Distillation is a copper-steel-and-heat problem, and every distillery solves it differently. A pot still produces character-forward spirit through batch distillation — ideal for whiskey, rum, brandy, and gin programs where the cut matters as much as the alcohol yield. A column still runs continuous rectification through plates or packed sections, pushing clean high-proof neutral spirit for vodka, gin base, and industrial ethanol. A hybrid still combines a pot base with a removable column, giving distillers a dual-purpose platform that swings between grain-in whiskey and clean gin-base on the same kit.
Upstream of the still, grain-to-wash operations demand a matched set of vessels. A grain-in mash cooker with an internal agitator and steam jacket gelatinizes starch and holds the mash at saccharification temperature. A wash fermenter — open or closed, glycol-cooled — develops alcohol to 7–12% ABV over 3–5 days. A wort-pump transfer system moves finished wash to the still pot. Feint and heart receivers hold the cut product for blending, proofing, and barrel entry. Spirit-storage tanks — 304 or copper-lined — hold high-proof inventory at TTB-bonded facilities.
Short-path and wiped-film evaporation systems serve the botanical-extract and concentrate side of the industry. Rotary evaporation scales from lab bench through pilot-plant for R&D and small-production cannabinoid, essential-oil, and flavor-extract workflows. Continuous wiped-film evaporators handle thermally-sensitive product streams that would otherwise decompose at standard distillation temperatures.
What We Fabricate
Copper Pot Stills
Batch distillation with copper sulfide interaction for flavor development. 50-gal lab through 5,000-gal production vessels.
Stainless Column Stills
Continuous rectification with plate or packed columns for high-proof neutral spirit production.
Hybrid Pot-Column Stills
Removable column pot stills — run as a pot still for whiskey, swing the column on for gin or vodka base.
Grain-In Mash Cookers
Steam-jacketed cookers with internal sweep agitator for starch gelatinization and saccharification.
Wash Fermenters
Cylindro-conical or open-top fermenters with glycol cooling for wash, wine, or beer fermentation up to 14% ABV.
Low-Wines Receivers
Intermediate spirit-cut holding between first distillation and spirit run.
Heart / Feint Receivers
Custody-point spirit receivers for batch cut management.
Spirit-Storage Tanks
304 stainless or copper-lined high-proof inventory tanks for TTB-bonded facilities.
Proofing & Blending Tanks
Water-addition and batch-blending vessels for final proofing to bottle strength.
Parrots & Spirit Safes
TTB-custody cut-selection gauges integrated at still outlet.
Wiped-Film Evaporators
Continuous short-path distillation for terpenes, essential oils, and thermally-sensitive concentrates.
Rotary Evaporation Systems
Lab, pilot, and production-scale rotovaps for solvent recovery and extract concentration.
How a Custom Project Works
Requirements capture. Volume, materials of construction, service chemistry, operating temperature and pressure, installation footprint, utility connections, code and finish requirements. We work from a specification sheet you provide or we draft one against your process flow.
Engineering and drawings. Our partner engineering team produces a general-arrangement drawing, bill of materials, weld-map, and code calculation package if applicable. You review and sign off before any steel is cut.
Material procurement. Plate, pipe, fittings, and elastomers are ordered against the approved BOM. Material Test Reports (MTRs) are captured for every heat of stainless or carbon steel used on code work.
Fabrication. Shell courses rolled and seam-welded, heads formed and welded, ports installed per drawing. Sanitary work is TIG-welded with argon purge and ground flush to 32 Ra or better on product-contact surfaces.
Inspection and testing. Radiographic or ultrasonic weld inspection where code requires, hydrostatic pressure test at 1.3x design pressure for code vessels, surface-roughness profilometry on sanitary vessels, passivation to ASTM A967.
Documentation and shipment. MTRs, weld maps, NDE reports, hydro certificates, code stamps, and ASME Form U-1 (if applicable) are bound into a documentation package that travels with the vessel. Shipment via flatbed or step-deck with blocking, bracing, and tarp as specified.
Distillery Equipment — Project Gallery
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can you build a still that runs both whiskey and vodka?
Yes — a hybrid still with a removable column. Operated as a pot still for whiskey, rum, and brandy programs; column attached for gin base, vodka, and industrial neutral-spirit runs.
Copper or stainless?
Copper reacts with sulfur compounds in the wash, removing them from the spirit — essential for whiskey, rum, and brandy. Stainless is appropriate for neutral spirits, ethanol, and workflows where copper sulfide interaction is unwanted.
Do you handle TTB-compliant custody equipment?
Yes. Parrots, spirit safes, and sealed-gauge receivers are specified and installed to TTB custody-point requirements at bonded premises.
What's the smallest production-scale still you build?
Production-scale pot stills start at 100 gallons. Lab and R&D vessels run 5-gal to 50-gal. Continuous column stills start at 200 gallons per hour throughput.
Give us your process specs — volume, service chemistry, installation footprint, utility connections, finish requirements. We come back with a full engineering package, firm lead time, and fixed price. No obligation, no sales pressure.
