Stilldragon Australia

Four years ago I began my business with a humble 50 liter still just like many people when beginning their distillation hobby/journey. One of the biggest accolades I can say of Garry and one I value most is that whether you are just starting out with a little 50 liter still or a larger commercial operation you get treated with the same respect, time and effort. Garry does not look at a customer and think, “How much money can I make off this person and is it worth my time”. This is what I value greatly with his service and expertise because he is focused on making sure every one of his customers are getting a quality product as well as taking the time to talk through the process in case there is a better option or configuration to help your cause.
When I first started with my little 50 liter still I would ask Garry a million questions about a very small order that may have been only around $80 or less and never once did I get the impression that I was annoying him or that I was not worth his time.

Three years later I had made the decision to become a larger commercial operation and for the reasons above, I was not going to bother looking to any other company to build my stills. Again when setting up a commercial distillery, there are a million different things that need to be considered and each one affects the other so I had a lot of mathematical equations and hypotheticals I needed to consider. Garry gave me a lot of his time in helping nut out a few ideas and alerted me to a few potential issues to eventually create a very good distillery.
A further example to his quality service, a shipping company had lost a very important part to my still to the point where I thought it would not be found. I called Garry and even though it was not an issue that was of his doing, he came up with some very generous options to help the situation to the point where he could have been out of pocket. Luckily the transport company found the items and none of this was needed but just the fact he was willing to offer that level of service and customer care was some of the best I have experience in my fifteen years of running various businesses.

My commercial distillery consists of one 500 liter pot still design, and a second 200 liter Crystal Dragon reflux 8 plated still. Both are amazing to watch. I have had both these stills operating for eight months now and did not want to write this review until I had given these stills a good run.

After eight months of running them 3 times per week for a total of 96 runs for each still, I can report they scrub up as clean as they were when new. As I only produce Vodka and Gin the stainless steel and glass works perfectly to create a clean tasting spirit with almost no maintenance issues. I am in close contact with a lot of Head Distillers in Tasmania who all use copper stills and a different heating design to the StillDragon setup. Almost all of the distillers I have talked with have ongoing issues with copper sulphate, elements burning their wash and elements blowing up and costing $15,000 to replace. So to have a still that has multiple element ports to easily change just one element if it blows instead of the entire heating system is not only cost effective but it also means If I don’t have time to replace the element, I still have enough power with my other elements to continue running the still until I can organise an electrician to arrive as opposed to shutting my entire operation down until they arrive which is the case with a lot of other distilleries. Also having a jacket of water separate to the wash to heat and not come in direct contact with the wash is a big help for product quality and ease of cleaning.

Some operational experience I have noticed. You can fill the water jacket to a very low level, to the point where it is just 10cms above the elements and this will create a very fast heat up time. I can heat up 500 liter in about 1.5 hours with 6 X 4.8kw elements. This is great for the stripping still as it does not need much attention. However because you are running the still on steam the distillate output tends to pulse in waves of intensity. I did not like this for my spirit still as I like a constant stream and a constant speed. The best way to fix this if you do want a constant stream is to fill your water jacket almost to the top. This obviously then means it will take longer to heat up your wash but the output stream remains at a very constant flow and does not pulse. So I run my 500L stripping still with a low level of water in my jacket as I don’t mind it pulsing, and my 200 liter spirit still is about 80% full which instead of the heat up time being 1hr it increases to 2hrs but it is worth it to keep the spirit quality. My 200L still has 2 X 4.8KW elements and 2 X 2.4KW.

I can’t fault the stills designs and I am extremely lucky to have been able to start my distillery with a great still rather than learning the hard way with other companies. If there is one design change I could suggest (which would be very difficult to do) is to somehow have a water shutoff valve for each individual element so that if one blows, I don’t have to empty the entire water jacket to replace it. Also a very minor change would be – the pressure gauge that i have on the side of my water jacket is a screw thread that to tighten properly puts the gauge and an angle that makes it had to read because sometimes it sits upside down. If the arm that is custom made for the pressure gauge would have a ferrule end this would probably work better and allow the gauge to sit upright.

