How to make a moonshine still is not very difficult even if you are a novice at it because all you have to do is follow the instructions step by step. The trick is to make sure that you have all the right equipment. It is wise though to first find out if distilling alcohol is legal in your state or not. Most likely it is illegal and you don’t want to break any rules or laws. However, building a still is not illegal and if you are still interested in manufacturing a still, follow these instructions.

The following equipment can be easily got. A large pot (capacity: 1 gallon liquid), a bowl that has a round bottom, an 8 ounce drinking glass, a magnet, a brick or weight that will help to keep the bowl steady and in place, a cooking thermometer that can help you monitor the temperature, red wine (1/2 gallon), hydrometer and some ice cubes.

Pour around two quarts of the red wine into the pot and place the same on the stone. Put the 8 ounce collection glass right in the middle of this pot and place the magnet in it so that it is held down. Put the ingredients into the pot with the water and heat it till a degree of 120F is reached. You should carefully monitor the temperature so that you get it right. This is when you should turn the heat down low.

Fill the bowl with ice cubes and place the bowl on the pot lid. This bowl should be well sealed so that no vapor escapes. The brick or weight should be placed in the bowl in order to keep it in place. Let the temperature rise slowly over the next half an hour. Once the alcohol starts to heat, chemical compounds start to boil at different and varying temperatures. For example, while water and ethyl alcohol will boil at their own respective temperatures, methyl alcohol will evaporate first. In time the alcohol will change into vapor when it starts to boil. When the vapors reach the bowl they will slowly condense because of the ice cubes and very soon the condensed liquid/alcohol will drip into the 8 ounce collection/storage glass.

There are two types of moonshine stills – the pot and the reflux still. The pot still is in fact a container that is used to heat the ingredients and brew it and the condenser which is used for changing the escaping vapors into alcohol. An old pressure cooker that you don’t use any more can be used. The lid of the cooker should fit tightly. In order to make the condenser wind a length of copper tubing over something so that it forms a coil. Place this coil in a bucket with a hold in its side through which the tube is passed, after fitting one end of it tightly on the cooker lid opening.

How to make a moonshine still can therefore be quite easy if you make sure that all gaps are sealed with waterproof sealant. Make sure that ice cubes in the bucket keep the coil cool during the process. Vapors that are caught are then transferred into a storage container.

Distilling whiskey can be extremely easy if you understand the whole process. All you need is water, grain and yeast. Take around a 100 kgs of grain that will make you 600 liters of mash to produce almost 85 liters of a good whiskey at home. The next stage is the mashing or grinding. The grain should be ground coarsely and then mixed with water in the “mash tun”. This will help to convert the existing starch into sugar. The resulting mixture is called “wort”. The size of your tank and the mash amount will determine the time process of the fermentation.

In order to separate “wort” you can sieve the mash through a screen plate placed at the tank bottom. Liquid can be thus drained into a fermentation bin and the wet grain that is left behind can be gotten rid of or used as feed for animals. Use new baker’s yeast or even yeast that you have cultivated yourself for every batch of wort you want to ferment.

Every time you run your alcohol through the still, will increase its purity! It all depends on what taste and flavor you need. If a pot still is being used note that only half the water is removed. Scotch is always distilled two times and Irish whiskey thrice, making the whiskey really smooth and pure. It is important to remember the undesirable runoffs while going through the whole distillation process. These “heads” are not needed and are in fact poisonous and has to be discarded. In the same way, the “tails” should also be discarded because they will bring down the quality.

You should know that whiskey should mature in oak casks. The minimum period is at least three years during which the alcohol actually breathes in the cask and gets its, color, flavor and aroma. Aging is also called mellowing and this takes “the edge off” raw whiskey and makes it “smooth”. Note that a certain percentage of your alcohol will evaporate during this mellowing/aging process. This percentage is usually called “angel’s share”.

There are different types of whiskey and many times people have no clue as to what is the difference among them all. Scotch and Irish whiskeys are blended whiskeys but differ from each other. While Scotch is made from malted barley the Irish use both un-malted and malted barley. Scotch has a smoky flavor because the malted barley is dried over peat fires while the Irish prefer to use dry closed kilns to dry the malt. American whiskey is known as bourbon and produced in Kentucky. Canadian whiskey is also very unique and can be easily distinguished from the other whiskeys because it is lighter than the usual bourbon, does not have the strong scotch aroma, and is light colored instead of being dark like many other whiskeys. Corn is used for the mash and sometimes they also use malted barley or wheat.

A Whisky sale is a great place to pick up some of the most premium brands of whisky at a very good price. Sometimes a whisky sale is the place to be when you are a collector and want to lay your hands on a bottle of vintage whisky. Some of the rarest whiskies can be found in sales that are held online and also at distilleries. It is interesting to note that since the boom of whisky tourism in Scotland, the sales of whisky have also increased manifold.

If you plan to build a collection of fine whisky then you should first get an idea of how to go about it. Heading to a sale or hunting for deals is going to be worthwhile when you know where to put your money. Differentiating between the different types of whiskies is the first step towards this. When you want to buy premium whisky then you will probably be looking at the most coveted whisky, the Scotch. There are single malt Scotch whiskies and blended Scotch whiskies. Out of the two the single malt Scotch whiskies are the ones which are considered the best whiskies in the world. Single malt Scotch whiskies are made with a single grain mash and are distilled in pot stills in distilleries that have to be located in Scotland. The whisky is then left for maturing in casks made of oak for a period of three years and more. The longer the whisky ages the more premium it is.

A blended Scotch whisky on the other hand is also made in Scotland but can be made of grain and malt whiskies. Blended whiskies were created as an alternative to single malt Scotch whiskies and are a combination of one or many single malts.

