Still Anatomy

Step 1: Turn on heat for the bottom and side jacket heaters. (VIII, IX) It will take roughly an hour for the vapors to rise up the column (VI) and hit the condenser. (III)

Step 2: Turn on the three cooling plates located on the side of condenser. (III) These three plates act as a lid, once the vapors hit these cooling plates it turns to a liquid and falls back down the column. This process is called reflux and we let the still reflux for another hour. Refluxing allows the vapors to fraction out, the lower boiling point alcohol (Methanol) reflux at the top and the higher boiling point alcohols (Ethanol) reflux towards the bottom.

Step 3: Collect the methanol by opening up the valve that controls flow to the Heads Parrot (I) We get roughly 2.5 gallons of methanol per run.

Step 4: Reduce the water to the condenser (III) which is like opening the lid and allowing the ethanol to flow through the chiller (II).

Step 5: Turn on the H2O to the chiller. (II) this keeps the ethanol cool so it doesn’t evaporate from the hearts parrot (VII)

Step 6: Collect the ethanol.

This process takes an average of 14 hours and we collect 40 gallons of 185 proof spirit. This 185 proof spirit is what we mix with our rums or turn into gin.

Written by Mark Kuligoski

Diagram of a 300 Gallon Still