Making distilled spirits:
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"The problem with pot stills is that they don’t do a
good job at separating out exactly what you want to distill as output. They are
usually used to separate compounds whose boiling points differ by about 100º C.
When fermented liquid is distilled, lots of things come out, some good, some
bad. And because there are no fine controls on this kind of still, the output
contains a lot of impurities. Nevertheless, after each distillation, you always
get a better output product from that which you started with. So each time you
redistill the output in a pot still, it will come out a bit purer, but you lose
a little each time you redistill. To make it really pure, you have to distill it
so many times that you’ll end up with almost no output. If you don’t
re-distill the output several times, you can get a massive hangover by drink
whatever comes out. Hangovers are caused by the impurities in the alcohol. In
short, you’ve been poisoned (but just a little bit)!”
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“Basically, the reflux still is a structure that allows
the distillate vapors from a boiler to rise up a column to the top where the
vapors are condensed. The condensed liquid is then allowed to run back down
through the rising vapors to a point where the temperatures become hot enough
that it boils again. This process is called refluxing. As this cycle continues,
the mixture inside the tower is effectively re-distilled. In the process, the
components of the mixture separate into discrete layers within the column based
on their boiling points.” “At the time of this writing, there is only one
like it.”
This is the same way it is done in industry, except their
stills allow them to draw off the multiple layers, or different
chemical components, at once!
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- The pages that follow contain a step by step
guide to building a relatively
sophisticated
still. It is directed at anyone who may want to know more about the
subject, for hobbyists, tinkers, pure water enthusiasts, survivors,
and perhaps amateur wine and
beer makers. The still involved in the chapters that follow is a
unique distillation apparatus. At the
time of this writing, there is only one like it. Designing and
building this apparatus is the
only subject of this manual and you will find that it confines
itself to those areas. It does
not enter into the domains of fermentation, recipes for making
mash, beer, wine or any other spirits. These areas are covered in
detail in other readily available books and numerous web sites.
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“Everyone should follow his or her own conscience in
these matters.” “So, as long as your conscience allows, at least in the US,
you are not doing anything wrong by reading this information. There is also
nothing illegal about building a still.”
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“In the US (and many other countries) you know that doing
that is just not the politically correct thing to do. Even if you are just a
curious person and simply want to know what’s involved, you probably feel some
reluctance about discussing the subject outside of your own trusted circles. The
reason you feel this way, most likely, is because a lot of laws have been passed
over time that severely restrict the ways that you may refine products
containing ethyl alcohol. Most US residents are also quite familiar with the
moonshine folklore, high-powered cars running moonshine over mountain back roads,
and dodging the federal revenue agents. So much so that many may feel that they
are doing something improper, or maybe even criminal by reading this. Everyone
should follow his or her own conscience in these matters. Personally, I believe
that some of these laws are so poorly thought out and implemented that they
border on being ridiculous.
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A
case in point, in the US, the government allows an individual to produce wine or
beer for personal consumption by using a fermentation process to produce an
alcoholic beverage. The fermentation process however, produces a wine or beer
containing chemicals that are actually poisonous for human consumption.
Nevertheless, the government seems to think it is perfectly OK for an individual
to ferment and drink the stuff, regardless of the impurities it may contain.
Unbelievably, the US government also makes it illegal for an individual to
remove the poisons from the alcohol in the wine or beer by distillation. In
other words, it is illegal for an individual to refine a legal beverage in their
own home and, in the process, produce another perfectly legal beverage for their
own consumption! Figure that one out. Without
much reflection, it is easy to see that such laws are flawed and without
foundation in logic, justice, or the common good.
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Fortunately,
it is not illegal to express these opinions. That freedom also extends to
writing about such things as alcohol distillation (legal or not), and the use
and manufacture of equipment to effect this process in the home. There is also nothing illegal about building a still.
Having said that, recognize that the only purpose of this document is to educate
and inform those of you who are interested in this subject. It is not to be
construed in any fashion as an encouragement to break the law. If you believe
the law is incorrect, please take the time to contact your representatives in
government, cast your vote at the polls, write newsletters to the media, and in
general, try to make the changes in a legal and democratic manner.”
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