Choosing a still — the hard part

What to distil in — the difficult choices

In distilling, as in life, the perfect piece of kit is hard to find and may not exist at all. So what does it mean to choose well? To my mind it comes down to answering a few questions honestly: matching the still to what you actually need, and to the conditions you will be working in.

First question. What matters more to you — the highest possible quality of the distillate, or the output you can get in comparable time at the pot? The difference in time may be a few hours; the difference in the result may be rather more.