From Distilling to Roasting - Meet the DirectRoaster!

At iStill, we’ve always challenged conventional thinking in distilling. With energy-efficient stills, complete automatization and smart control systems, we've redefined what distillation can be. Now, we’re applying the same principles to another field of beverage production: coffee roasting.

Allow us to introduce the DirectRoaster - our latest innovation born from a simple question after looking at traditional roasting equipment: “Can we do better?”
You already know that the answer was a confident yes.

The DirectRoaster is a fully electric roasting machine that uses indirect heat transfer and smart airflow for even roasting with up to 50% less energy consumption than traditional roasters. It’s compact, efficient, and built for professionals who care about precision and sustainability. Complete control over all variables, automatized processes, a rotating drum, multiple temperature sensors and an air pressure sensor are all helping you to achieve the most consistent results from roast to roast.

Well, it sounds nice, but why share this with the distilling community?

Because coffee and spirits have more in common than you might think.

If you’re crafting coffee liqueurs, espresso vodkas, or experimenting with grain- or bean-infused distillates, the quality of your roast can dramatically affect your final product. Whisk(e)y producers can also play around with various roasts of their grains to give their final product a more unique and exciting taste. Just like you need precise cuts in distilling, roasting requires accurate heat and airflow control to bring out the right flavour compounds. With the DirectRoaster, you can roast your own beans - exactly the way you want them - and develop flavour profiles that perfectly complement your spirits. Whether you want to expand your product range or experiment with new recipes, this technology offers you full control over an ingredient often overlooked in craft distilling. Moreover, using iStill's extraction technology can unlock even more potential, by turning the waste generated during the process into marketable products. More on this in another blogpost later.

Curious? You can book a roasting demo at our HQ in Woerden and explore the potential for your next creation.

The craft revolution doesn't stop at spirits. It’s brewing in the coffee world too!