Introduction

The majority of the stills used today are plated stills and pot stills. Hybrid stills, like iStill’s original design, find their fanbase mostly among early adopters and early majority distilleries, not (yet) among late majority distilleries and so-called “laggers” or “traditionalists”.

Potstills have risers, instead of actively managed columns, like the hybrid and plated iStills. This helps the potstill perform one distillation cycle per run … and one distillation cycle only. It brings an 8% beer to 25-30% in one stripping run. It distills 25-30% low wines or GNS base for gin into 65-70% New Make Spirit during the finishing run.

Up until now, iStill has sought to innovate everything, combining newly developed automated control systems with new packed column designs. Targeting early adopters, that made perfect sense. But over time, more and more distillers reached out to us, often from more mature segments of the industry or with a slightly more traditional inclination, asking us why we didn’t help them with an iStill-improved potstill as well. That was the question. The introduction of the iStill Potstill is the mother of all answers.

Robust Flavors, Distilled Consistently

Listening to the industry taught us that existing distillers, that have been in operation for decades, in general don’t value the newest or latest technology per se. They have product on the shelf. They often already invested heavily in a certain distillery set-up. What they are interested in, instead of the newest or the latest, is higher production volumes, more efficient means of operation, savings on staffing or at least the ability to grow without adding to personnel costs.

Existing distillers are often looking for established technology: the technology they established their distillery with. Not just any version, but the best performing, the most efficient, and the most productive version of that technology. Existing distillers are interested in innovations, but only if there is extensive training included in the package, so that innovations become assets rather than production challenges.

In order to comply, we have set the standards high, when we started designing the iStill Potstill. We didn’t just add our amazing automated control systems to an existing potstill, but redesigned the riser, the bridge, and the cooler to facilitate optimum performance in output, efficiency, and consistency.

The result? This all new iStill Potstill blows any other potstill out of the water. It produces single (gin), double (rum and whiskey) and triple (Irish whiskey) distilled spirits with perfect control over heads, hearts, and tails factions. Its design and insulation help boost production efficiency by 200%, basically halving your energy expenses. The automation limits the need for constant supervision, reducing staffing requirements by 75%. There you have it: the all new iStill Potstill made all other potstills obsolete over night!

Features & Benefits

Dual Riser Design (DRD)

The iStill Potstill’s unique Dual Riser Design combines a wide lower riser with a more narrow upper riser. The wide lower riser guarantees a very stable vapor supply, while the narrow upper riser provides the higher vapor speeds needed for the full-bodied flavors associated with pot distillation.

Insulation

The insulation lowers energy losses and supports a speedier distillation process. The insulation on the wide lower riser prevents unwanted passive reflux, while stabilizing vapor speeds, translating into more control over the associated flavor profiles.

Power Management (PM)

You can dial in any power setting from 0 – 100%, for faster or slower runs, for more or less smearing and/or separation power.

Automated Cuts Management (ACM)

Depending on what flavors you are looking for in your drink, you can dial in how you want the iStill Potstill to execute the heads, hearts, and tails cuts. It has three dedicated taps: one for heads, one for hearts, and one for tails, and switches between them automatically. ACM works together closely with iStill’s build-in air pressure controls.

Air Pressure Control (APC)

iStill’s APC unit measures current air pressure on a second-to-second basis. If the air pressure changes, the iStill automatically adapts the cut points for heads, hearts, and tails, to secure spirit reproducibility. In plain English? The iStill Potstill helps you make the same product, consistently, over and over again.

Industrial Computer and Touch Screen

The iStill Potstill comes with an industrial computer (PLC) and touch screen. The automation allows you to select preset distillation programs or design your own programs … and save them for later use and exact run and recipe replication. The PLC is equipped with Central Distillery Management, that helps you manage up to 8 additional mashers and fermenters.

Auto Sanitation & Cleaning (ASC)

The iStill Potstill uses the last bit of alcohol from the run to sanitize the still post operation. It does so automatically. The iStill Potstill also uses the first bit of alcohol of the next run to automatically clean out risers, bridge, cooler and cuts selector at the beginning of that next run. The benefit? It saves you two hours of cleaning per day or per run and you don’t have to invest in detergents.

Copper Foam Technology (CFT)

In case imperfect fermentations result in higher than wished for sulfur counts, copper – as a catalyst – can clean up the contamination. But a copper column or riser would add two hours to your daily cleaning protocols and copper facilitates the formation of ethyl carbamate (a carcinogenic). That’s why we developed CFT. All iStills come equipped with a CFT waffle that can be inserted low in the riser and that takes care of any sulfur contamination without any of the downsides of a completely copper column or riser.

Application

The iStill Potstill excels at the consistent distillation of full-flavored spirits like Scottish single malt whisky or Jamaican potdistilled rums. Cognac? The iStill Potstill will give you the bold flavors you are looking for! Those familiar with Odin’s Theory of Distillation, know that a potstill is very well suited at creating three-dimensional drinks.

The iStill Potstill is also perfectly suited for gin, akvavit, and liqueurs production. Drinks that only need one distillation cycle, because the recipe start with (higher proof) GNS.

Sizes & Prices

The iStill Potstill comes in 100, 500, 2000, and 5000 liter configuration. The iStill 100 Potstill features a 3 and 2 inch wide/narrow riser combination, where the 500 liter model is equipped with a 5 and 3 inch riser combo. The iStill 2000’s riser system measures 8 inch at the bottom and 5 inch at the top-end. The iStill 5000 Potstill has a wide lower riser of 12 inch and a narrow higher riser diameter of 8 inch.

Pricing:

• iStill 100 Potstill: EUR 15.000,-;
• iStill 500 Potstill: EUR 30.000,-;
• iStill 2000 Potstill: EUR 60.000,-;
• iStill 5000 Potstill: EUR 90.000,-.

First Edition Series

Orders placed in May and June 2020 get upgraded with the additional square manhole and WiFi for free!

Performance

• ABV output range: 25% to 90%;
• Run times (on an 8% boiler charge): 4 to 5 hours;
• Production rate iStill 100 Potstill: over 15 lph;
• Production rate iStill 500 Potstill: over 45 lph;
• Production rate iStill 2000 Potstill: over 90 lph;
• Production rate iStill 5000 Potstill: over 200 lph.

Availability

The Potstill Series by iStill can be ordered from today onwards. Lead time is around 3 to 5 months (depending on size and options). If you want to order one, of if you want to learn more, please reach out to Sales@iStillmail.com.

Impressive bit of kit: iStill 2000 Potstill …

Optimized riser design for stunning performance …

iStill Potstill Timepiece …

It’s never too late to buy an iStill …

Industrial computer and touch screen and Central Distillery Management …

http://www.iStill.com