Whiskey Still: Why Copper Is The Best?

There are many high-grade whiskey stills for sale online – some already built and some delivered in assembly kits for you to assemble yourself. It has taken a few centuries of history to prove that without a doubt, the very best material for home distillation is ‘Copper.’

Copper is the perfect material in the construction of a whiskey still to impart flavor into the distilled spirits. According to many, both copper and stainless steel are excellent conductors of heat, dispersing the heat evenly across the entire surface of the metal and creating a more even distillation. But copper has the advantage over stainless steel in that whiskey out of a copper still simply tastes better.

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13 gallon Moonshine Still with a 3" copper column

There are several reasons why copper is generally regarded as the best material for distilling. And we will definitely discuss some of those reasons in this post.

Regardless of what you’re planning to distill, copper will improve your essential oils, distilled water, or spirits at an atomic level. Besides that, it is a metal that glows and beautifies any room and is easy to clean and repair. What more could a distiller want?

From a conventional standpoint, whiskey stills were made almost exclusively from copper. One of the primary reasons being, the metal is much easier to work with than steel. Additionally, this does a really good job of naturally removing sulfites that forms during the fermentation process. This drives out the sulfur taste which could otherwise be bitter and not as smooth.

Copper is also an excellent heat conductor. It has the ability to heat up and cool down rapidly and this turns out to be helpful in the heating up of your pot and in the cooling and condensing of the gaseous ethanol.

So What Makes Copper Different?

Although most of the whiskey stills are made of stainless steel, copper has better natural temperature control and antimicrobial properties. With copper, it’s easy to reach the right temperature and maintain it, which is crucial for crafting the best distillate. As copper can be heated to temperatures up to nearly 2000 degrees Fahrenheit, so there is no possibility of your whiskey still getting overheated.

Copper also holds strong antimicrobial effects and hence, can destroy micro-organisms such as fungus spores and bacteria. This means a healthier, more purified, and cleaner product from a copper whiskey still than a stainless steel one.

Is Copper Easy To Maintain?

Copper has three very practical reasons, why it’s considered as the best material for a whiskey still –

  • It’s easy to clean
  • It’s beautiful
  • It’s easy to repair

To keep your copper whiskey still glow in its unique red-golden shade, moonshine still owners can clean a copper still inside and out using non-toxic household items like white vinegar. Copper develops a natural discoloration called ‘Patina,’ which if left unclean helps to protect the metal from further damage.

Copper stills are also easy to repair when damaged. Always make sure that the materials used in the repair work of your copper still are 100% lead-free.

In a Nutshell,

There is no further question that why a copper whiskey still is still the best choice, considering that it offers colossal health benefits that stainless steel cannot match, and is also easy to clean and repair.

In order to distill high-quality water, whiskey, moonshine, essential oils, or other spirits, you have to start with the best moonshine still. The best Copper Whiskey Still.