Distilling >> Stills and Equipment

Stills and Equipment
Hauraki Brewing Co. Ltd has designed and manufactured metal stills since 1990 and now offer pot and reflux models in capacities of 5 litre, 9 litre and 25 litres.  All stainless reflux Euro stills are manufactured in 30 and 60 litres.  All models have undergone many years of development and offer the best in low temperature distillation producing clean safe alcohol. Larger stills up to 1000 litres are manufactured on order. A free design service is provided. A complete range of thermometers and test hydrometers made to our specifications are available.

Durable All Metal Stills - 9 and 25 litre Capacity


Construction Features 
1. All capacities are actual, the 9 litre takes this volume of wash, the 25 litre similarly will distill 25 litres of wash.

2. Construction is from spun N5 marine alloy.

3. The basic unit is completely anodised to Industrial ISO 9000 standard.

4. Top quality 316 stainless steel is used to form the reflux column and condenser.

5. All stills feature 316 stainless steel “smart elements”

Design Features:


1. The alloy and stainless steel construction guarantees a very long life free from stress failures due to the repeated heated and cooling cycles and come with extended warranties.

2. Anodising to industrial standards prevents any possible leach of aluminium from the alloy into the wash, while the exclusive use of stainless steel on the vapour side means that all spirit contacts only stainless steel.

3. The lid design especially in the reflux model ensures efficient wash temperature at the vapour point of ethanol. This gives much cleaner spirit. Left to run on past the ethanol point these elements will fractionally distill the remaining ingredients. Used with Spirits Unlimited and Stilimaster ingredients these elements carry a 5 year warranty.

4. The condensor is in fact a high by pass heat exchanger sized precisely to condense only ethanol. Its length and diameter allows ethers to pass while the warm spirit released is already losing much of the methanol.

All units are designed with the latest chemical engineering systems built in and manufactured from the best durable materials. Used with Spirits Unlimited and Stillmaster ingredients these stills will produce the cleanest spirit of any type sold in New Zealand.
(DSIR chromatographs are available)

Reflux Design:


The reflux tower serves as a precondensor, collecting both water and alcohols. As the mixed vapour passes up the column, cooling occurs, with the compounds having the highest boiling point such as water condense on the walls of the column and dump back down into the pot.

This repeated cycling gradually strips the vapour of water and heavy alcohols so that the % ethanol increases as it moves further up the column. At the top where cooling water is circulating a final ‘stripping” of water etc occurs resulting in a higher strength alcohol being produced, ie 75% against 60% from a pot still. Hence the more water flow on the tower coolers produces stronger spirit.

Stainless Steel 5, 30 and 60 Litre Relux Euro Still


The key to the system is a highly efficient reflux tower that rectifies the vapour to around 90% ethanol. Spirit strength and distillation speed are regulated by water flow through the reflux columns, these coolers are at the base of the tower. The still runs on a twin element system.

Reflux Packing:


Our stills are supplied with ceramic/glass marble/copper packings which are inserted into the column. All stills feature Ludwig dome glass packaging for maximum surface area.

The packing material provides additional surface area for the heavier vapours to condense on, thus increasing the “reflux” efficiency and providing stronger spirit.

As a guide, the addition of an extra 5cm of packing in the column will lift the alcohol by 5%.

Remember:


As alcohol strength increases the volume decreases. This means 2 litres at 40% will become 1 litre at 80%.

Reflux stills can’t produce more alcohol, but stronger and purer.