Congratulations on your new still purchase from Mile

Hi Distilling! We appreciate your business and want

to service our machines as best we can. Laws
surrounding distilling make instructions on how to
run our units a little hard, but this small booklet
should help you grasp the basics of the unit and will
also provide resources where you can learn more.
Please advise all information in this booklet is for
informational purposes only.

What follows is a short booklet that will go over the

basics of setting up, maintaining, and running your
Mile Hi still. With many things in the distilling craft, it
comes down to personal preference and finding your
own way to do things. Remember to enjoy the craft,
experiment with how to do things or new ingredients
and methods, and always feel free to contact us if
you have any additional questions past what this
booklet covers.

1
 Chapter 1:
Fermentation
You will want to start a fermentation prior to anything
else, as this process can take anywhere from two
days to two weeks. While waiting for your
fermentation, you can proceed with assembling and
cleaning your still to get ready for the run.
Fermentation is done very easily and most parts of it
should be included in your unit if you got a complete
kit. You will need:
● A food grade bucket
● Yeast
● Sugar and/or other raw ingredients
2
 ● Water
We recommend starting with a “sugar wash” (sugar,
water and yeast) for your first fermentation. This is a
very simple base with a high yield and can be
forgiving. Instructions for a sugar wash are included
on our packs of yeast and in the product description
for our yeast on our site. Other recipes using
different ingredients can be found under our Articles
tab on our site or elsewhere online.
To begin, add the recommended amount of sugar
your yeast label calls for to your bucket. This will
usually be between 15-20 LB. of sugar for a turbo
yeast. Then, add heated water around 100F degrees
up to the fill line of the bucket, around 6.5 gallons
full. Hot water is used to dissolve the sugar, but
stirring this mixture is still recommended at this
stage. Once all sugars have dissolved, allow the
solution to cool down to the optimal temperature
your yeast label calls for. For most yeasts, this will
be about 70F-80F. You can speed up the cooling
process by putting a cooling fan on the bucket or
putting ice into the bucket. Once sufficiently cool,
pitch your yeast by sprinkling along the top of the
solution and then stirring vigorously to oxygenate.
3
Now, fill your airlock to the water line, put in into your
bucket lid and snap the lid on the bucket. It will now
just be a matter of waiting for 2-7 days for most
yeast’s fermentation to complete. Please visit our
article page on how to read a hydrometer if you wish
to keep track of your fermentation’s ABV. Your
bubbler will also provide a visual as it “burps” slower
and slower the longer you go through fermentation.
You can also pop off your lid and smell the solution
to determine how much alcohol has been created.
Keep your vessel untouched and in a cool, dark
place during fermentation phase.
After your bubbler stops bubbling and/or your FG
reading on your hydrometer shows no more or very
little residual sugars, you are ready to clear the crust
of yeast that is formed on the top of the bucket.
This is the time to use Turbo Clear if available. You
can also let the bed fall to the bottom of the bucket
naturally, it will just take about a week.

