Distilling - FAQ

Making spirits and liquers

This article details how to use an alcohol base system and spirit & liqueur flavourings for you to make purified, neutral alcohol liquor.

Most alcohol base kits will produce around 25 litres of 20% alcohol liquor in 2 weeks. If you are lucky enough to live in New Zealand, or are happy to declare your 'moonshine' to UK customs and excise you can distill and add water to make a full 40% proof alcohol base.

When you have made the liquor, you simply add the flavourings to make the spirit or liqueur of your choice.

Step 1: Fermentation

Make the alcohol by mixing sugar and water and then adding a spirits 'turbo. mixture which is basically a mixture of yeast and yeast food (nutrients). The yeast will convert the sugar to alcohol via fermentation, note that different turbo yeasts can be used to suit different climate conditions.

Step 2: Distillation - 40% alcohol

Requires customs and excise declaration in UK, legal in New Zealand

Add the fermented mixture to a spirits still, these are sold in some countries as water purifiers. The alcohol is then boiled off and the first portion is separated and discarded before collecting the potable (or drinkable) alcohol.

Now add water to bring the strength of your spirit down to 40% ABV. Filter the alcohol with your filter unit. This involves running the spirit through a cartridge packed with a carbon mixture that removes any unwanted tastes and smells and utilises a filter paper to prevent the carbon from passing into the finished spirit.

Step 2: Without distillation 20% volume

Australia, US, UK

If you are to observe the law and do not wish to make a declaration to UK customs and excise, you will take the compromise approach which is to use the 20% fermented liquor you have made & add flavours to it. This results in lower strength copies of spirits & liqueurs. You will need to go through the following steps to ensure your drinks taste as goood as possible.

Purifying your liquor. When you have finished making your liquor, you need to treat it with carbon to make it taste & smell just right. This is done by slowly dripping the liquor through carbon granules in a carbon treatment system called a Z-FILTER. It’s very easy to do. Simply pack the carbon granules into the Z-filter tube. You then allow the liquor to slowly drip through the system. The stuff that comes out the bottom is purified liquor ready to mix with the flavouring of your choice.

Step 3: Making your spirits & liqueurs

To make brand spirits or liqeur, take a bottle or a sachet of a flavour essence & add it to your liquor (as specified on the packet). You will aslo need some sugar for sweetness & some liquid glucose to give it a smooth creamy texture. Details are on the label of each bottle.