The Distillery - Dragonfyre Distillery youtube

Thanks for taking the time to check us out!

There are lots of photos here, and 2 videos of the distillery in the first few years of operation.
You will also get to see how our two stills and Mash tuns were built.
Would you like to see how the distillery itself was built? You can check that out here.
Grab your favorite beverage, have a seat and take a look!

Dragonfyre Whiskey The Making Part 1

Videos by Megan Eves

Dragonfyre Whiskey The Making Part 2

What it takes to make spirits at Dragonfyre, scroll down for even more pictures!

Our original 25 gallon electric still, this is how it all started!
My New home made 100 gallon double boiler electric copper pot reflux still, yes it was built by Dragonfyre, my brother-in law John helped me build it, he was my welder!
The grain mill used to grind the whole grains we get from local farms.
These are the home made Mash Tuns that are also used as fermenters in our processes. In between them is a home made steam generator that is used to cook the mash.
The screw press and vibratory sieve used to de-water the grains

Building a distillery

Here you see the original production area of our distillery when we started in 2016. This is the original all copper 25 gallon electric still hand built by Vince. All of our operations are still done by hand through time consuming processes, yielding small quantities, making our whiskey as rare as some precious gems, and just as clear and smooth. If you wish to see the build process, go scroll down to the 25 gallon still build..
This is the new 100 gallon electric double boiler still put in service mid year of 2019. This still was also hand built by Vince and his brother in law John (John did the welding). If you wish to see the build process, scroll to the 100 gallon still build.
These are the home made Mash Tuns that are also used as fermenters in our processes. In between them is a home made steam generator that is used to cook the mash. If you wish to see the build process, scroll to the Mash Tun build.

Building the 25 gallon copper still

Fresh sheet of copper, cut and rolled to the size needed for a 25 gallon capacity pot.
Drilling holes for rivets to hold the seam together.
Hand hammering the rivets ( these are solid copper rivets, not pop rivets )
Checking the fit, looks good! Drill more holes!
Here is a rivet before it is hammered to flatten the end.
Flush mounted and counter sunk!
So I've cut a copper circle, bent a flange, fit it to the tube, and am now soldering it in.
All the way around, stretch that circle out and its a long seam!
Now I have a big copper pot with a bottom!
Fill it full of water and check for leaks! I have also put a heating element port in the side, for now that's how it's draining until I put thee bottom drain in, yes I cut a hole in the bottom for a drain!
Here is the top cone riveted together and I have already soldered in the neck for the column.
Here is the cone top soldered on with the temperature gauge installed, and the first column spacer section attached. This is already a pot still, but I am going for a reflux still, still so I have more work to do!
All of the pieces needed to make the deflagmator that creates reflux for this to be a reflux still!
All of the pieces needed to make 1 of 4 column sections, my still is a 4 plate reflux still and should produce alcohol in the 180+ proof range in one run!
Coating everything with soldering flux, flux is your friend, use it liberally!
Silver soldering the sanitary clamp flanges to the tube sections, there are 12 to do!
The first 3 are done and ready for the view port flange!
Soldering on the side port for the site glass so we can see what is going on when I am running the still!
This is the first three sections waiting for me to cut out the copper centers, so I can see inside the column when it is working.
These are the sieve plates with the down comers installed, each section of the still column will get one of these.
Here is all four sections assembled and clamped together, this thing is getting tall and it still needs to be up on a stand!
This is called the parrot, and it is where you test your alcohol as it is coming off of the still.
Here is the parrot fully assembled and attached to the still with my Smuckers Jelly jar (later turned out not to be tall enough 🙁
Here is the completed still with the full column, deflagmator, condenser, and parrot installed, still have to build a stand!
Here I am building the electric heating element controller for the 25 gallon still, lots of parts and wires to stuff in a small box!
So here I am next to my little 25 gallon copper still all hooked up and in operation as a LEGAL still! It's on the stand and I am 6"3" so that gives you and idea of how tall this thing got!

Building the 100 gallon still

The new still has arrived! Some assembly required? 2 sheets of German still copper!
The 120 gallon stainless steel barrel that will be used as the outer boiler part of the still, also some assembly required!
First we need a tube to make the still! Murphy's Machine shop in Vestal NY were the only ones locally to have a roller large enough to do this job, the copper is 48 inches wide!
It is now at my brother in laws shop where John will do the welding and I will do the metal work.
Initial tack welds to hold it together.
Made it all the way down! John can weld anything! He has welded in the pit of nuclear power plants, welded under water, he teaches welding, but he has never welded copper before!
I hand hammered a bottom for the still. It took me weeks to make this thing!
Here John is welding on the bottom, you can see that long side seam here is already welded!
After I made a cone to for the top of the still, John welded that on. It's starting to take some shape now!
Top and bottom welded, it's time to start adding accessories!
Lots of progress, on top you see a column mount, the manway to see whats going on in the still, an agitator mount, a mount for the pressure relief and temp probe, and on the side a sight glass.
Here they are with their actual fittings installed.
Here is a look inside at the drain in the bottom (left picture) Pressure testing the copper pot to see if we have any leaks, it held pressure over night, good to go! (Right picture)
So I have cut a bunch of holes is that nice new stainless steel barrel so I can put heating elements, a sight glass, and some steam related ports.
John is getting ready to weld some of the fittings for those ports.
Everything is tacked in place!
Just so you know I was actually there watching John work hard welding on the legs I just cut.
She's got legs!!!
Outer steam jacket ready to go!
Time for a wedding! lets get these two together!
Wedding day, John is welding the original stainless steel barrel top to the copper inner pot to seal this thing up!!
Welding in the drains. Yes I cut 2 more holes in the bottom of the barrel so the inner copper pot could be drained, there is also a drain for the water jacket.
I messed up big time, when testing the still for leaks, I forgot to pressurize the inner pot before the outer pot, and caused massive destruction!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think I am going to be ill. This is after I cut it back apart!
I was able to save it!! It's not so pretty anymore, but it will still work, story of my life!
I now call it Frankin Still! Here John is putting its back together!
OK, all the leaks are fixed, everything tests out, it's time to take it home!
New 100 gallon still sitting next to the original 25 gallon still! It's not ready to run yet!
I needed to build something to control the Frankin Still. Here I am putting together the still controller, man this thing sure has a lot of wires in it!
This is the first time we turned it on, it seems to all work!
Here she is, actually making whiskey!!

Building the Mash Tuns

So I am making my own Mash Tuns, that will also be fermentors. I started with two 100 gallon stainless steel barrels, and bought a manway and some fittings online for each one.
The door for removing spent mash and cleaning them out.
Step one, cut a hole in that very expensive stainless steel perfectly good barrel!
Grind the curve of the barrel in that expensive door!
Have my brother in law John weld it together, so that expensive barrel and expensive door wont leak!!!!
Nice weld John!!!!
Something to keep it from rolling around
It now has a door, a thermal port, and a drain!
Testing for leaks!
No leaks, on to barrel two!
Here they are installed in the distillery. They sit on scales so I can weigh out my batches, and are up on stands because gravity is free, and pumps are not! You can also see my homemade steam generator in the middle of the two Tun's, that is how I cook the mash! Stop in some day and I will tell you all about it if you wish!