4
 Chapter 2:
Assembly
To begin your distilling journey, you will want to
assemble the unit and prepare for the initial cleaning
run. Please carefully inspect all pieces to your unit
prior to assembly to ensure no damages or defects
are present.
Once inspected, begin by placing your boiler on a
flat service. Our boilers are a heavy gauge and
made with 316 stainless steel, so hardwood and
linoleum floors, kitchen tile, carpet, concrete, and
wood are all acceptable bases to set up your still.
Once your boiler position is established, begin
putting your electrical heating element (if applicable)
in by sliding the probe into the 2” port(s) near the
bottom of the boiler or installing a blank plate
included with your still if you plan on using an
external heat source.
You can also take this time to thread in a
temperature gauge into the middle of the boiler if
purchased separately or installing the ½” plug
5
included with your still. Note: Use thread tape on
these connections to avoid leaking.
For all cans larger than 8 gallons, you can also take
this time to install your ball valve onto the tank. This
an open valve so the customer can choose how they
drain. Suggestions include putting the unit on a
furniture dolly and simply rolling to a draining spot or
adding a hose barb to the end of the valve so that
you can connect right to a drain hose.
Now that your boiler is closed off, you can install
your lid for your Mile Hi still by placing the large 8” lid
gasket inside the rim of the lid with the flat side
inside of the rim and the indented side of the
gasket facing outside of the lid so that it is visible.
Now, place your lid on top of the collar of the boiler
and clamp down with the clamp included until tight
and the lid does not move when spun. This might
require bits of downward pressure. You can also
now back-roll your copper mesh roll medium-tight
and then stuff it into the column that connects to
your lid.
From there, it is simple as connecting the joints of
your stills together using the gaskets provided to
sandwich between two flanges and then clamping
6
the two joints together using the provided clamps. All
Mile Hi units use this simple tri-clamp method to
keep assembly simple. If assembly is posing an
issue, try re-seating your gaskets until it is correctly
seated in the rim of the flange.
Included with your still will be a stainless plate with a
½” threaded port in the middle of it or a rubber bung.
This is the very top piece of the column for all stills
we manufacture aside from our Traditional units and
copper pot stills.
You will thread the included thermometer into the
port on the plate, then clamp the two connected
pieces to the very top of your unit. If you have a
natural option, you will slide your digital thermometer
in the bung hole, which will require a bit of pressure.
Then, the bung can sit comfortably inside the column
pipe.
For customers with certain copper units, there will
also be a threaded connection on your final product
condenser. For this, just screw the condenser into
the copper elbow and clamp the elbow and
condenser to the main column with a clamp.

7
For customers with a Pro unit, you will also have a
screened gasket that goes on the bottom of the
glass part of the unit to act as a net for biomass if
you are using it as a infusion basket. The infusion
basket always goes above the reflux condenser on
the unit in this mode, as you will strip all flavors you
put in with the chamber if you run the reflux
condenser above the sight glass.
Once the unit is together, you can pour your ceramic
rings in from the top port of your column before the
top adapter and thermometer go on. This is only
useful in reflux distilling and is not suggested for pot
still mode. How much you fill is up to you, but we do
recommend not going higher than the welded joint
where the column and final product condenser
connect. Getting beads into the final product
condenser can create clogging.

Note that you can go to our website and see a

clear photo of the machine you bought put
together. Some machines such as the Pros are
interchangeable and can be put together multiple
ways. We are also available for further help.

8
 Chapter 3: Hose
Setups
We do provide a basic hose package for our still
combos (tower and boiler). This should consist of
2-3 hoses depending on whether you received a pot
still or dual purpose still as well as some green hose
menders and hose clamps.
Prior to hooking up the hose package, unscrew the
screws on the hose menders to allow them to open
so a hose can fit in between them. You can also
loosen up your hose clamps to prepare them for the
diameter of the included hoses.
Please also advise that you may end up only using
one of the two menders or none at all depending on
your water source. The menders are designed for
use with an outside garden tap.

9
Keep in mind that with these vessels, water will
always enter from the bottom ports and exit from
the top ports

To install the hose package in pot still

mode:
Install mender (if needed) to your water source by
placing a hose line inside the split in half hose
mender and then screwing down. Then, slide a hose
clamp over the hose line. Now, you can install the
open end into the bottom water port of your final
product condenser and use the hose clamp to
tighten.
You can now use a second hose line, slide a hose
clamp over the line, and install one of the ends to the
top water port on the final product condenser for
draining. We recommend purchasing additional
lining so you can drag a hose to a safe place to
drain.
To install the hose package in reflux still
mode:

10
Create a daisy chain setup. This will be done by
firstly installing the mender (if necessary) by placing
a hose line inside the split in half hose mender and
then screwing down. Then, slide a hose clamp over
the hose line. Now, you can install the open end into
the bottom water port of your final product
condenser and use the hose clamp to tighten.
You can now use a second hose line, slide two hose
clamps over the line, and install one of the ends to
the top water port on the final product condenser
for draining and the other end into the bottom water
port on your reflux condenser.
Finally, slide a hose clamp over the third hose
included with your package and tighten to the top
port of your reflux condenser for draining. We
recommend purchasing additional lining so you can
drag a hose to a safe place to drain.
Advanced setups for this setup include adding
Y-splitters so that both the reflux condenser and final
product condenser are on separate water lines
which can add a little more control. Note that
additional parts at the hardware store and more
tubing will be needed to achieve this.

