You are new to brewing and eager to brew your own spirits. Great, but now you need to pick a still. You’ve done a bit of research and are weighing up the Turbo 500 vs Air Still. In this post we look at the merits of each of these stills to help you decide which option is going to best suit you.
Prior to considering a still purchase it is important to be aware that distilling in Australia is ILLEGAL if you do not hold an excise manufacturer licence. An excise manufacturing licence can be applied for through the Australian Taxation Office (ATO). It is ILLEGAL to own a still with a capacity over 5L. It is ILLEGAL to use a still with a capacity under 5L to distil spirits.
Turbo 500 vs Air Still
Still Spirits range of stills means there is a still for every home distiller. We are going to look at the Turbo 500 which is a reflux condenser still and the Air Still. These stills produce a neutral spirit which is then designed to be filtered and flavoured. However, for those distillers interested in brewing with authentic ingredients check out the Pot Still.
Turbo 500
The Turbo 500 is a must for anyone who wants to produce larger quantities of extremely clean, pure alcohol. The Turbo 500 allows you to collect an astonishing 95% of the possible alcohol from the wash. This comes out at an amazing 93% alcohol purity. The Turbo 500 takes approximately 4 hours from start to finish. For each 8kg sugar wash run through the Turbo 500 approximately 4L of pure alcohol will be collected. The yield is then watered down to your desired ABV %, filtered and flavoured. The Turbo 500 requires access to water to cool and maintain the temperature of the condenser as the still runs.
A boiler for the still is not supplied. You must obtain a license before using this system for producing alcohol.
Wash Suggestion: 8kg of Dextrose + Classic 8 Turbo Pack made to 25L
Fermenting time: 4-7 days
Capacity: 25L
Yield: 4L
Run Time: 4 hours
ABV: 90-93%
Air Still
The Still Spirits Air Still system uses a revolutionary still that will be right at home amongst your everyday kitchen appliances. Stainless steel body, built in air cooling system so it uses absolutely no water for cooling – great for regions where water shortages are a problem. Distillation takes two hours and produces 700mL at 60% – enough alcohol each time to make a 1L bottle at 38-40%. The Air Still is a great options for those distillers that want to produce small quantities. Each wash will do two runs and produce a total of 2L of spirit. Additionally, the Air Still can also be used as a Pot Still. Additions such as the botanical basket can be purchased separately for making gin.
Wash Suggestion: 2.5kg of Dextrose + Air Still Fermentation Kit made to 9L
Fermenting time: 4-10 days
Capacity: 4L
Yield: 700mL
Run Time: 2 hours
ABV: 60%
Turbo 500 vs Air Still
Turbo 500 Stainless Steel Complete Distillery Kit
T500 Stainless Steel Condenser
EZ Filter System
30 Litre Plastic Fermenter
Fermenter Accessories
6kg Turbo Production Pack
5 Litre Measuring Jug
50cm Stirring Spoon
Hydrometer
Alcometer
Classic Spirit Essences
Icon Liqueur Essences & Oak Chips
Still Spirits Air Still Essentials Kit is $385.00. This kit includes:
- Air Still
- 10 Lt Fermenter with Thermometer
- Carbon Filter System with Spirit Collector
- Mixing Spoon
- Distilling Conditioner
- Boil Enhancers
- Air Still Fermentation Kit (Turbo Yeast & Nutrients, Turbo Carbon, Turbo Clear for making a wash)
- Vodka Essences (for flavoured water or vodka)
- Hydrometer
- Instructions