How to Make a Still: 12 Best Moonshine Still Plans

Building your own moonshine still – sounds a bit daunting doesn’t it? Well, for some this may certainly seem like a colossal task, while others may get excited about such an interesting DIY project.

No matter which side of the spectrum you fall into, the fact is this – building your own still isn’t as hard as it may seem. Especially when you have a selection of the best moonshine still plans at your disposal, describing in detail where and how the different parts should be put together.

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All it takes is a set of materials that can be sourced virtually anywhere and some soldering skills to go with. And if you put it all together and it doesn’t work quite the way it should – in the end there’s only one person to blame.

 

Why should you build your own still?

A great question indeed! Why wasting time and money to build something that can be ordered online with just a few clicks of the mouse? Well, there are actually several reasons why this option makes total sense:

First, it’s way cheaper to build your own still.

If you calculate the cost of materials used and compare it to the price you’d normally pay for a simple pot still, the difference is sure to induce some serious head-scratching. Because with a manufactured still you’re paying for the final product, which comes with its share of overheads and added taxes. Why paying all that in the first place?

Second, it’s definitely more fun.

The oh damn I scorched my finger while soldering the still pot kind of fun. But fun still. If you like tinkering with stuff in the garage or the backyard every now and then, this project will definitely scratch your creative itch in a very rewarding way.

Third, it’s simply cool.

Making your own moonshine is cool. Making your own moonshine with a still you’ve actually built yourself is the level of cool that is only topped by having your own whiskey company. Which very few of us can brag about. So, yeah, building your own still is a more realistic option. We will explore the world of home distillation and cooking delicious steak on an electric hot plate. We’ll provide you with the 12 best moonshine still plans to help you craft your own still, and then we’ll move on to the art of cooking steak on an electric hot plate. Let’s dive in!

Not to mention that building your own still allows you to fine-tune the rig exactly to your specifications in terms of size, heat source, ease of maintenance, efficiency and other variables. And this can make all the difference between an OK moonshine and hooch so good you’ll want the guys from ATF to rave all about it.

 

Reviews of Moonshine Still Plans

Now, the beautiful thing about the Internet is the fact that you can find just anything you’re interested in, both information and products. Moonshine stills are no exception. And while you can order a fully operational out-of-the-box stills through Amazon or eBay, there’s also the option of using a detailed guide and building one on your own, which is cheaper and way more creative.

In this section of our article we’ll be going through some of the best moonshine still plans found online and reviewing them according to a set of very important factors, such as usefulness, information presentation, ease of use, materials required, knowledge and skills required, and several others. Naturally, the best still plan would be the one that can be followed by a complete novice and result in a fully functional moonshine still. So let’s look through some of the most popular still plans found on the web:

1.  Valved Reflux Column Still

A rather detailed moonshine still plan based on an actual build done by the author of the blog. On the plus side – you get a very detailed walkthrough with a precise plan and each part in the built explained separately. But bear in mind that it’s a rather complex column still that is far from being compact and is definitely best suited for advanced moonshiners, not beginners. In addition, there are aluminum parts that most likely need to be connected with a special aluminum welder.

Pros:

• Based on a real build
• Very detailed schematic with each piece explained
• Relatively easy to source all the materials
  

Cons:

• Column reflux still not suited for beginners
• Involves a lot of parts and items
• Could use a more detailed assembly instruction in pictures

 

2. Pot Still & Worm Condenser Plans

At first glance this plan may look rather short, but if you take the time to look through it in detail you’ll be surprised to learn that it has almost everything you need to build your own still. A detailed list of materials. Check. A general guideline for assembling the still. There’s that. And what’s also really good about this particular plan is that it features the most basic pot still with a thumper design that is compact, easy to build and is suitable even for those who never made a moonshine run.

Pros:

• Pot still assembly plan
• Detailed materials list
• Assembly guideline by steps

Cons:

• Could use a little more detail at each step
• Rather short for such an ambitious project

 

3. Boka Reflux Still Plans

Despite featuring a column still design, this still plan is so good that even a novice can build one by following it. Besides, the Boka reflux design is considered one of the simplest and most stovetop-friendly out of all column still designs. And we really liked how detailed this particular plan, with pictures, video and even a tools needed list, which most other plans actually lack.

Pros:

• Very detailed and easy to follow
• Materials list, tools needed list, and a detailed walkthrough
• Step-by-step structure that gets the thing done
• A rather simple design despite being a column still

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Cons:

• The column still design may still be a bit too sophisticated for beginners

 

4. Traditional Kentucky Pot Still Plans

For those of you who want their still to be really cool-looking and authentic this moonshine still plan will definitely be the top pick. Featuring the traditional kentucky pot still design, this plan has a detailed materials list, tools list and assembly walkthrough written in a very simple to understand way. The downside – you’ll need some precision soldering to do on this one.

