AL
CHEMIST
15
16
As well as all manner of alcoholic beverages, the Alembic Pot Still system can be used for distilling water, and
for essential oil extraction.
PREPARATION
(see page 5)
1. Attach the copper condenser arm to the copper dome by removing the nut and O-ring from
the base of the condenser. Sit the condenser on the dome and screw the nut and O-ring back into
the condenser (check the lid isn’t spinning anymore) to firmly attach the dome to the condenser.
2. Insert the thermometer probe into the hole at the top of the column.
3. Attach the tubing for the water cooling of the condenser. The thin tube is for the outlet water and
connects near the top of the condenser arm and takes the water back to the sink. The thicker tube
connects to the water inlet near the tip of the condenser arm, with the other end connecting to
the tap.
4. Briefly turn on the cooling water supply to ensure there are no leaks in the system. Check again
that the water goes in at the end where the spirit comes out and that the water comes out closest
to the top of the lyne arm (the end near the thermometer probe).
DISTILLATION
Distilling 20 L (5.3 US Gal) of water in the pot still will take about 8-10 hours from start to finish
(excluding the heating time) and will produce approximately 18 L (4.8 US Gal) of distilled water. It is
a good idea to ensure your dome top and condenser are thoroughly cleaned from the previous use
before continuing with the water distillation.
You will need:
• Large vessel(s) to collect the distilled water (this will need to be as large as the quantity of water initially
place in the boiler)
• Cooling water supply and sink
Place the boiler body on a firm, level, bench where the waste can discharge into a drain or sink. Add
the water to be distilled to your boiler; do not fill beyond the maximum level line on the boiler.
Place the pot still system onto the boiler; fasten the four clips that hold the lid onto the boiler. Check
the sealing gasket is sitting firmly on the boiler with no gaps.
Connect the power to the boiler. The water will take about 80 minutes to heat up to boiling
temperature.
Before the water begins to boil, turn on the cooling water just enough so that the distillate doesn’t
come out as steam but rather in liquid form.
After you have collected 18 L (4.8 US Gal) of water, turn the boiler power off and disconnect from the
power outlet. Turn off the cooling water supply. Be careful when discarding the remaining water left
in the boiler as this will be hot.
The distilled water must be filtered through the Still Spirits EZ Filter system or other filter system to
ensure any unwanted flavours and aromas from previous washes are removed. Refer to the filter
manual for filtering instructions.
PREPARATION
(see page 5)
1. Attach the copper condenser arm to the copper dome by removing the nut and O-ring from
the base of the condenser. Sit the condenser on the dome and screw the nut and O-ring back into
the condenser (check the lid isn’t spinning anymore) to firmly attach the dome to the condenser.
2. Insert the thermometer probe into the hole at the top of the column.
3. Attach the tubing for the water cooling of the condenser. The thin tube is for the outlet water and
connects near the top of the condenser arm and takes the water back to the sink. The thicker tube
connects to the water inlet near the tip of the condenser arm, with the other end connecting to
the tap.
4. Briefly turn on the cooling water supply to ensure there are no leaks in the system. Check again
that the water goes in at the end where the spirit comes out and that the water comes out closest
to the top of the lyne arm (the end near the thermometer probe).
DISTILLATION
Plant material can be distilled in water or ethanol (alcohol) solution. Plant will release essential oils
that will be carried by the water or the ethanol vapours into the distillate. If using water, essential oils
will float at the surface of the hydrosol. If using ethanol, essential oil will be mixed in and the pure oil
can not be collected, you will get a concentrated essential oils solution instead.
You will need:
•
Clean plant material, and enough water to cover them. Each plant material will require different volumes
of water, as an indication, for 1 kg (2.2 lb) of rosemary leaves, add 15 L (4 US Gal) of water. If using
ethanol solution, use a 40% ABV solution max.
•
5 L (1.3 US Gal) glass carbuoy
•
6 x 500 ml (17 US fl oz) containers for collecting fractions
•
Cooling water supply and a sink
Collect the distillate in fractions (eg 500 ml (17 fl oz) lots or smaller) so you can monitor quality of
the output throughout. The quality will drop of at the end and may become more ‘cooked’. Stop
collecting when the quality drops.
Collect a maximum distillate of 80% of the volume put in the boiler to make sure it does not boil dry
and cook the plant material.
If using water, the distillate collected will be mainly hydrosol (water based plant extract) but there
will be essential oil with it. The oil will separate out over time and will float on the surface (for nearly
all oils, there are a few which are denser than water and will end up on the bottom).
The oil can then be separated off from the hydrosol by pipette. We recommend to leave the distillate
settling into a narrow container, as the layer of oil will be thicker.
The hydrosol can also often be used (rose water, lavender water etc).
Yields of oil are low, a yield of 1-2% is considered good.
If using ethanol, you won’t be able to separate the oil from the ethanol, and can use the distillate as is
comes out.
WATER DISTILLATION
ESSENTIAL OILS DISTILLATION
