5 Gallon Moonshine Whiskey E-85 Ethanol Still 2" Stainless Reflux Column Tower

This still is PERFECT! I have been distilling for about a year now, and this is my second still.
My first still is a 3 pot stainless from Amazon, and was a gift. I did my research (reading, YouTube, Moonshiner TV shows), and off I went. It worked well; I made Gin and Rum. I noticed the seals weren't that great and had to use a paste, and that worked, but was too much effort. I then started to look for a new still.

I researched a 3 pot copper still, and even ordered one. With COVID, it was going to take 8 weeks. after 15 weeks, and poor responses from the vendor, I requested a refund. this brought me back to my research. While doing the research, I found I no longer wanted a traditional 3 pot copper still, as I realized how delicate they are. Things work for a reason I guess.

That brought me here. I purchased the 5 gallon reflux still, and then realized the mistake I made. And then thought it wasn't a mistake, and the explanation is coming I swear..
I was so frustrated with my still that never came, I didn't realize it was a reflux, and thought it was just a column still. So, the liquor I have been making would not work with the reflux, but the liquor I WANT to make does need it. So, I quickly ordered the pot still arm, and now own both. My comments are for the quality of the build, the pot, and the pot still arm. I haven't tried the reflux one yet, it is next in line after my Tequila mash that is fermenting as I type this.

The steel is super heavy duty compared to the China made stills!
The connections and gaskets are air tight, and no more need for any sort of paste!
The process was more efficient with less points of failure due to one single device versus 3 pots, and all their connections in between!
The Thermometer is heavy duty!
Great consistent barbs for hose connections!
Makes FANTASTIC product (160 proof Whiskey, and 155 proof Rye...so far Tequila on deck)!
Highly recommended!
Great Price!

Get one of these and get going, it wont disappoint!!!

So I'm new to this and this still is the best bang for the buck. I wanted to do a couple runs before I wrote my review and I can say this still is almost perfect, definitely perfect for a first timer. The quality craftsmanship is evident in every weld. It's almost robotic precision of the quality of the welds. I've found nothing left behind from the manufacturing process which is incredible. It's built from stainless which was my preference especially for cleaning. Speaking of cleaning, they provide great instructional documentation for your first cleaning. It's sturdy, great looking and overall will last for many many years. The base fit well on both my propane burners, there's a touch of color changing but I was running the burner too hot. Cleanup is a breeze, mild soap and water, rinse clean and let air dry, I spray a bit of star San in there but it isn't necessary. My first run I ran as a pot still and produced 140 proof to begin with which is pretty good. The second run I ran as a reflux and achieved a 170 proof with approx 80% of potential alcohol extracted which was way more than I expected.

But it isn't all rainbows and sunshine. I found that I would run the still and the temp would thermal runaway which is normal for stills apparently but being new I didn't know and I ran my first run at 190f the whole time. Needless to say it wasn't very good. The second time I was ready for the temp to climb quick but still missed my initial temp and ran it straight to 170f which was a lot better than 190, then I was able to ramp it up to my desired Temps and nailed my yield. With only 2 runs under my belt I feel confident my next one will be even better.

What I believe would be an improvement on this would be the following.
1) instead of barbed fittings, use a retaining bump (like you see on the end of a radiator intake, so the clamp is retained with the pipe pinched between). Or something threaded. I'd like to tear it all down but the barbs make it difficult to remove my tubes (like you'd expect).
2) The top barb of the condenser sticks straight up. If you aren't careful you can fold over your tube and it'll limit the water flow and you could lose product as a vapor.
3) I would love the reflux portion of the head (the deflagulator) to be separate. It's a jacketed cooling design which is good but eventually I want to upgrade to a shotgun style and I'm not a fan of parts that aren't being used remaining but that's a personal preference.
Lastly and I think this is the big one
4) an option to add a 2" or 3" outlet in the pot. This way you can use an electrical element or for those who are anal, a temp probe to help mitigate the temp skyrocketing and get much better control. As it stands your limited to a propane burner due to the design of the pot.

Overall this is a great product, fantastic company and if I feel the need to move to a bigger still I know I'll buy it here.

The still arrived promptly and was just as described. I ran it with the vinegar solution as recommended for cleaning and then a sacrificial run as well. After that I charged it and was really impressed with the output. The build quality looks great although I admit this is my first one. However, I would happily purchase another one!

Ordered this still and it did take a bit longer to arrive than expected but they explained that there was some back up in production so no worries there.
When it did arrive without even opening the box, I could tell the quality from the sheer weight. I opened it and wow the quality of the parts and welds were top notch! I did my first run with it last night and the still balanced out very nicely, and it was so easy to maintain the temp that I wanted with a propane burner (65,000 BTU). Hands down five stars and would recommend this to anyone that loves distilling or is just starting to get into as I am.