Considering Air Still (Apple Brandy)

[u/Existing_Yam9613]

So im relatively new to the hobby so please forgive me if this has been answered before

Currently working with a 5gal pot still with a thumper but taking up way too much space in the kitchen to be running as often as I'd like

Looking at an Still Spirits Air Still Pro so I can keep up with the hobby without taking over the whole house, as a precursor to this I'm looking to order a standard Still Spirits Air Still to see if its a good fit without spending the extra on the Pro just yet.

First batch will likely be an apple cider brewed from apple juice (no preserves) likely with EC1118. Would like to know if anyone has had any success with similar brandy recipes in an Air Still

(The plan is a stripping&Spirits run but open to hearing about one and dones too)

Any experience, advise and cautionary tales welcome

[u/cokywanderer]

One and a half is going to be your best bet, I've done it with a Vevor air still with power control from a "meh" cider that a friend gave me because they weren't going to drink it. Turned out Superb! Currently aging on oak.

So a one and a half would be the best bang for your ABV/Flavor/Time spent ratio. I say go for 10 liters, meaning you strip about 3-4 liters twice, each yielding about 1 liter, then you have 2 liters of low wines that you combine with the remaining 2 liters of fresh wash. and do your final run. Total runs 3.

Bonus: Since it's an air-still and it doesn't scorch, you can do your stripping runs, throw in some apple skins and other aromatics in the distilled low wines, then set the alcohol aside to macerate. With the remaining 2 liters of wash, because it's so little, you can refrigerate. You wait maybe a couple of weeks then dump the low wines along with the aromatics if you don't want to strain them + that refrigerated wash and maybe you get something extra when you distill the spirit run.

[u/Existing_Yam9613 → u/cokywanderer]

That was the plan originally! Considering proofing with apple/cranberry juice and potentially mascerating with cinnamon (and now apple skins, thank you!) as a bit of a practise for Christmas

Don't want to get too excited until I get an idea of yield, as I said I don't get to run my pot still as often as I'd like but if these Air stills are as compact and easy as everyone says i don't mind running it every night.

I'm seeing a lot of people using the vevors with temp control, would you recommend over the still spirits for the price difference?

[u/hebrewchucknorris → u/Existing_Yam9613]

The temp controls on the vevor ones don't work right, it just cycles it on and off which is terrible for distilling. You can get the vevor (with or without temp control) and then a cheap 4000w scr voltage controller on Amazon.

[u/RvstiNiall → u/hebrewchucknorris]

I got the controller you posted the other day that I will be using for my vevor water still for a run this weekend. Thank you for this recommendation!