GIN STILLS

A gin basket allows for vapor infusion of botanicals. Some distillers prefer this method to the traditional "steep and boil" method of gin distilling. Others combine steeping and vapor infusion.

External steam jackets are an ideal heating method. They provide excellent heat transfer and make cleaning easier. Internal steam coils, or steam plates, are used in traditional Scotch whiskey stills and when the shape and size of the still are not suitable for external steam jackets. Internal steam heating elements should be used for lautered beer wash only.

Electric steam boilers can be used for pot stills up to 1000L. They are efficient and a good choice for distilleries that don't have natural gas service. The size of pot still allowable will be determined by the amount of electrical service in your distillery.

Pot stills, like other tanks, can take advantage of CIP systems for cleaning. Remember that copper vessels may require copper inhibitors in the cleaning agents. It is best to consult your chemical supply company when designing a cleaning routine for your still.

Pot stills can be made to suit the requirement of the customer. Choose from one of our standard designs or come to us with your ideas. All pot stills are custom in one way or another.

The shape of your spirit head can influence the character of your gin. A tall head will produce a lighter flavor and a short head will carry over more flavor. Elements such as expansion balls will cause velocity and pressure differences of the vapor which create varying amounts of reflux.

Vapor plumbing can be constructed from stainless steel or copper tubing. Bypass valves allow the ability to bypass columns and gin baskets or direct the vapor from the pot still directly to the condenser. This is convenient if you will be doing stripping runs in the same still as your gin.

Mixers are necessary for pot stills that distill on the grain. They not only help the heating rate but they help prevent scorching of the grain on the heating surfaces of the still. For clear spirits or lautered wort, it is not necessary to have a mixer but is at the discretion of the distiller. If your gin still will only be distilling neutral spirit and botanicals then a mixer may not be necessary.

Condensers can be made in either copper or stainless steel. The preference for one or the other will depend on the spirit being made. For gin, there is no real concern for extra copper contact area due to the pure nature of your neutral spirit.

Columns are sometimes used for making gin. A column on your gin still will strip some of the flavor from your final spirit and create a lighter flavored gin with less clouding potential. Clouding can occur during the dilution process in gins with higher concentrations of botanical oils.

A range of automation packages are available for gin stills.