Introduction
With the first batches of iStills Mini sold out in only weeks after its introduction, it was time to learn from the feedback we got. Time to make our all new product development still even more awesome. Here is an iStill Blog post on what we changed ... and how you benefit.
3D rendering of the new iStill Mini (boiler & lid) is part of the design process ...
iStill Mini, what is it?
The iStill Mini is our 6 liter (net) capacity product development still. We want our customers to be able to design their spirits in an affordable, yet fully scalable way. The iStill 100 was too big for many for recipe development, so that's where the 6 liter iStill Mini chimes in. And - contrary to product development on air stills, glass ware or small copper alembics - the recipe designed on the Mini can be scaled up to any of the bigger iStills. In fact, if you do a run on the iStill Mini and cut for Heads, Hearts, and Tails, you can one-on-one translate the temperatures to the run settings on the bigger production stills.
The iStill Mini comes with a reflux valve for you to manage purity vs taste. And it is equipped with a power manager for perfect control over vapor speeds and run times. It also has digital Wifi thermometer probes that communicate to an app that you can run from your smartphone or tablet.
So ... what's new?
Let's start with the boiler. The boiler now has a drain. You guessed it: for easier draining after the run!
iStill Mini boiler (not yet insulated) with drain ...
The lid, that sits on top of the boiler, is now of a 3D design, allowing for more strength and delivers a fully horizontal plateau to mount the column on. This 3D design also allows the lid (with or without the column) to be taken of the boiler and stand on its own. In the previous version, this was - due to the protruding gin hook and the 2D lid design impossible. The better stability is definitely an advantage. The 3D design also allows us to have our name, iStill, jump out much more.
The new design (pre-acid bath cleaning) compared to the old lid ...
The column now consists of three parts instead of two. Column, collection plates, and column cooler. This makes packing your column much easier.
The packing itself, we upgraded as well. Instead of using SPP, the new iStill Mini comes with our in-house designed Helicon Column Packing, for more versatility and a more stable run. An expensive upgrade, but it is what we use in the bigger stills and we want you to have the best. Please see the picture underneath.
From left to right: traditional SPP vs iStill HCP ...
Not only is the column now packed with iStill HCP, it now also comes with ferules and tri-clamps. This makes it easier to assemble or disassemble the column.
The extractor has a wider opening, for easier access, and a bigger syphon. The extractor can be added via tri-clamps instead of thread.
The new iStill Mini Extractor ...
Finally, the product cooler will now hang vertically. Like on the bigger machines.
Pricing
The new iStill Mini is available for EUR 3.000,-.
Trolley ...
Availability
We have finished building another batch of 50 iStills Mini. The metal work is done. Insulation and assembly starts in January 2019. Delivery will take place from the end of January onwards. If you want to order the all new iStill Mini, please contact:
- For the UK: Avian@iStillmail.com
- For the Americas: Jason@iStillmail.com
- For Australia, South-East Asia, and New Zealand: Sarah@iStillmail.com
- For India: India@iStillmail.com
- For Europe (and the rest of the world): Sales@iStillmail.com
The first of the new series (pre-insulation and final assembly) ...
https://www.istill.com/products/imini
