How to Make Vodka at Home | Beginner’s Distilling Guide

Date Posted:25 August 2025

Think making vodka at home sounds complicated? With beginner-friendly gear and a simple plan, you can turn sugar, water, and yeast into a clean, neutral vodka without plumbing, lab gear, or constant temperature fiddling.

The Air Still Pro Complete Kit keeps the process simple and safe while still giving you quality results that taste clean in cocktails or straight from the freezer. We’ll walk you through the steps from setup to first bottle and show how it compares with the larger batch Turbo 500 Reflux Still Kit, so you can pick the setup that suits your space and budget.

What’s in the Air Still Pro Kit

Pick the Air Still Pro Complete Kit and you get the core gear and supplies to make vodka at home without hunting for extras.

Distilling and fermentation gear:

Air Still Pro distillation unit
10 L fermenter with lid, tap, airlock, and thermometer
Hydrometer with a test flask for checking fermentation
Alcoholmeter for checking spirit strength
Carbon filter system
Collection jars and measuring tools

Fermentation supplies:

Flavour starters:

Top Shelf Essences to try your first Gin, Rum, and Whiskey styles

Why the Air Still Pro is perfect for making vodka

To make vodka at home, you want a neutral spirit at high strength and a setup that is simple to handle. The Air Still Pro covers the basics: fan cooling so you don’t need plumbing, a compact body for small kitchens, and plug-and-play operation where you fill the boiler, select reflux mode, switch on, and collect.

In reflux mode, it reaches around 90% ABV, which gives you a clean base for vodka or for spirits you plan to flavour later, like whiskey, rum, bourbon, or gin.

Fan cooling is the key difference from water-cooled stills. Instead of running hoses to a tap, the built-in fan condenses vapour, which makes placement and setup much easier in tight spaces.

The unit also removes the first 30 ml of foreshots automatically, reducing compounds that can harm flavour. Put simply, you get a straightforward setup, strong reflux performance, and a cleaner distillate for your vodka.

Preparing your vodka wash

To prepare a vodka wash that ferments cleanly and gives you a neutral base for distilling, follow these steps in order:

Dissolve 2.5 kg of dextrose in warm water in the fermenter, then top up to 10 L.
Add Turbo Yeast, Turbo Carbon, and any included nutrients.
Ferment at a steady 18–25°C.
Wait until fermentation finishes. Use a hydrometer and move to clearing only when the reading is 0.990 or lower.

The last step is important since a hydrometer shows when fermentation has finished. A reading of 0.990 means the sugars have fermented into alcohol, which sets you up for a clean distillation. Don’t rush this stage; starting early leads to off-flavours and lower yield.

Clarifying the wash with turbo clear

Once fermentation finishes, clear the wash so you can distil cleanly. Turbo Clear helps pull yeast and fine particles out of suspension, which means fewer off-notes during the run and a smoother, purer vodka in the bottle.

Add Part A, stir gently to spread it through the wash, and avoid splashing. Wait 1 hour, then add Part B and leave the fermenter undisturbed for 24 hours so the haze can settle into a firm layer on the bottom.

After the wait, handle the vessel carefully and transfer the clear wash without disturbing the sediment. This simple step sets you up for cleaner distillation and better flavour.

Distilling vodka with the Air Still Pro – step-by-step

You’re aiming for a clean neutral spirit, so set the Air Still Pro to reflux and follow a simple sequence. These steps take you from clarified wash to high-strength spirit ready for dilution.

Pour your cleared wash into the still, up to a maximum of 4 L.
Turn on the unit and wait about 40 minutes for heat-up.
The still will automatically remove the first 30 ml of foreshots.
Continue collecting the spirit until the run completes, roughly 4 hours.
Use Reflux Mode to produce a neutral, high-ABV vodka base. This step is the key to a smooth, flavourless vodka.

Diluting and proofing your homemade vodka

After distillation, the spirit will be very strong, often up to 90% ABV. Use your alcometer to check strength, then add clean tap water to reach 40% ABV. For exact volumes, use a dilution calculator or follow the included instructions.

Filtering for smoothness

Filter after dilution. Check that your spirit is at about 40% ABV, then run it through an activated carbon filter at a slow, steady rate for the best contact time.

Rinse the carbon first to remove dust, keep the flow gentle, and collect into a clean vessel. Do a second pass with fresh carbon to polish the flavour further, then set the filtered spirit aside for a day so the character settles before tasting.

Optional: add glycerine for texture

Add glycerine only after filtering. Start small, about 2 to 3 ml per litre, stir, and taste; if you want more body, increase up to 5 ml per litre. Mix well, bottle, and set the vodka aside for 24 hours so the texture evens out.

FAQ about making vodka at home

Can I skip the filter step?

No. Always filter diluted vodka through activated carbon to remove impurities and harshness. Improves neutrality and mouthfeel. For best results, filter twice.

What happens if I distill before fermentation finishes?

Expect off-flavours, cloudy spirit, and low yield. Active yeast and residual sugars can foam and puke into the still, causing burnt tastes and cleaning hassles. Wait until your hydrometer reads 0.990 or lower, then clear with Turbo Clear before distilling.

Final thoughts

With the Air Still Pro Complete Kit, you can turn a simple sugar wash into clean, neutral vodka at home using clear steps and tidy gear. Keep notes, control your temps, and you’ll repeat the result batch after batch.

From here, choose a spirit essence to build a style, infuse citrus or vanilla, or make liqueurs. Bottle it as a crisp vodka for martinis and highballs, or tailor the flavour to your taste. If you need a hand, we’re here to help.

How to make vodka at home with the Air Still Pro