Preparing Your Still

The first distillation is designed to clean and seal the inside of the unit. It is an important step to ensuring your still works well once you begin distilling plant material.

After you receive your copper alembic still, you will need to run a distillation without plant material, using a mixture of water with 5% rye flour

1. Place distillation pieces on table, placing pot on stove top.
2. With pot on the stove and ready to go, fill pot with water using a measuring jug. Water should remain just below or at the handles (no higher) of the sill.
3. While stirring the water, slowly add in 5% rye flour. e.g. If you added 25 cups of water, add 2.5 cups of rye flour.
4. Put remainder of still together.
5. Apply sealant (either rye flour or tape) to joints.
6. Turn heat on medium and turn on condenser water (pump).
7. Once distillate is coming through, let it run 5-15 minutes. Then turn off heat.
8. As soon as possible (use heavy duty insulated gloves), separate pieces of the still, and rinse each piece thoroughly with cold water. You don’t want any of the rye flour water to dry inside the still before you have a chance to rinse it off. Ensure all rye flour is removed but do not scrape or scrub the inside of the still.

9. Dry the still and then store until first distillation with plants!

Now you are ready to discover the wonderful world of distillation, be free to play around with different botanicals in what ever you choose to make.