The Best Air Stills for Alcohol Distilling

ByDistillin' Craig First Published Updated on

With multiple options on the table, what are the best air stills for alcohol distilling? I’ve tried a few, researched more, and come to some conclusions!

What is an Air Still?

Air Stills are simple to use, low volume pot stills. They are used for distilling alcohol to drink, but can also be used to make essential oils, distilled water, and alcohol for sanitizer or fuel.

Air Stills are different from most other types of still and have no complex setup or control mechanisms. They are perfect for small spaces, hobby distillers, gin making, and experimental spirits. Even distillers with large stills will use Air Stills for experimental runs, recipe trials, and gin making.

The major characteristics of an air still are:

  • Small volume pot still
  • Quick, single unit set-up
  • Fan cooled distilling coil
  • No external water or cooling needed
  • Self-sealing main chamber
  • No, or simple, power control

The Original Air Still

Still Spirits brought out the first Air Still in New Zealand, where home distilling is legal without a licence. The Air Still followed on from stills like the EasyStill and SmartStill, and quickly became the market leader.

The new air still focused on alcohol distilling, rather than water distilling with explicit advertising and modified temperature and fan speeds.

The term “air still” started being used for all stills of this type in home distilling forums, and it still is today.

The Still Spirits Air Still on Amazon.com

Can I distill alcohol in a water distiller instead?

Yes, technically you can distill alcohol in most water distillers, but it is not recommended: there are significant risks, and it’s not very efficient. Do not buy a water distillation unit if you intend to distill alcohol.

Water distillers may allow egress of gasses… and you do not want acetone, methanol and ethanol gasses floating around your space. They tend to explode.

Water distillers have too much plastic or silicon in the vapor path, and these are likely to degrade. I’m not only worried about the wear on the equipment, but the nasty chemicals in your alcohol. Don’t poison yourself with plastic.

Water evaporates at a different rate to ethanol (alcohol), so water distillers have different heat and fan settings. This means a less efficient, more expensive distillation process. Spending more on power to yield less alcohol is a double loss.

If your goal is to distill alcohol, get a still that’s designed for it.

Air Still Models Compared

There are several different air stills and clones available on the global market.

The main air still today is the Still Spirits Air Still. You can buy this alone, or get the companion kit too, which comes with everything you need to ferment your first wash and distill your first spirits.

In the table below, I’ve collected several stills, their main specs, who they’re good for, and where you can order one from.

Still Still Volume Extras included Good For Available from
Still Spirits Air Still 4L / 0.88G – Distilling alcohol, if you already have a fermentation system, or are re-distilling commercial alcohol. Amazon.com
Still Spirits Mini Distillery Kit 4L / 0.88G 10L Fermenting kit, sugar and turbo yeast/turbo carbon for first ferment, collecting jar, hydrometer and measuring tube, assorted flavourings Everything you need to start fermenting and distilling alcohol in a small space, like an apartment kitchen. (I bought this.) Amazon.com – Air Still +
Amazon.com – Companion pack
EasyStill 4L / 0.88G – Water distilling Various UK Distributors
SmartStill 4L / 0.88G – Water distilling Various UK Distributors

The Best Air Still for Alcohol Distilling

After trying several stills, I’ve decided the best air still for alcohol distilling in my apartment is the Still Spirits Air Still: the original and best. I purchased the Mini Distillery Kit (Air Still + Companion kit), and have been using it since January 2021.

You can get the Air Still and the Companion Kit from Amazon.

You can see my ultimate process for making and distilling alcohol with the air still here.