11
 Chapter 4: Cleaning
Your next step is to sufficiently clean your still and
get rid of any flux, dust, or other oils and particulate
that may appear during our manufacturing process.
There are a few ways this can be done, but the
simplest and most cost-effective way is through
distilled white vinegar and water. This cleaning
mixture should fill no less than half of the max
capacity of your boiler. In an 8 gallon still, this is a 4
gallon mixture (2 gallons vinegar, 2 gallons water)
and so on for your boiler size.
It is important you keep your boiler at least halfway
full for this run and future spirit runs, as any lower
can produce a volatile environment for the heating
element and can create shortages or popping of the
element.
Once your boiler is filled, turn on your heating
device. Heating times differ depending on the size of
the boiler and size of the heating unit, so don’t walk
away from your boiler for too long or not at all.
When the unit begins to boil, your condenser will
start to steam out. You can choose to either let this
12
go and “steam clean” the inside of your unit or run
cooling water through the unit and condense the
steam to a liquid.
Keep this process going for 30 minutes to an hour.
Rinse afterwards with water. Vinegar smells will not
carry over into your distillation.
Note that all cleaning runs for stainless equipment
past this initial run can be achieved with soap and
water. Heavier duty vinegar cleaning runs may be
needed if there is a lot of sediment in your unit or the
unit is not cleaned sufficiently after long periods of
time.
For copper units, we recommend continuing this
cleaning schedule after every run. Some distillers
prefer to not clean their copper units in between runs
when they are sticking with the sane recipe over
multiple batches. This allows the maximum amount
of flavor carry over to come over in copper units.
Please be aware the prolonged cleaning of a copper
still can build up alkaline scale and other harmful
substances and is not recommended.
The outside of stainless units can be polished very
nicely with soap and water or even Windex. Copper
13
units should be maintained on the outside using a
Brillo pad or other type of scrubber and the cleaning
agent of your choice. Recommendations include
vinegar, citric acid, ketchup, Tarnex, or Bar Keepers
Friend.
Remember to thoroughly dry your unit after cleaning
runs to prevent patina/oxidization.
Cleaning is very important in distilling and can
directly impact the quality of your distillate. Keep up
with it for the best results with your machine.

Chapter 5: Basic Info

Beforehand
Please note: Due to legalities, all information
included in this booklet is from third party
sources such as experienced distillers,
commercial distilleries, and online sources.
For further information, please feel free to
contact us at milehidistilling@yahoo.com where
we can provide technical assistance.
14
Your unit should be clean and ready to run! The
overall procedure of running can completely change
depending on the mode your still is in and the type of
machine you have. For the sake of keeping this
booklet brief, the main point of this section will be to
go over the basics and generic parts of distilling. For
advanced questions, we recommend contacting us.
You will find most things in this craft are personal
preference and there is not a certified right way to do
many things. Most of the time, there are multiple
ways to go about achieving the same results.
Experiment, set expectations low, and have fun.
Don’t listen to people saying it needs to be a certain
way when it comes to recipes, material of stills,
equipment etc. Find ways that work for you.
Before running the actual unit, please use the basic
information page to help get familiar with certain
guidelines with distilling.
What is the optimal temperature for a still?
There are way too many variables for there to be a
solid number to pay attention for. The elevation your
still is running, the ratio of water to ethanol in the

15
boiler, what material the unit is made of and more all
contribute to the still temperature. We recommend
during your first run to take good notes on what
temperature your still starts distilling at, the
temperature it reaches when you are in your hearts,
and what it reaches when the liquid is spent. This
will help you in future runs as you get familiar. You
will reach a point with the unit where you will no
longer have to worry about temperature and only
focus on small, fine-tuned adjustments every now
and then. For the most part, the still will run itself.
Most customers will find their unit distills best at
160F-180F and is usually at end of the run when
their units reach into the 200F+ range.

