Distilling Gin in a Copper Alembic Still
- Gincraft
- May 19, 2024
- 2 min read
We wanted to keep these instructions short and sweet, so please note that we link out to more details for a lot of steps.
How it works
Instructions
Pick a recipe and prep your botanicals. We've got several recipes under the 'Make' section of our site.
Set up your still as per the picture above with the vodka in the pot, and the botanicals in the column.
Light the burner. Please make sure you haven’t spilled any methylated spirits around. Safety first!
Fill the condenser half way with water, and top up with ice until ice is resting out the top..
Now we wait for the vodka to heat up and start vapourising. You’ll know it’s happening when you start to see droplets coming out of the outlet tube. This is usually 10-20 minutes after you light the burner, but depends on volume, etc.
Ensure that as the ice melts, you top up with more ice. The condenser cools down the alcohol vapour to turn it back to a liquid, so it’s important that it stays chilly! The excess water will run out of the overflow tube.
Start tasting to check if the distillation is done when the distilled liquor output from your still has hit about 40% of the liquor you put in. We've got some notes to help you know when you're done.
When distillation is finished, snuff the burner by nudging it out from under the pot and putting on the copper cap to starve the wick of oxygen.
Dilute your gin to the desired strength, 42% if you don’t have a strong opinion. Instructions here.
Pour into a bottle.
Clean up your still once it’s cooled. Instructions here.
Wait for two weeks for the flavours to settle (it’s worth it).
Enjoy!
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