Still Spirits

Still Spirits is the brand most Australian home distillers start with, and the one most of them stay with. The range covers the whole process: the still itself, the yeast and carbon for the wash, the essences that turn neutral spirit into something recognisable, and the spare parts that keep a ten-year-old unit running.

The stills

Air Still and Air Still Pro. Benchtop, air cooled, 4 litres. No plumbing, no running tap, and under the 5 litre threshold so no ATO permission is needed. The Pro adds reflux mode for cleaner spirit, an automatic foreshots vial and a botanical basket. See the Air Still and Air Still Pro ranges.

T500 and T500 Pro. The 25 litre reflux standard, recovering around 95% of the alcohol in a wash at up to 93% purity. The Pro runs a copper condenser, which strips sulphur compounds for a cleaner result. Water cooled, so you need a tap. See the T500 range.

Alembic pot stills. The dome and pot condenser fit the same Create+ boiler as the T500, so one boiler does both reflux and pot distilling. Pot keeps flavour, which is what you want for whisky, rum and brandy. See the Alembic range.

Not sure which suits you? Our best home distilling kit guide compares them on price, batch size and water use.

Essences

An essence flavours a batch of neutral spirit into a recognisable style. The Still Spirits range runs across several tiers:

• Top Shelf — 50ml bottles, each flavouring 2.25L, which is three standard bottles
• Top Shelf Select — the same 2.25L total as two 1.125L sachets
• Classic and Icon — broader spirit and liqueur profiles
• Liqueurs and schnapps — these need a matching base pack for body and sweetness, and a set volume of alcohol at 40%

Browse Top Shelf essences, or match your favourite bottle to an essence in our brand match guide.

Consumables and spares

Turbo yeast in Classic, Pure, Fast and Heat strains, each suited to a different temperature range and target ABV. Turbo Carbon for the ferment, EZ Filter carbon for polishing the finished spirit, and Turbo Clear for dropping sediment before you distil. See yeast and carbon and carbon and filters.

For spare parts, the distilling equipment and spare parts range covers condensers, boilers, thermometers, saddles and seals. Because so many Australians own Still Spirits gear, almost every part is available rather than discontinued.

The rules

Owning and using a still in Australia is legal. A still of 5 litres or less needs no permission at all, which covers the Air Still range. Above 5 litres you apply to the ATO for still permission, which is free. Distilling water, essential oils and botanical extracts needs no licence. Distilling spirit requires a free excise manufacturer licence. Full detail is in our guide to the ATO rules for home distilling.