Clawhammer Still Review

I recently allowed assembling a Clawhammer Still (5 gallons). A disclaimer, I come from a long line of moonshiners, and a massive fan of the home distiller. I can concur something is satisfying about home-distillers. You take the purest ingredients and distill a spirit that can rival expertly made whiskey or gin. Which isn’t easy. It takes skills, perseverance, and trial and error. Moonshining itself is a mixture of art and science.

To master the art and science of making moonshine or home distillery, you need a good quality, “Still.” One of the best stills on the market today is Clawhammer Still. It will help you hone your moonshining skills. It’s necessarily a unit capable of distilling liquor, distilled water, essential oils, wine, and alternative fuels, among others.

Finding a Clawhammer Still, which fits your needs, is different from knowing one. The task is challenging, not to mention that moonshining is a dangerous business to anyone who doesn’t know what they’re doing! You need to ask yourself what size or type will match your needs.

Read along!

Clawhammer Copper 5 Gallon Still Kit

Choosing one is challenging for newbies. Clawhammer was the first company to supply 100% copper DIY still kits. They are available in one gallon, five gallons, and 10-gallon copper still and 8-gallon steel/copper and 8-gallon steel still. The review is focused on a Clawhammer Copper 5 gallons Still Kit is easy to assemble. It’s shipped with all the parts needed to assemble a functioning home unit, which includes a proofing parrot that measures the proof of the end product. The kit may include DIY spice kits and other items that allow users to flavor and customize spirits.

The Clawhammer Still kit models capture both the old moonshine still design and the modem innovation altogether. The kit is shipped in one box and requires a little hammering, soldering, and riveting to set-up. However, it takes a bit of experience and persistence to bring all the parts together for first-timer. The company is kind enough to supply a step-by-step assembling video to ease the setup.

Once assembled, the 5-gallon Clawhammer still kit is decent enough to produce 1–2 gallons per run. Even though the total amount of liquor produced depends on many factors such as starting alcohol and the final proof, You will be able to make larger batches in a couple of hours.

The Clawhammer Still design borrows the best features of the pot still and reflux column to form a hybrid column, one of the best units for a home distillery. The design uses pure copper boilers, an all fractionating copper column without the reflux coil, and an efficient and straightforward in-line condenser.

The design allows for greater efficiency than the pot still. Its flavor retention is more than that of reflux still. It distills quickly and efficiently without stripping the original character form the final product.

Features:

• The Boiler- the tank that holds the content that is heated and distilled into a high-poof spirit.
• Vapor Cone- the cone moves the alcohol vapor into the column.
• Cap skirt- connects the column into the vapor cone, attached to the bottom of the column. The cap skirt is joined to the boiler using a simple four paste making the column removable from the pot for easy cleaning, emptying and filling.
• Cap Plate- supports the column structure. The tall column makes for a purer and more potent distills, but hard to conceal.
• Copper Column- connects the vapor cone and the condenser directing the vapor. The column can run with or without; for an unpacked column, the unit functions as a pot still, and when packed, it works like reflux still.
• Condenser — It’s connected to a garden hose that provides cooling water to drop the alcohol vapor back into a liquid.
• Drip Arm- connects the Still and the collection jar, a length of copper pipe that directs high proof alcohol to the connection jar.

Specifications

The Clawhammer Still kit is sold in parts for building an awesome copper moonshine still. It’s a highly efficient hybrid Still (reflux and port) 100% copper, the best material for making home distillery moonshine still.

All you need to set up your using is several stools and equipment as specified in the user manual, and you’re good to start moonshining.

Top specification includes:

• Capacity- once set up, the unit can hold 4.5 gallons of liquids.
• Dimension -3.5 inches tall and a 9-inch base provides a higher over-poof, purer end distill
• Material — made of 100 percent c-110 grade coppers
• Thickness- a gauge of 16 oz. coppe
• Assemble time 6–8 hours

Customer Reviews and Scores

By the time of writing this review, I found 43 customer reviews. Clawhammer still 5-gallon copper unit 4.3 stars out of a possible 5 on an average. On Amazon, the unit ad 59 unanswered customer questions.

The review is positive overall, with a few trifling queries rose. One customer wrote “had no idea the unit requires building from scratch. I’m great at assembling things, but this was built from scratch. Not what I expected will return it.” Another wrote, “If you’re NOT good at craftsmen like me or good with tools, don’t purchase. The still is best for those who like putting things together; it’s fun! A little expensive- and yes, a bit of a SCAM but still fun!”

However, no one else to have a significant problem with the product, and Clawhammer Supply still provides a step by step building video to help out first-timers.

Another review said, “awesome showpiece,” another wrote, “As described. High-quality materials! The kit arrived well packaged and complete.” Another great user wrote, “All items are in good shape and up to expectations, thanks.”

On a scale of 1 to 10 for difficulty level, I would give it 7, but anyone with experience wouldn’t have much trouble putting the kit up. Although it’s a little tricky for newbies, you’ll love the still. It has many uses, as described above.

That makes it very easy for me to recommend the Clawhammer Still as well.

Conclusion

If the thoughts of having a couple of friends or family members over the weekend with plenty of homemade liquor appeal to you, then you should get a Clawhammer still.

The unit is great for a handy craftsman looking for a challenge with a reward. It is a top-quality product with high output and purity per run. Detailed instructions and videos and all construction parts included.

Although it was a little tricky for us newbies, difficult to conceal and require soldering the Still is superb. Other than distilling alcohol, Still can be used to make essential oils, alternative fuel, antiseptics, and purifying water.

Have fun with your new home distillery, and don’t forget to get creative with your liquor ingredients and flavors. Kick start your new hobby with a Clawhammer Still, you may be the next Jack Daniel in the making!