[ 3 / biz / cgl / ck / diy / fa / ic / jp / lit / sci / vr / vt ] [ index / top / reports ] [ become a patron ] [ status ]
2023-11: Warosu is now out of extended maintenance.

/diy/ - Do It Yourself

View post   
File: 229 KB, 700x421, scene 6.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
124380 No.124380 [Reply] [Original]

Greetings fellow /diy/kes,

I am interested in making my own whiskey and vodka and have some experience making simple alcohol such as dry cider and wine.

I know the basics of mash and distilling however I don't actually know how to build a still or what is to be done with the distilled alcohol post production to actually make it into vodka or whiskey?

tl;dr

How to build a still
What to do with the distilled alcohol to make it into whiskey/vodka

>> No.124429

Lol wow, I haven't been on Vampirefreaks in years

>> No.124432
File: 469 KB, 1127x1590, 1325604082409.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google]
124432

>> No.124436

Making Pure Corn Whiskey - A Professional Guide For Amateur and Micro-Distillers (Smiley 1999).pdf

Google it! Also,

The Compleat Distiller (Nixon and McCaw 2001).pdf
Making Gin & Vodka - A Professional Guide for Amateur Distillers (Stone 2001).pdf

>> No.124440

There are a million ways to make a still. The most compact design I've looked at was made from a turkey frier. The condenser is made from two copper pipes, one inside of the other. The outer one would have nozzles on it to allow cold water to be pumped into the are between it and the inner pipe. The inner pipe would be packed with marbles. The marbles allowed for a lot of surface area in a small space. The pump allowed the water to cycle cold water in to replace the water that had warmed up. Turn on the frier and theryahavit. I've not actually built one though.

As for conditioning, whiskey is left in charred barrels so that it will absorb the sugars from the char. It can take years. My neighbor (a Kentucky moonshiner) chunks of charred maple in jars of whiskey and waits until they sink. It's no Maker's Mark, but it's still delicious. Vodka needs no conditioning, you just need to use a VERY clean mash.

Good luck in your endeavor and I hope someone more helpful than I comes along.

>> No.124461

>>124440
Marbles are a good idea if you have lots of them, but stainless steel or copper pot scrubbers will give you far more surface area and are normally cheaper and make the fractionating column lighter.