We design and manufacture modern, game-changing, 21st century technology for craft distillers.
ISTILL DISTILLERY EQUIPMENT
- Lifespan of 20 years
- No need to hire additional staff
- Whole distilling process is automated
- Cleaning in 5 minutes instead of two hours
- 100-5000 liter boiler size
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ISTILL EQUIPMENT
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Tradition
PotStill Column
The potstill is well suited for flavor rich spirits and for those that love the extra labor of double or even triple distillation runs. Whisky, Cognac, heavy rums.
We introduced the iStill Potstill Column to reach more established distillers, that outfitted their distilleries with potstills. For them, the iStill Potstill Column is an amazing step forward. It offers an order of magnitude more control and helps create better quality potdistilled product in a reproducible manner.
For new craft distillers that want to venture into gin (or other GNS based distilled spirits), the potstill forms a low price-point, entry level iStill, since these product need only one distillation.
Be aware that the Potstill Column does not give the same amount of control over heads and heads compaction as the iStill Hybrid Column does.
EVOLUTION
PLATED COLUMN
The plates in this type of column function as tails traps. This makes the iStill Plated Column a good alternative for those spirit categories that can do without tails smearing, such as fruit brandy, and some families of Irish whiskey and Bourbon.
We introduced the iStill Plated Column to reach more established distillers, that outfitted their distilleries with plated stills. For them, the iStill Plated Column is an amazing step forward. It offers an order of magnitude more control and helps create better quality spirits faster and in a more reproducible manner.
REVOLUTION
HYBRID COLUMN
The iStill Hybrid column can be operated as a potstill, giving you all the flavor a more traditional potstill would give you, but with the benefit of doing so in just a single distillation run. All the benefits, none of the drawbacks. It excels at whisky, cognac, gin, rum, and vodka.
This is the original and proprietary iStill Column. The one column to rule them all. The most versatile column on offer to craft distillers today. iStill’s Hybrid Column can also work as a plated or column still, where a more pure products are conceived. Like vodka or GNS. This is the column that fits all craft distillers. It can make each and every spirit category, is tremendously efficient, and gives total control over vapor speeds, cuts, and product quality.
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Frequently asked questions
Why is the iStill made of stainless steel and not copper?
There are basically two materials a still can be build from:
- Stainless steel;
- Copper;
Each material has specific benefits as well as specific negatives. Time to find out more!
Stainless steel
As stainless steel is relatively affordable, stainless steel stills offer great value for money. Since this material is chemically very resistant, it has superior longevity. As a result of its resistance, it does not chemically interact with the spirits you are making, which has both positive and negative consequences. No contamination on the one hand, no sulfur catalysis on the other hand. Stainless steel stills can be fitted with a catalyst to manage sulfurs though. A final consideration? Some perceive a stainless steel distillery as modern looking, which can be both a pro and a con.
Coppper
As copper is expensive, both to purchase and to work with, copper stills are relatively expensive. Since the material is chemically very active, it offers limited longevity. A benefit from copper being very reactive, rather than inert, is that it catalyses sulfuric compounds that may have developed during (uncontrolled) fermentations. Without the iStill Copper Particle Filter, copper creates health risks in the spirits you produce. Many perceive a copper distillery as being more romantic looking, which can add to the artisanal experience that many distillers associate with being craft.
Why is the iStill not round?
Boiler Design
There are three things I want you to consider, when investigating the importance of the boiler design of your still for the distillation process:
- Shape;
- Material specifications;
- Heating source.
A wide boiler provides a bigger surface area than a narrow/high design, resulting in a less aggressive boil and a stable gas bed from which the column can draw. The less aggressive boil results in higher filling grades. The more stable gas bed results in more constant vapor speeds that lead to less (uncontrolled) smearing and better control over heads, hearts, and tails cuts.
A round boiler is the least ideal shape, because it will let the agitator spin the wash. The faster the wash rotates, the less effective the actual mixing becomes. Also, the rotation will create a vortex, that results in lower net filling levels and a very turbulent gas bed for the column or riser to draw from.
Baffles can prevent wash rotation, but come with their own set of issues. Most importantly so-called “slow spots”, where no mixing takes place and filth builds up.
The perfect boiler shape for a boiler is flush square. The “flush”-part helps the wash move along through the boiler, while the “square”-part of the equation prevents vortex formation, uneven particle distribution, and gas bed disturbance.
Longevity and chemical resistance are important, when designing (or choosing) a boiler. Stainless steel is the material of choice. A boiler needs to be over designed to deal with the life long harsh hot/cold treatments that distillation cycles basically are (when seen from the perspective of the boiler).
When your still has a double boiler, you probably heat it with steam or oil. A double boiler system, AKA “au bain, Marie!”, evenly heats the wash. A directly fired boiler creates slight temperature differences in the boiler that trigger the Maillard Reaction. The Maillard Reaction is a sugar browning reaction, that results in a taste cascade of 25% more flavor. And that is something you do not want to miss out on, as a craft distiller!
So guess what? You want a wide and flush square boiler, that is over designed and directly fired.
Features & Benefits
All iStills have wide, flush square boilers, made out of 3, 4, and 5 mm thick stainless steel. You now know why …
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