Cuts
Every distiller should be familiar with cuts. Cuts
consist of foreshots, heads, hearts, and tails. The
foreshots and heads are the beginning of the run
and consists of high amounts of acetone, methanol
and other dangerous chemicals that do little more
than taste bad. They should be discarded, used as
a cleaner, or as campfire fuel. There are methanol
test kits you can buy or putting your distillate on a
16
spoon, lighting it, and seeing what color it burns at
are some ways you can test your methanol content.
There will be a distinctive nail polish remover smell
to heads. When this smell starts to disappear and
the spirit is smoother to the taste, it is usually
indicative you are getting out of the heads. The
hearts are the best of the best from the distillate.
This is what you are mainly wanting to collect. The
tails are a toss-up. Some of the beginning tails have
esters and other compounds that can give your spirit
nice character. Tails go from pleasant to bitter fast,
so pay good attention to your cuts when you’re in
this stage. Using smell and taste to tell where your
“good” tails end is the best way. You can tell you’re
in your tails when your temperature starts to
increase and your proof starts to drop. Tails can be
stored and thrown into future batches to be cleaned
up if you wish. We recommend it.
How much of each cut?
How clean your still is, what type of yeast you use,
the ingredients you run in the unit and more all
contribute to your cuts. Fruits naturally produce more
methanol than grains. Certain yeasts are very clean
and will strip most of the nasty compounds as they
17
ferment. Stuff like this is something to consider. In a
very generalized figure, you can account for the
following ratio of cuts:
Foreshots Heads Hearts Tails (est.)
(est.) (est.) (est.)
350ml-500 10-15% of 45%-50% 35%-40%
ml run of run of run

What will be my yield?

This will depend on the yeast you used. If you used
a turbo yeast with, say, a 20% ABV tolerance, that
means that 20% of the solution you are fermenting
will turn out as ethanol. Out of a 6.5 gallon solution,
this would end up being about 1.3 gallons worth of
ethanol. Keep in mind that you will still have to make
cuts which will decrease the yield and you will also
probably end up diluting the spirit with water to bring
the proof down, which will increase the yield. After all
is said and done, out of a 5 gallon mixture, you can
expect around ½ - ¾ of a gallon of spirit. Use this
figure to scale up to your boiler size.
Run Times:

18
On average, we engineer our stills to have around a
6-8 hour run time with heat up time. Most 3 gallon
systems will have a shorter run time of around 3-4
hours with heat up time. The majority of 8 gallon and
16 gallon units we sell will have a 6-8 hour run time.
Thumper units take roughly an hour longer from
these figures to distill, as there is a short lag as the
main boiler steam-heats the smaller Thumper boiler.
The 26 gallon Thumper of ours has a wonderful yield
of around 4 gallons, but will take around 10-12 hours
for a full run. Please advise you can always shut
your machine off and pick up exactly where you left
off the next day,

Chapter 6: Running
Running in pot still mode:
Your first step is to begin heating up your still using
your heating device. Temperature will shoot up fast
19
just as you are about to start condensing, so we
recommend watching the unit during heat up. You
can gently tap the boiler, lid, and column throughout
the heating process to determine where you are in
the process. When the middle point of your column
is hot to the touch, we recommend turning on your
water and begin the flow. Not much more than a
trickle of water will be needed, as these are very low
maintenance condensers. For those using well
water, we recommend having a medium in between
the water source and still inlet such as a bucket,
garbage pail, or tank so that the water can get a little
warmer before entering the unit. You can use a
submersible aquarium pump for this method. Too
cold of water entering the unit will cause the unit to
go into shock and stop distilling until temperature
increases.
After turning on your water, your still should lose
some temperature which is normal. Now, you will
simply wait for the unit to reach optimal temperature.
Have a collection vessel such as a mason jar ready.
The first 350-500ml will be discarded as these are
foreshots. Continue to replace your distillate jars as
they fill. Consider marking your jars with a Sharpie to

