Pot Still Operation
KB51193 PolyPhoenix Air Still Pro | Pot Still Operation
The Polyhoenix Air Still Pro can be used as a Pot Still or a Reflux Still.
Pot Stills are generally used to make spirits such as Whisky, Rum, Brandy, Gin from an appropriate wash. So, Whisky is distilled from a malt wash, Rum from a molasses wash, etc.
Reflux Stills include packing in the column which causes fractioning of the vapour (refluxing). This, combined with a slower output (in this instance forced by using a narrower Outlet Nipple) means that the flavours and by products of the wash are stripped so that pure ethanol only is distilled from the wash.
Pot Still Mode
Remove the packing (if installed in the column)
Install the 1.2mm Outlet Nipple
(If using the RAPT Brew App) Select Pot Still Mode from the Air Still Pro Device screen
(If using the on board controller) Select Pot Still Mode under Distilling Modes
Fill the boiler with up to 5L of the appropriate wash. NOTE: Do not overfill as this can cause puking, blockages or other issues
Attach the Still Head to the Boiler
Ensure the Polyphoenix Air Still Pro is on a stable, level surface and has plenty of clearance
Place a suitable collection vessel under the Outlet
(If making gin or similar) place your desired botanicals in the gin basket. Botanicals can also be placed in the wash in the boiler - it is common (for example) to place juniper berries directly in the wash when making gin
On the on board controller, use
Select and the 
Up and 
Down buttons to navigate to Start Heating. Use Select to start the heating, which begins the distillation process.As the wash comes to a boil, the fan and pump will turn on automatically. Once the wash is boiling, the distillate will start to collect through the Outlet Nipple
The first 50ml of the wash will be diverted to the foreshots collection jar. This must be discarded as it potentially contains harmful byproducts of distillation
In Pot Still Mode, the distillate will consist of foreshots, heads, hearts and tails. It is best practice to take cuts during the run in order to separate the various fractions of distillate. These can be saved and re-used, blended back into the hearts or discarded
Typically the hearts of the run is the 'best' part of a pot still run. However, the heads and tails can also contain a lot of flavour elements so experienced distillers may prefer to blend small amounts of the heads and/or tails into the hearts
The Polyphoenix Air Still Pro will continue to run until the End Temperature is reached. The ABV of the distillate will drop over this time as the alcohol in the wash is boiled off and distilled
Once the boiler cuts off, make sure the cuts or collection vessels are labelled (to make blending etc easier)
Once the Polyphoenix Air Still Pro has cooled enough so it can be safely handled, clean the Polyphoenix Air Still Pro so it is ready for the next run. Cleaning as soon as possible after use will help avoid off flavours or other issues
A typical Pot Still or Stripping Run will take up to approximately 3 hours with a 5L wash.
If intending to produce pure ethanol in Reflux Mode, best practice is to run the wash through a Stripping Run. A Stripping Run is a fast run where all the distillate is collected. The distillate is then put back in the boiler, diluted to ~40% ABV and then distilled in Reflux Mode
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