How to make Spirits at Home - Turbo 500 Versus The Air Still Pro

Learn how to brew spirits at home. Compare the Turbo 500 and Air Still Pro stills to choose the perfect home distilling setup for your needs.

Turbo 500 vs Air Still Pro: Which still should you choose?

If you’re looking to get into home distilling — or upgrade your gear — you’ve probably come across the two big hitters in the game: the Still Spirits Turbo 500 and the Air Still Pro.
Both make brilliant spirits, but they’re built for different kinds of needs and outcomes.

At Australian Home Brewing, we’ve been helping Aussies turn out great spirits for over 25 years, so we know how to help you choose the right still system for you.
This guide will help you work out which still will suit your style, your space, and your thirst.

Still Spirits Turbo 500 

If you’re serious about producing large batches of high-purity neutral spirit, the Turbo 500 is built for you.

Capacity: 25L boiler

Output per run: Around 3.5–4.5L at ~93% ABV

Perfect if you want bigger batches and fewer runs.

Suits the “stock up for the season” kind of distiller.

 

Air Still Pro — The Compact All-Rounder

The Air Still Pro is all about versatility, simplicity, and portability.

No plumbing required – Fan-cooled design means no water connections, perfect for kitchens or small spaces.

Dual modes – Reflux mode for clean neutrals (up to 90% ABV) and Pot Still mode for flavour-rich spirits (up to 80% ABV).

Beginner-friendly – Plug it in, add your wash, and start distilling.

 

Lets break it down further;

Spirit Quality

  • T500:

Famous for producing high-purity, neutral spirits straight off the still.

Ideal if you want any kind of spirit by adding essences of chips. Perfectly clean pure distillation once filtered through activated carbon ultimately makes the best possible whiskey, rum, bourbon, vodka etc.

  • Air Still Pro:

       Dual modes: pot still mode to extract flavour from distillation and reflux mode  pure high ABV cleaner spirits.

Not quite as pure as the T500 and efficient for neutrals, but more versatile for with the option for pot mode distilling. Perfect to brew spirits at home in small batches.

 

Space & Setup

  • T500:

Tall column, 25lt boiler and cooling hoses mean you’ll need more room and access to water.

Simple to set up and pack away

  • Air Still Pro:

Compact, portable, runs happily on a kitchen bench.

No hoses, no fuss — just plug in and minimal monitoring required.

 

Price & Investment

  • T500:

Bigger upfront cost, but efficient for bulk production.

Needs extra gear like 30lt fermenters and a larger filtration system such as the Filter Pro

  • Air Still Pro:

Lower starting price.

Perfect for beginners, smaller spaces, and small batch distilling.

 

Who They’re For

  • Turbo 500 is for you if…

Ideal for those who want to make Spirits at home in larger qauntities.

You’ve got the space for an easy setup.

You mostly make neutral bases for flavouring.

  • Air Still Pro is for you if…

You’re starting out or like to keep it small-scale.

You love your gins and want to distil using botanicals

You want a compact, easy system without cooling water.

You live in apartment or don’t have space  to run the larger T500

 

Quick Comparison of TURBO 500 and AIR STILL PRO 

Feature / Benefit

Turbo 500

Air Still Pro

Best For

Large-scale runs of high-purity neutral spirit

Small-batch, versatile distilling

ABV Output

Up to 93% ABV

Reflux mode: up to 90% ABV
Pot Still mode: up to 80% ABV

Batch Size

Large volumes (ideal for bulk spirit production)

Small to medium batches

Distillation Modes

Reflux column only

Dual mode: Reflux & Pot Still

Cooling System

Water-cooled (requires plumbing or water source)

Fan-cooled (no plumbing required)

Setup Space Needed

Benchtop with access to water

Compact, portable, kitchen-friendly

Ease of Use

Intermediate to advanced

Beginner-friendly

Spirit Types

 neutral spirit for essences, bulk oak ageing

neutral spirits , Gin, whiskey, rum, flavoured infusions, essences

Upgrade Path

Add copper column, condenser upgrades

Use botanicals basket, infuser kits, add 30 L fermenter to increase capactiy 

Price Range

Higher initial investment

 affordable entry point

Best For

Large-scale runs of high-purity neutral spirit

Small-batch, versatile distilling

 

At Australian Home Brewing  we only stock STILL SPIRITS Equipment and Essences . We were the first Australian company to partner with Stil Spirits over 30 years ago. We’d rather back one brand we trust 100% than sell you something we can’t stand behind.

We choose Still Spirits for a reason: They make the best small batch distilliation products in the world 

  • Built Right – Consistent quality means fewer faults and better spirits.3 year warranty.

  • Safe & Compliant – Meets Australian standards (unlike many imports).

  • Easy to Maintain – Spares and parts that fit first time.

  • Proven in Australia – Thousands of runs, tasted and tested.

  • Designed for Distillers – Innovations like the dual-mode Air Still Pro and high-purity Turbo 500.

What that means is that when you buy a still from us, you know it’s been tried, tested, and given the thumbs-up by distillers who’ve been around the block . And of course we are here to help anytime if you have any questions at all . 

 

Final Word: Which Still Wins?

Whether you're starting your journey learning how to make spirits at home, or upgrading  , the choice is not about which still is “better” — it’s about what’s better for you.

If you want volume and high-purity neutrals with efficiency over the long haul, go Turbo 500.
If you’re chasing compact, versatile, and beginner-friendly, the Air Still Pro will have you distilling spirits at home with ease.