Are you new to distilling? Our Distilling 101 guide details the entire process of making your favourite spirits from start to finish using a standard sugar wash. By following this guide, you can make up to 13 bottles of spirit each run. Distilling your own spirits at home will save you money, while still allowing you to drink commercial quality alcohol!
Home Distilling can be broken down into five simple stages:
So, what can we make? Any type of spirit you can think of! Bourbon, Brandy, Gin, Rum, Whisky, Vodka & Liqueurs are all easy to make and the equipment you will need is readily available in home brew shops all over Australia & worldwide. You can easily mimic your favourite drinks, or get crafty and experiment with your own combination of flavours!
What do we need to make it? The best place to start for a complete beginner is the Pure Distilling Distillery Kit(link) which is our complete starter kit, this will give you everything you need to make your first batch of spirits from start to finish*
Our starter kit features the renowned Pure Distilling Reflux Condenser(link), this is tool that will be turning your fermented wash into high-proof alcohol. For those looking to make their own alcohol through fermenting fruit or grains, a Pure Distilling Pot Condenser (link) can be purchased separately, which will allow the flavours of the wash to come through to the final product.
This guide will follow the four stages of making alcohol with a Pure Distilling starter kit, which will result in 8-12L of neutral spirit.
*Pure Distilling 30L Boiler & sugar purchased separately
A standard sugar wash is a mixture of water, sugar, yeast and liquid carbon which then allows fermentation to take place. During fermentation, the yeast will consume the sugar and convert it to ethanol & carbon dioxide ready for distillation.
After we mix our ingredients together into our fermenting bucket included with the starter kit, we then leave our wash to complete fermentation for anywhere between 3-14 days, depending on how much sugar is added and which type of yeast is being used.
After fermentation is complete, our Wash Clarifier(link) is added to the wash, which degasses and removes impurities as well as unwanted yeast cells from the mixture.
Once this all done, it is time for the fun part!
After we transfer our wash from the fermenter to the boiler(link vid), we are ready to use our Reflux Condenser to convert our wash into high-proof neutral spirit. During distillation, the heat from the boiler will create steam, which rises to the top of the condenser and is then converted back into liquid form. The liquid ethanol will then begin to trickle out of the condenser, and straight into the collection jar.
The first 50-100mls that will exit the condenser is known as foreshots, these should be discarded as they contain types of alcohol that is not suitable for consumption. After that, the hard part is done! Our Reflux Condenser will continue to automatically produce alcohol for the remainder of the run, no tweaking of valves or water levels – it really is that easy.
Depending on the how much sugar was used in the wash, expect an output between 3-5L of high proof alcohol – your product is now ready for filtering.
You will now have a high-proof neutral spirit that will require treatment through our Smart Filter system that is included in the starter kit. While the spirit produced from the condenser is extremely clean, we still recommend filtering as it will remove any volatile organic compounds created from the wash that may still be present.
Firstly, water is used to dilute our high-proof spirit down to a maximum of 50%ABV using our alcometer included with the starter kit. There are many great sources online such as this dilution calculator(link) which serves as a guide on how much water to add to achieved a desired spirit strength. Then, the diluted spirit is ready to run through the filter, creating a base spirit suitable for consumption.
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Once the base spirit is made, we can add a flavouring essence, age or blend the spirit to create any flavour imaginable.
Our starter kit will include 6x Pure Distilling Flavouring Essences(link), which is a small sample of our large range that has been made to mimic many popular flavours of alcohol. Simply add the desired flavour to your spirit and leave to age for 7 days before consumption.
Our starter kit will also include small samples of the Pure Distilling Barrel Chunks, which have been cut from barrels that have aged genuine spirit from different distilleries all over the world. These are perfect for ageing your base spirit, simply soak for 1-2 weeks to transform your spirit into commercial grade bourbon/whisky/rums!
Making gins is also possible thanks to Pure Distilling Gin Botanicals(link), or you can try blending different flavouring agents together to make your own truly unique spirit flavour – the possibilities are endless!
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