Alembic Pot Stills

Alembic pot stills

An alembic is the oldest still shape there is: a pot, a domed head, and a condenser. Vapour rises once, condenses once, and comes off carrying the character of whatever you fermented. That single pass is the entire point.

It is the opposite of what a reflux column does. A reflux still passes vapour through packing so it condenses and re-evaporates repeatedly, stripping character out to leave a clean neutral spirit. A pot still keeps the character in. Neither is better. If you want vodka or a base for essences, you want reflux. If you want whisky, rum or a gin with the botanicals showing, you want this.

Why copper

Copper is not decoration. It reacts with sulphur compounds in the vapour as they pass over it and pulls them out, which is why a copper-distilled spirit tastes cleaner than the same wash run through stainless. The larger the copper surface the vapour touches, the more of that happens. That is the case for a copper dome and a copper condenser rather than one or the other.

What fits what

All of this is built around the Still Spirits Turbo 500 25 litre boiler, which is sold here on its own as the Create+ boiler. If you already own a T500 you do not need another boiler. You need a head.

• Alembic Pot Still and T500 Boiler. The complete setup, boiler included. Start here if you own nothing.
• Alembic Condenser and Dome. The head on its own, for an existing T500 boiler.
• Alembic Copper Dome and Create+ Alembic Copper Condenser. The copper components separately, so you can build up rather than replace.
• Create+ Alembic Dome, Condenser and Sight Glass with Botanical Basket. The full modular version, with a sight glass to watch the run and the basket included.
• Gin Botanical Basket. Fits both the T500 and the alembic. Botanicals sit in the vapour path, which is how gin is actually made rather than flavoured afterwards.
• Copper parrot head, large and small, plus an alcometer. For reading strength continuously as spirit comes off, instead of collecting first and testing later.
• Spares. Digital thermometer for the dome, and a 2 inch tri clamp.

Ships Australia-wide from our Melbourne store. If you own a T500 and are working out which head to add, or whether the copper condenser is worth it over the standard one, ring us. That is a five minute conversation and it saves buying twice.

Check your local laws regarding home distilling before purchase.