Some of the most premium whiskies produced in Scotland come from the whisky producing regions of Speyside and the Highland. In fact the highest whisky sale in the whole of Scotland is from the Highland region. The Speyside region has the largest number of distilleries and also contributes greatly to whisky sales in Scotland.

The whiskies that come from these two regions are slightly sweet and very balanced on the palate though whiskies from the Speyside region are a little sweeter than the whiskies from the Highland region. You can look at Glenlivet, Macallan, Glenmorangie, Glenfiddich, Glenturret, and Singleton Single Malt as few of the coveted whiskies from these regions. The Islay region is an excellent region for string smoky and peaty whiskies. The other region, the Island region is where you can get lighter whiskies which have a coastal feel to it such as the Talisker.

An exciting place to go for a whisky sale is the distillery itself. Most of the distilleries in Scotland fall on the whisky trail where you can buy your whiskies at an unbelievably good price. Plus you also get to sample the whisky that you intend to buy making it an even more viable and cost effective proposition. You can also look at auctions online or at larger whisky stores to get a good price on vintage whiskies.

Sometimes you need the help of a whisky guide to learn all you need to know about whisky. If you are a novice amongst connoisseurs then you need to rev up your knowledge to get as good as the others. There is a lot that you need to learn when you want to learn all about whisky and have a learned conversation regarding this complex spirit. This knowledge is not only to fit in amongst others but is also important as it will teach you how to enjoy a fine whisky.

To begin you need to know that whisky translates to ‘water of life’ from Gaelic. A single malt scotch whisky is the most coveted amongst all whiskies. A single malt Scotch whisky is a type of whisky that is made in a single distillery using malted barley as the single grain ingredient in Scotland. Though single malts can be easily reproduced out of Scotland, legally they cannot be called Scotches. Just like Cognac comes only from France, Tequila comes only from Mexico, Scotch can come only from Scotland. A lot of Scotland goes into making a scotch. Barley harvested in Scotland, a smoky flavor that comes from peat and clear waters from its water sources give a Scotch its distinct flavor.

There are many whisky producing regions in Scotland. These regions are the Highland region, Lowland region, Speyside region, Islay region and Island region. The geographical location of where a malt comes from determines its flavors to a great extent. Each of these regions impart their individual flavor to the drink made in their region. The scotches made in the Highland region have a variety of flavors. The whiskies from this region are very balanced, slightly sweet and have a smoky balance.

The Speyside region has the highest number of distilleries in the whole of Scotland. The whiskies from this region are very subtle and lightly complex. The whiskies from Speyside are a little sweeter when compared to the neighboring Highland whiskies. However, it is the Speyside whiskies which are well favored by almost all. The Lowland whiskies are very light and floral whiskies. The whiskies in this region go through a triple distillation process which is responsible for the delicate flavors.

The Islay single malts are mainly for the seasoned whisky drinker. These malts are strong on the nose and are very smoky and peaty to taste. This is primarily because of the strong influence of peat in this region. The Island whiskies are also very delicate and have an almost coastal feel to them, again, owing to the geographical location of the distilleries.

A whisky guide will tell you about the things that you have to look out for when you want to learn about whisky. This guide will teach you to look for the color, nose, palate and finish of the drink. It takes a long time for one to become a true connoisseur of whisky. When you taste your way through some exquisite specimens you will be able to master the art of whisky drinking. However, ultimately it is your individual taste that will determine which whisky you like.

Just like it is important to know your whisky in order to be declared a true lover of the drink it is also equally important to serve the drink in a suitable whisky glass. When you want to enjoy your whisky to the optimal level you will have to have it in the proper glass. You wouldn’t want to drink fine champagne out of a highball glass would you? In the same way you wouldn’t want to drink whisky out of a champagne flute.

When you want to select a glass for your whisky you have to first decide how you want to drink your whisky. Do you want to sip your whisky slowly? Do you want to nose it and then savor all the flavors of the drink? Do you want a shot of whisky? All these things will be responsible in your choice of whisky glass. If it is a low quality whisky that you simply want to swallow and follow it up with a chaser then almost any glass will do. But if it is a high quality malt that you want to savor and relish then your choice of glass is important as that will be the differentiator between an average and a superior whisky drinking experience.

Originally whisky was drunk only out of tumblers. It can be said safely that whisky tumblers were the official whisky glass. A whisky tumbler will hold about eight to ten ounces of whisky. Tumblers can be used to serve Scotch, Bourbon or any other whisky neat or on the rocks. These whisky tumblers an also be used to hold whisky cocktails such as Bourbon and cola or Manhattan.

The Glencairn whisky glass is the perfect glass to serve whisky in. Raymond Davidson decided that it was time to have a designated glass to savor whisky in and designed the Glencairn glass. It is in this glass that the proper flavors and the nose of the whisky can be enjoyed. After all, it is not just the palette that is teased when you are enjoying a fine whisky but the nose as well as that plays an equally important role. The mouth of this glass is slightly tapering which allows ease of drinking, the wide base or bowl allows you to enjoy the color of the whisky. The bowl shaped base is also easy to hold. This glass is considered so perfect for whisky that it can be found in all of the distilleries in Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

The tulip glass is another type of glass in which you can enjoy a fine whisky. The shape of this whisky concentrates the aroma of the drink right around the nose and helps in enhancing the whisky tasting experience. This type of glass also allows for easy swirling without the fear of spilling the drink.

The snifter whisky glass is very similar to the tulip glass but is wider and a little shorter. The brim of this glass is also not fluted. The shape of this glass allows for the collection of the flavors and aromas of the whisky enhancing the whisky drinking experience.