20
keep track of where you are in the cuts. Methanol
will be the next 1000ml (on average) but remember
to use your flame test and smell/taste tests to keep
track of where you are. Small amounts of methanol
will do nothing to the human body.
Continue to collect, taking proof readings with your
alcohol meter around every jar as well as taste and
smell tests frequently. Frequent tests will help you
make more precise cuts and separate out the
alcohol from the fusel oils, methanol etc. in other
parts of the compound. Your hearts should be most
of the run; an estimated 2000ml worth.
Most pot stills are easy to run, but you may need to
make occasional temperature adjustments using
your heater device and/or water source throughout
the run. The slower the still runs, the higher the proof
comes out, but with less flavor. The faster you run,
the more flavor you can get out but at the cost of not
being as pure.
Keep collecting until your tails take a bitter turn or
continue collecting and throw them into your next
batch.

21
Always ensure that the boiler is no less than halfway
full throughout your entire run process, as any lower
can produce a volatile environment for the heating
element and can create shortages or popping of the
element.

Running in reflux still mode:

Running in reflux mode will require more fine-tuned
adjustments. Your first step is to begin heating up
your still using your heating device. Temperature will
shoot up fast just as you are about to distill, so we
recommend watching the unit during heat up. You
can gently tap the boiler, lid, and column throughout
the heating process to determine where you are in
the process. When the middle point between your
reflux condenser and lid is hot to the touch, we
recommend turning on your water and begin the flow
to both condensers. Not much more than a trickle of
water will be needed, as these are very low
maintenance condensers. For those using well
water, we recommend having a medium in between
the water source and still inlet such as a bucket,
22
garbage pail, or tank so that the water can get a little
warmer before entering the unit. This can be
accomplished through a submersible pump. Too cold
of water entering the unit will cause the unit to go
into shock and stop distilling until temperature
increases.
After turning on your water, your still should lose
some temperature which is normal. Now, you will
simply wait for the unit to reach optimal temperature.
Have a collection vessel such as a mason jar ready.
The first 350-500ml will be discarded as these are
foreshots. Continue to replace your distillate jars as
they fill. Consider marking your jars with a Sharpie to
keep track of where you are in the cuts. Methanol
will be the next 1000ml (on average) but remember
to use your flame test and smell/taste tests to keep
track of where you are. Small amounts of methanol
will do nothing to the human body. With reflux, you
can attempt to hold the still in full reflux mode by
turning your water control full blast and let the still
reboil the methanol as it is still in the boiler with only
a minimal amount distilling out.
Continue to collect, taking proof readings with your
alcohol meter around every jar as well as taste and
23
smell tests frequently. Frequent tests will help you
make more precise cuts and separate out the
alcohol from the fusel oils, methanol etc. in other
parts of the compound. Your hearts should be the
majority of the run; an estimated 2000ml worth.
Our reflux stills are low maintenance, but you will
likely need to make occasional temperature
adjustments using your heater device and/or water
source throughout the run. The secret to reflux stills
is to find an equilibrium between the cooling to your
condensers and the temperature of the still using a
heater. This may take a few runs to get used to.
Make small adjustments on both sides until you are
at your desired flow rate and proof. The temperature
is less important as long as the still is producing as
you want it to.
Keep collecting until your tails take a bitter turn or
continue collecting and throw them into your next
batch.

24
 Chapter 7:
Resources
Our email – milehidistilling@yahoo.com and
info@milehidistilling.com
Our phone – 303-987-3955 (one operator, so please
leave a voicemail if we don’t answer and we call
back within a business day or two)

Please feel free to type the following links

into your browser:
https://www.youtube.com/c/BarleyandHopsBrewing
https://www.youtube.com/c/StillnTheClear
https://www.youtube.com/c/BeardedBored
https://milehidistilling.com/articles/
https://milehidistilling.com/frequently-asked-question
s/

Recommended books to learn more:

25
Entry Level - Moonshiner’s Manual, Compleat
Distiller, and Making Pure Corn Whiskey
Intermediate/Advanced Level – Distillation
Principles and Processes, Chemistry and
Technology of Wine and Liquors

26