The most important thing to remember when making your spirit is temperature and cleanliness. Make sure you have an area where you can maintain a constant temperature. It really is better to have one that is slightly colder rather than fluctuating. If you are struggling with temperature then buy a heat tray, brewbelt or immersion heater. This will solve this problem for you. Make sure all the equipment that comes into contact with the fermenting liquid is clean.
You will need little space to do the fermentation. A bucket will fit in an area that is 300 x 300mm. Remember this can be really good fun and rewarding as there is a big saving to be made. In certain countries the production of alcohol for home use is illegal. For people in the UK please see the advice given from HMCE on our UK Disclaimer page. If you have not made it before we strongly recommend you purchase our Complete Still Starter Kit. This contains everything you will need with full instructions and is great value for money.
Take 21 litres of clean water at 30°C and add this to the 30 litre clean bucket, then add the 6 kilos of sugar. This will give you a start volume of 25 litres. Mix well and keep stirring until this is fully dissolved.
You can use 7kg of Glucose Powder (Brewing Sugar) instead of sugar. This will produce a cleaner, better way and will give you a purer alcohol once distilled.
Add the Tripled Distilled Yeast Sachet and mix well. Now take the Sachet of Carbon and gently massage this to get rid of any solid lumps. Now add this and stir well being careful not to spill the contents as they are very black.
Leave to ferment at a room temperature which should be 18-24°C for approximately 7 days. This may take slightly longer if the temperature is on the cooler side but this will not harm the fermentation in any way.
When the fermentation is finished ( the gravity will be between 980 and 990 which you will see on your hydrometer) stir well to remove all the carbon dioxide gases which will have built up in the liquid during fermentation and then add the Turbo Clear. This is a two-part sachet which should be added an hour apart.
Leave for 24 hours to clear liquid preferably in a cool place.
When this is all nicely clear siphon the clear liquid off the sediment (this will be very black) into a clean container.
All the products have full and clear instructions on the packet. You will now have approximately 24 litres of clear alcohol which will taste of nothing (almost like alcoholic water) but will contain approximately 14% ABV.
To Make the Alcohol
Take 4 litres of the clear liquid we have (above) and place this in the Air Still.
If you look closely inside the machine (remove the top first) there is a slight indent at the 4 litre mark. Do not overfill.
Firstly place the Ceramic Boil Enhancers and a capfull of Distillers Conditioner in the stainless steel chamber then add the clear alcoholic liquid (often known as the wash) filling up to the 4 litre mark. The lid should be replaced and the air still switched on.
Place the collector or a large jug under the black spout. It will take about an hour to heat up before any alcohol will start to drip. Let this continue for about a further 60 minutes (a total of 2 hours from start to finish) or until you have collected 700ml (the alcohol strength will be approx 60%ABV). You can collect up to 800ml, but if it runs slightly overruns that's fine.
Take the 700ml and dilute this by adding 50% water, in this case 350ml (this will now be 40%ABV). This should then be fed through the second container (with the carbon cartridge screwed into the bottom). The cartridge needs to be activated with hot water for 45 seconds before you start. This container will neatly fit into the top of the largest container. Now pour the diluted alcohol into the top container and let this run through the carbon cartridge.
Spirit flavours can then be added or diluted to produce liqueurs. Needless to say we only recommend Still Spirits flavourings. All the Still Spirits products have full mixing instructions on the back of each one and the level of alcohol needed.
Once you finished switch the machine off at the mains and allow cooling before you remove the lid and empty the contents. Repeat the process until you have used up all “the wash”. It could not be simpler.
How Much Will It Cost?
Whilst the initial outlay for a Still and all the associated equipment can seem quite expensive at first, this is quickly recouped when you realise you can create top quality spirits & liqueurs for anywhere between a fifth and a tenth of the price of equivalent drinks at your local supermarket.
Our Still Spirits complete Air Still Starter Kit includes absolutely everything you need to make your first 9 bottles of spirits & liqueurs. Should you already have the bulk of the equipment through wine or beer making, the Air Still is available separately for £153.18, Complete with consumables to make your first 10 bottles (worth over £30).