Comparing the Best Column Packings!

Introduction

Packed columns are incredibly versatile. Take all the liquids it produces out of the column, and it performs like a potstill, which is great for taste-rich spirit production. Send part of the produced liquids back down the column as reflux, and the column's packing starts to further purify and strengthen the product you are distilling.

A well-designed packed column offers the best of both worlds: it can make the most taste-rich, high-ester pot distilled whisky and rum, as well as the most neutral vodka. And anything in between, like a lighter style rum, or a single pass Irish whiskey. "Singe pass" as "instead of you needing to distill the whiskey thrice"!

The importance of column packing

A well-designed column needs the best column packing. The column packing, that sits inside the column, catches the reflux and further rectifies it. The better it rectifies, the better it is, for two simple reasons:

1. Better rectification control results in a more efficient and more flavor-stable production of taste-rich spirits;
2. Better rectification control results in purer vodka and GNS.

Some two decades ago, the Mendeleev Institute invented SPP. This stands for "spiral prismatic packing" and its invention revolutionized both alcohol distillation and oil fractionation. Why? Because this new column packing was way more effective at strengthening and purifying alcohol (and oil derivatives) than the plated columns that had been used up until that time. How much more effective? About an order of magnitude better.

On iStill and column packing

In our beginning years, iStill used SPP in its columns. But as time progressed and as our columns became bigger, SPP more and more felt like the limiting factor, when optimizing our column designs for even more flavor and ABV control.

So we set out to design our own column packing, specifically aimed to improve the performance of our bigger columns, like on the iStills 500, 1000, 2000, and 5000. The column packing that iStill designed is called HCP, which stands for "helicon column packing". It is both heavier, bigger, and stronger than SPP. It also has a different shape, which is optimized for alcohol distillation.

The results were quite spectacular. Our HCP hugely improved column performance over SPP, in our bigger iStills with their our bigger diameter columns. We developed a 10x10 mm Helicon Column Packing as well as a 15x15 mm version for biggest stills.

An experiment on column packing

At the end of 2023, we thought up a fun experiment: would our HCP beat SPP, where the latter shines? In smaller diameter columns? Here's what we did: we filled the column of an iStill Mini with SPP, and then filled the boiler with 10 liters of 10% alcohol. To get (quite) some reflux, we added POM nr. 2. Power setting? We put the power manager at 50% or 2 kWh.

We then repeated the exact same run with iStill HCP in the column instead of SPP. The exact same boiler filling of 10 liters at 10%. POM nr. 2, and 50% or 2 kWh of power. The results? The outcome is quite shocking. See the graph underneath:

The SPP run is in green. The top line depicts the temperature readings of T3, the bottom line shows what thermometer (T4) measures. iStill's HCP is shown in purple and blue. Purple is T3, blue are the readings of T4.

This is what we can conclude from the graph:

1. SPP, at the beginning of the run, cannot control temperatures: they rise to almost 87 degrees Centigrade;
2. HCP, at the beginning of the run, perfectly controls the temperatures in the column: they don't breach 79c;
3. This is a difference of almost 10 degrees Centigrade, resulting in:
4. SPP needing either prolonged stabilization time or creating huge heads contamination issues into hearts;
5. Where HCP prevents uncontrolled heads smearing into hearts, even without stabilization;
6. Resulting in more control over flavor and shorter, more efficient runs;
7. HCP maintains lower temperatures than SPP, proving that HCP offers more distillation cycles than SPP;
8. This results in better control over ABV and higher yield, as less reflux is needed, with HCP than with SPP;
9. With iStill's HCP, T3 and T4 temperatures are grouped closer together than with SPP;
10. This indicates a more stable column and better rectification qualities for HCP;
11. The SPP line is ragged, where HCP shows a very smooth one;
12. The SPP line is higher than HCP, especially at the end of the run, signaling HCP provides better tails control;
13. All of this teaches us that HCP provides a more stable and controlled run ...
14. With a much more predictable, repeatable, and reproducible flavor composition.

Let's now look at the table and see if we can learn more:

These are the additional conclusions, that we can make, when looking at the table above:

1. The run with HCP is indeed more stable and better rectified;
2. The run with SPP takes much longer: the production of 490 ml takes 25 minutes;
3. The run with HCP is much shorter: the production of 490 ml takes 14.5 minutes;
4. iStill's HCP is 72% faster than SPP;
5. The ABV with iStill's HCP is 93,4%, where SPP only delivers 85,8%;
6. This teaches us that HCP offers about 5 additional distillation cycles to a column, when compared to SPP.

Conclusions

1. HCP hugely outperforms SPP in yield, production speed, and overall run efficiency (72%);
2. HCP outperforms SPP in rectification: it offers 5 additional distillation cycles for a standard column size;
3. HCP outperforms SPP in ABV: 93,5% instead of 85.8%;
4. HCP outperforms SPP in alcohol and flavor stability, as well as in run reproducibility;
5. HCP hugely outperforms SPP in the way it controls heads smearing as well as tails smearing.

iStill's HCP is the new king on the mountain. SPP revolutionized column distillation, and we are grateful for the amazing efforts of the Mendeleev Institute. In no small manner, our invention, iStill's HCP, stands on the shoulders of SPP. But as it does, it outperforms SPP on all key measurements. And not by a tiny margin. HCP, in short, is the best column packing in the world. And you can own it and use it ... if you purchase an iStill! For more information or to place your order, please reach out to odin@istillmail.com!

www.iStill.com