So the long and the short is, Gary provides quality and genuine service whether you are big or small and sells a quality product, I highly recommend Still Dragon.

Kind Regards

Ryan Hartshorn
Director
Hartshorn Distillery

Ryan Hartshorn

I never really leave positive feedback, because generally, most of the service I receive from an online vendor is average.

 I purchased a dash2 and 120L Stilldragon boiler from Garry at Stilldragon a few months ago. After a few emails back and forth with some very friendly and detailed responses, I was comfortable enough to spend 4k at his store. 

The detail and time Garry spends on replying promptly to any question is extraordinary. I am in a service industry, If I put half the effort Garry does into customers, into my own customers, I would have a lot more business.

I have made several orders with Garry and packaging and prompt delivery is first class.

The Dash 2 and the 120L boiler are an awesome piece of kit. I am extremely happy with the product it produces and how easy the Dash is to use.Overall I am a very happy customer. Ben Queensland Feb '14 

Considering the weight of the package (27.5kgs) everything was very well packaged. Quick delivery too. The quality of the product is very good and when it's all fitted together it is very impressive. I recommend to anyone looking at upgrading or just looking for loose items, Punkin is your man! Excellent service, excellent communication and excellent price, you can not get better than that!!! Heef Sept 14

A TESTAMONIAL
for PUNKIN’S BREW STORE
By Heef71

It doesn’t matter if you are an employee or employer, in today’s working and commercial society we are constantly being measured on quality, service, customer satisfaction and how we conduct business/ourselves by our customer’s day in and day out. She’ll be right just doesn’t cut it.
So I think when credit is due for an outstanding vendor……. credit should be given, and I don’t mind tell you Punkin’s Brew Store deserves top marks.
I have found dealing with Punkin’s Brew Store to be a completely refreshing experience from today’s drab of bad attitudes, arrogance and retail rip offs. I am impressed with the high level of service, value for money and communication, which I believe to be Outstanding!! Punkin’s Brew Store has the best service I’ve seen bar none. Punkin has always gotten back to me with a timely response, even on a Sunday.
Even though I live over 3500km’s away a box of goodies was delivered within 4 days from placing the order, now that’s quick for where I live. I believe the goods where packed on a Sunday to be picked up by the courier first thing Monday, WOW!! The contents were very well packaged, there was no way anything was going to get damaged or scratched in transit.
Now, with great thanks to Punkin, I am the very happy and proud owner of an awesome 4” 6 plate crystal dragon, with extra attachments, so I can modulate to any configuration from pot to neutralizer so I can continue escalating with my hobby. Happy Dayz!!
It has been an absolute pleasure dealing with Punkin so why would I go anywhere else? In fact I have just received my 3rd package and I’m equally impressed, his service and communication remains consistent.
I recommend Punkin’s Brew Store to anyone! Whether you’re looking for advice, product information or upgrading your set up, Punkin’s your man!!
Believe me, You will not be disappointed!!!
Regards,
One very happy customer
Heath, aka Heef71.
16th Oct 2014.

Ben and Heef

Garry,     I would like to very much thank you for your time and knowledge with my setup. It took me nearly half an hour just to unpack the parts, and all the parts are for the pot still fit perfectly. It's a beauty. I've been all grain brewing beer and spirits for over 8 years, with different still configurations along the way, but the meter tall straight pot still is a blast to use, and the modular configuration makes for easy cleaning and pack up. I started with the good old vinegar and water wash to give it a clean, then broke it in with a rum wash. This pot still carries the flavour perfectly. The rum smelt really good after the stripping run, and even better after the spirit run. I will need to adjust my recipe slightly, as this pot still really does carry a lot of the flavours through, compared to my old stills. I can't wait for my single malt whiskies and bourbon recipes to go through this still. When the time comes, I'll be ordering a few bubble caps and plates to add to my my configuration. Again, thanks for your time and keeping me updated every step of the way.  The dominoes, alcoholmeter and hydrometer where a great bonus as well. 

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