggestion if you've interested,you could go to a fast food where they have a machine which peels 25 kilo of potatoes in 2 min and collect the peels and starch(boiling them you loose starch) and add east and honey ,let them ferment around 10 days at 25degrees Celsius and distill them after,the results will be astonishing.

[@noreenkennedy2173]

I bet they will be first with eastern flavour eh? Look after your speelings when doing your peeling. Its yeast! Wot a dummy. Still if you make poteen good man!

[@theojames5182]

I really enjoyed making this vodka it was delicious - might have missed a step in the middle as I am now permanently blind. Wonderful camera manner would be good on TV

[@Grumpy_CBG]

Dude, where have you been hiding, what an awesome chanel, definitely subscribing.👍👍

[@StillIt]

Down here in New Zealand. Best kept secret 😉. Welcome and cheers

[@dreamingwolf8382]

*distills a bunch of mashed potatoes* Huh, tastes like potato skins... Who would have guessed

[@jamesd4923]

You obviously could not appreciate having a refined taste go out and buy a good bottle of potato vodka and try it side-by-side you'll see the difference fool

[@dreamingwolf8382]

@@jamesd4923 And YOU obviously can’t appreciate fine sarcasm. Still it has an awesome palate. It’s just funny seeing the fruits of the labor being so on the nose. Pun intended- since you obviously need it spelled out for you.

[@jamesd4923]

@@dreamingwolf8382 everyone knows sarcasm is for those who cannot do AKA loser

[@boxlad7583]

@@jamesd4923 bro shut up it was a joke

[@pugwhisperer6502]

@@jamesd4923 who hurt you

[@manofthewoods826]

As an Irishman, I approve this video

[@PvtNemesis]

Brilliant video, really well presented, especially since I have no experience in distilling!

[@NatalieYu-GoalongLiquor]

That's truly remarkable!

[@ikillomega]

Just found this channel. I'm not a drinking man, but I find this stuff fascinating. Great work!

[@jadenjaeger5751]

I misread the title as "How to make potato volcano" but still found it interesting.

[@drakoinx]

Make that video

[@TheKreiben]

My grandfather use to make potato vodka. He also made potato beer. Good stuff.

[@LM-ek2hb]

Wow! I remember when this guy was fastening together pots and pans for his still. Still It has come a long way! Congratulations.

[@Morkhs]

This was a really interesting episode, have you ever thought of doing a beet molasses rum or vodka? It's probably hard to come by in New Zealand but here in Belgium I have seen a few distilleries trying it. Going to go on a bit of a nerd rant on potato economics because I felt compelled to look it up so feel free to ignore. Potatoes are actually very dense in starch but the main problem is that they are still full of water compared to grain. So most of their mass is water, around 80%, vs grain or corn that usually stand between 10 and 12% of moisture. In that way potatoes are very similar to sugar-beets, so it's normal to get lower yield by weight vs grains or table sugar. Usually grain makes the most sense economically for their higher fermentables/acreage & weight & market price but depending on your situation potatoes for alcohol production could potentially make sense. They are a very easy crop to grow yourself after all compared to barley, plus you can also eat them if home distilling is illegal in your country.

[@indulkarshailu]

:)

[@nipiiii]

This is the first time I see one of your videos and I have to say, you're awesome. Great content, super well produced, you have a great vibe, and even not understanding anything about distilling, it was super entertaining. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@pheonyxwalker9812]

I make my own mead. This video was awesome. And gave me ideas to try with my mead making.

[@jimconniesychowski3837]

Dude, you are so cool lol. We're going to watch more of your videos!

[@0sireion]

This is the first time I've seen or watched a stilling video. Very clear and fun! I'm grateful and relieved that when you taste your drink/food, you have a vocabulary and can speak about the experience in 4 dimensions! Bravo! So many KZbinrs who make their videos about tasting various foods have no words to describe them. It's just tasty or not, giving no clue about their experience nor the texture of the food. You, however, have given us vodka poetry. Keep up the high standards!

[@christianfrandfors6258]

Just a thought- different kinds of potatoes sprout at different times. A couple of weeks before they sprout the starch is converted into sugar to prepare for growing. You can actually tast it, they are sweeter. What do you think if you try to make vodka at that time? Would you get more than two liters out of 20 kilos of potatoes? Thanks for a great channel. Christian ( Fan from Sweden)

[@michaelcarey9359]

No. When you heat the potatoes in water, the starch gets opened up and hydrolyzed by the water, which is the gelatinization the guy mentioned. The "sweet" sugar of the potatoe means that the starch is being broken down, and used by the potato growing, so it's really using the starch... you would get less than what you would get from fresh, raw potatoes.

[@Etabobable]

@@michaelcarey9359 exactly

[@TBO207]

Using sunburned potatoes would give you a different taste surely, basically just look for green potatoes

[@austinmaile4547]

@@TBO207 Using green potatoes is a bad idea. Concentrating the toxins green potatoes have into a spirit would not be a good idea

[@towkukus]

Green potato is poisonous

[@kenmcmullan9330]

"The pointy end of the still..." You crack me up! 🙂

[@tonytravels2494]

You're killing it bro, congrats.

[@stevieh2501]

I drank this many years ago one morning whilst fitting someone's central heating. Blew my head clean off

[@AlphaRapax]

This man uses his beard to hide the mic, brilliant

[@leakingjar6801]

Beards of power

[@swaldron5558]

Very clever.

[@TraumaER]

Mind blown! 😱