How to Distill: A Complete Guide from Still Design and Fermentation through Distilling and Aging Spirits

I am excited to have a book which doesn't spread myths, wives tales, and misinformation about distilling. The book is in plain language and easily read. If you've never distilled before, this book steps the reader through the process. The author has suggestions for useful equipment and still types. The book also has recipes for those who need a little more guidance, a glossary to learn the language of distilling, and an index to use this book as a reference.I've bought plenty of books about distilling before this one. They have been either much too technical, or overly 'folksy' with down home anecdotes to take seriously. I know this book will meet just about everyone's needs for distilling. With so much hardware out there for distilling, this book is a great information resource.

As a veteran professional beer brewer I found this book both sensible and clearly thought out. I've heard much of the terminology that surrounds distilling for years, but found this book was great at helping me classify all of the techniques as well as processes the vocabulary into the proper context. The author has a knack for simple explanation of the basics along with all of the variations of process that one could branch off to. I now have a better understanding of the steps I'll need to move through to make my first stripping run that I have planned out just around the corner.

I've been watching a ton of "Master Distiller" lately so when I saw this book I had to have it.The book starts off slow with a brief introduction that briefly describes an overview of the stages of making liquor and makes use of terminology that isn't defined until much later. Subsequent chapters delve into each of these stages, starting with the basics and increasing in detail. Later chapters cover recipes for different styles of distilled spirits and the specialized equipment needed to make it.One complaint I have is that the author often refers to specialized equipment in the text but doesn't describe or visualize it until later (e.g., a 'parrot' which is a device used to measure specific gravity of a stream of alcohol 'in-situ' and takes it's name from the bird-like shape of the tubing).Sometimes the chapters start off a bit too slow! For example, in the section titled "Science" the author makes the attempt to describe basic chemistry in layman's terms and even goes on to discuss vapor and boiling points but doesn't point out how central that fact is to the process of distillation! He also highlights "ethanol" as the goal but doesn't even mention that it's just one compound among many in the family of alcohol compounds until later in the chapter.However, for me the book really picked up after this point since that was when it started to dig much deeper into the details of the processes involved and became much more interesting and information-dense. I was able to really relate what I was reading to what I've seen on "Master Distiller" and it really helped bring those processes into focus.Bottom line is that if you're even remotely interested in the process of distilling this book will teach you what you need to know.

This is a beautiful book. The author knows what he's talking about, writes well, and shares his knowledge readily and clearly, with gorgeous photos and a love for brewing of all kinds. It feels like a fresh take on an old subject. Even if you've been distilling for years, it's likely you'll find a new perspective here, or a renewed interest in your longtime hobby. I'm purchasing a second copy for a friend who has been distilling for some time. We can always learn new things from fresh voices, and I hope the author gives us more books on his passion in the future.

I have been reading a few books and this one is my favorite! It is easy to read and explains things clearly and thoroughly. Highly recommend.

"I've known Aaron for some time living near his homebrew shop, Brewstock in New Orleans. He is a amazing teacher, and If this book has half of what he taught his customers I think most distillers will be quite happy with it. The content is laid out well and the photographs are both beautiful and informative. I trust his process, and I've tried the moonshine!

This is a very well written, thorough, and easy to understand book on home distilling. I put this book right up there with John Palmer’s “How to Brew” and will recommend it just the same to anyone wanting to learn to distill their own. Thanks Aaron for writing this, it’ll be a great addition to my brewing and distilling library.

I have been distilling since the 1980s and I've read at least a dozen books on distilling. I've also been on educational tours at many distilleries, including some in Scotland. I learned the craft of distilling at a craft distillery. This book seems to have a fair amount of good information and plenty of pictures, but there are some issues I will point out. First off, there are many pages with little content. As shown in the pic, half the page is blank. The page count of the book is 224, but there are about 83 pages worth of pictures (37% of the book), many of which don't seem to have any real educational value. That leaves 141 pages for content, and many of those pages are only half full. Because of this, I think the book is overpriced. If you look at the full page pictures shown, they seem to be there just to add to the page count. As far as content, most of it seems correct but there are some areas of concern. For example, the author states that a whiskey mash should be fermented for 14 days. This is not the practice used in actual distilleries. The normal fermentation time is between 2 and 6 days. Jack Daniels uses a strict 6-day fermentation. The author recommends fermenting a bourbon mash off the grain; the normal practice for bourbon is to ferment on the grain. The author recommends distilling bourbon a single time; the normal practice is to distill bourbon twice. I think a reader would need to double-check some of the procedures in this book before using them. For these reasons I would rate the book as average.

This is the book. This is a great book that breaks down the steps in an easy to understand breakdown. It includes what items are required at each step and what is optional. This is my Distiller bible.

Scritto con linguaggio chiaro e semplice aiuta a approcciarsi a questo mondo fin troppo bistrattato in Italia. Consigliato a chiunque dal principiante al più esperto.

Distilling has always seemed to be a mystic art, a process that was passed along in rumours and with very little fact and lacked reference material. That has now changed with this book which goes into detail, but not in a way that will overwhelm someone who is new to brewing or distilling.It removes the mythes surrounding distilling and provides a really enjoyable read for anyone interested in alcoholic beverages.Processes involved are detailed clearly, with great images and practices. There are recipes to understand how spirits differ from each other even the different types of gin available. There is information about equipment needed and how to operate it safely to get great results.Even if you have no intention of taking up the hobby this book has something for those who want to understand how their favourite spirit is made, or if you want to get to grips with how it is linked to home brewing this book brings it all together in a clear and concise format.Certainly a book that I haven't been able to put down and I can see myself referring to time and time again.

At last here is a book for distillers everywhere regardless of whether you are a novice or seasoned expert. Clearly explained with lots of pictures and in a step by step format. The fears and mysteries of home distilling have been swept aside.I particularly liked the recipes for making various spirits made without the use of essences. This information is gold and unobtainable anywhere else.I hope there is a second book.

Belle foto e utile per iniziare da zero. Ma molto spesso ci sono chiacchiere e pochi fatti. Sembra che il libro sia stato sponsorizzato e si ha l'impressione che le istruzioni siano legate all'uso di alcuni kit commerciali.