Pros:

• Detailed materials and tools list
• Easy to follow assembly walkthrough
• Authentic tradition design that looks cool
• Convenient volume for home operation

Cons:

• Requires some advanced soldering to work
• You’ll need to cut the copper parts for the pot as well

 

5. Simple Pot Still Plans

The simplest moonshine still plan you’ll probably find on the web. Requires the simplest materials that can be sourced in an average kitchen, no soldering or even drilling required! Yes, it’s actually a MacGyver kind of solution for being able to distill something when there’s no still in sight. But the funniest part is that it gets the job done!

Pros:

• Can be built using the simplest items found in a typical kitchen
• No advanced assembly needed
• Takes only a few minutes to put together
• Can make distillation happen

Cons:

• Not a still per se, just a temporary solution
• Safety and efficiency doubtful at best

 

6. Complete Reflux Still Plans

When it comes to building something as sophisticated as a reflux column still you’d want to have a detailed walkthrough for the project. And this plan is exactly what it is and even more. Besides providing the obvious tools and materials needed, and a detailed instruction on what to do with all this mess, you also get some really good recommendations and explanations along the way. May still be a bit too complicated for a newcomer though.

Pros:

• Very detailed materials and tools needed section
• Comprehensive instructions on how to put it all together
• Helpful recommendations and explanations of various aspects of the still

Cons:

• Column still design that is bulky and not novice-friendly
• May be a bit too complicated to carry out for those lacking the necessary skills

 

7. Survival Life’s Moonshine Still Plans

Despite focusing on a really simple design that hardly compares to a full-fledged still, this plan provides one of the most detailed walkthrough of the assembly process complete with pictures of each step. And we certainly love such an approach that even a complete novice can follow easily. Oh, if only they’d made such a great effort for something that’s actually a proper moonshine still

Pros:

• One of the most detailed walkthroughs out there
• Very simple design that uses common materials and tools
• Easy to assemble, no soldering required

Cons:

• Hardly a proper still, just a simple solution that allows distillation

 

8. Vengeance Stills’ Complete Moonshine Kit & Plans

A slightly different beast then the rest of the plans we came across, this site actually offers pre-cut still assembly kits for sale. Yes, you’ll have to do some soldiering to put it all together. But for the price you pay, you get all the materials and parts in the box. Just make sure to have a Propane torch and pliers at hand and you’re good to go. The only downside – you have to make the purchase in order to get a detailed instructional video.

Pros:

• Traditional and simple pot still design
• Comes with all the parts necessary to build the still
• Detailed instructional video is provided with the kit

Cons:

• You have to buy the kit in order to get any kind of instructions

 

9. Moonshine-Still’s Ebook of Plans

There are simple moonshine still plans and there are full-fledged e-books on how to build your own still. And this definitely falls into the latter category. That can actually be downloaded as a single PDF file. The level of detail here is unmatched, and you will definitely learn a lot about distilling in general once you go through it a couple of times. However, if you’re looking for a detailed step-by-step instruction you may want to look elsewhere.

Pros:

• A full-fledged e-book on how to build moonshine stills
• Great explanation of the various aspects of building a still

Cons:

• May seem too lengthy for some
• Lacks an actual step-by-step build instruction

 

10. Instructables’ Whiskey Still

Instructables never disappoints when it comes to funny-written instructions on a broad variety of topics, and this guide is no exception. However, that’s the biggest problem with it – it’s a guide and not a proper still build plan. All the aspects of building and operating a still are explained in a general, theoretical way so that a novice could understand the basic principles. Still build instructions – not so much.

Pros:

• Great approach to explaining the basics of building a still
• Funny to read and easy to follow

Cons:

• Not a proper build plan but a general guide
• Nothing new for someone who already did their theoretical reading on stills and distillation

11. Clawhammer Supply’s Video Series

This multi-part instructional video by Clawhammer Supply is a great example of a video guide on how to build your own still. It may take some time to watch all the parts, but on the other hand you can actually see all the parts and materials processed and assembled into a fully functional moonshine still. And this is definitely awesome!

Pros:

• Watch all the steps in detail with comprehensive explanations
• Easy to follow instruction that can be used as a reference for your own build

Cons:

• Takes a lot of time to watch through all the parts
• May not be quite suitable to those who are more used to written guides

 

The Top Three

As you can see, there are many resources you can use to build your own moonshine stills and plans to implement. Some are more useful than others, however if you have some spare time we would recommend to look through all of them at once. Why? Because it will give you a much better understanding of how a moonshine still operates and maybe give you some inspiration on how to build one that will be tailored to your needs.

Yet, if we had to pick the top three best moonshine still plans, we would definitely go with the following:

1. Simple Pot Still Plans
2. Traditional Kentucky Pot Still Plans
3. Survival Life’s Moonshine Still Plans

What set these plans apart for us was the level of detail these plans provided and the practicality of the resulting build. If we had to build a moonshine still from scratch, these three plans would give us all the information needed to undertake such an ambitious task. And that is all that is needed from a proper moonshine still build plan.

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