The anatomy of my POT STILL & how it works!

[@340wbymag]

I am a giant fan of copper pot stills like you have. It is an excellent size for experimentation. The real "trick" to using a still like that is to distill slowly with as little heat as possible.

[@RobynSmithPhD]

I totally agree!

[@ianholmes6078]

Beautiful little still!

[@RobynSmithPhD]

I think so too!

[@TheWhiskeyNerd]

Love the idea of doing a little home distillation. There's a couple of companies here that sell little copper pot stills, something I might try out down the line

[@RobynSmithPhD]

Yeah there are a number of companies that make great little copper pot stills!

[@thealembicdiary1814]

Awesome video! Thanks for sharing. Not a lot of content out for alembic stills. Do you double distill?

[@RobynSmithPhD]

Thanks! Yes, I typically double distill although I’m planning to try a single distillation to see how that turns out since the alembic gets a decently efficient separation!

[@thealembicdiary1814]

@@RobynSmithPhD I have a 10 gal alembic that I distill with. Haven’t been at it long but my doubles are always smoother that my single distillation. I’m doing the same thing with my next recipe (corn likker with cherry smoked malted corn).

[@RobynSmithPhD]

@@thealembicdiary1814 mmm that sounds delicious!

[@thealembicdiary1814]

Check out John Miller’s video here. He smokes his malt and that’s what I have to work with kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6LVmYh5gph9gM0

[@RobynSmithPhD]

@@thealembicdiary1814 that’s awesome! I’ll check him out!

[@richardhenderson9127]

So what type of hot plate do you use?

[@RobynSmithPhD]

I used a propane burner, an electric stove burner, and a cheap electric hotplate that I got from Amazon. I want to wire the hot plate so that I can bypass the temperature controller and adjust the heat using a variac, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. I think it'll help prevent possible smearing.

[@richardhenderson9127]

@@RobynSmithPhD how did the hot plate perform? I've heard of people wiring in a SSR to control the heat, but wondered how an untampered unit did.

[@RobynSmithPhD]

@@richardhenderson9127 I honestly think it was alright! I’ve just used it for my tiny 2.5 gal still, so I’m not sure how well it would do with a bigger still.

[@brokenrecord3523]

Just don't use induction, which doesn't work with copper. Also, nothing that turns off and on like halogen and radiant.

[@jamesgrey8093]

im buying that type of still very soon

[@RobynSmithPhD]

Awesome! What size are you getting?

[@FundiFe]

​@@RobynSmithPhDI bought a 5 gallon

[@RobynSmithPhD]

@@FundiFe awesome! How do you like it?

[@brokenrecord3523]

Pressure? This is actually a vacuum distillation and what you are sealing out is the cold outside air being sucked in and messing up what's happening in the onion. The vacuum happens as you condense the distillate and that pulls the vapors over. I absolutely am obsessed with fermentation (soy sauce, beer, sauerkraut, yogurt, kefir...) and soon RUM. Oh, thank you for sharing your expertise

[@RobynSmithPhD]

@brokenrecord3523 Thanks for the comment! I'm happy to hear you're obsessed with fermentation! It's so cool, isn't it! I apologize if my mention of pressure caused any confusion. Just to clarify, this setup isn’t a vacuum still, so there’s no vacuum being created at any point in the system. In a traditional pot still like this one, the increase in temperature in the pot generates the necessary energy to create vapor. This vapor, which is under slightly higher pressure due to the heat, naturally travels up and over into the condenser. When the vapor reaches the condenser and cools, it does experience a slight pressure drop as it condenses back into liquid. However, this drop only brings the pressure back down to atmospheric levels. The pressure inside the condenser never drops below atmospheric pressure, which means there’s no risk of outside air being sucked back into the still during operation. I hope this clears things up! Thanks again!!