Still
Videos
A still is an apparatus used to distill liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor. A still uses the same concepts as a basic distillation apparatus, but on
Swan-necked copper pot stills in the Glenfiddich distillery
A still at Mackmyra Whisky Distillery
Column still from Kilbeggan Distillery in County Westmeath in Ireland.
Old Ukrainian vodka still
Moonshine
Videos
Moonshine is high-proof liquor, traditionally made or distributed illegally. The name was derived from a tradition of distilling the alcohol at night, usually when the moon was out, to avoid detection
Still
…throughout the world but are sometimes in violation of local statutes. The product of illegal stills in the United States is commonly referred to as moonshine and in Ireland, poitín. However, poitín, although made illegal in 1661, has been legal for export in Ireland since 1997. Note that the term moonshine…
A modern DIY pot still
A thermal immersion circulator, like this sous vide stick, is used to evaporate ethanol in plastic stills or spiral stills.
Former West Virginia moonshiner John Bowman explains the workings of a still. (November 1996, American Folklife Center)
Lucas test: Negative (left) with ethanol and positive with t-butanol.