The hardest part of a first run isn't lighting the heat. It's knowing when to make your cuts. The Copper Proofing Parrot takes a lot of the guesswork out. It holds your hydrometer or alcohol meter right where the distillate flows, so you can watch the proof change as it happens instead of stopping to pull samples.
What's in the box
- One handcrafted copper proofing parrot
- Solid copper construction, built to last and a natural match for a copper still
- Holds a hydrometer or alcohol meter securely (sold separately; see our Hydrometer Set)
How hard is it?
This is a beginner-friendly tool. Nothing here needs wiring or adjusting. You set the parrot where your still's output can flow into it, drop in your hydrometer and read the number. Your job is just to pay attention, and that's the fun part. You'll see a run as a curve: readings move, the character of the spirit shifts, and you decide where the heads, hearts and tails begin and end. That's where a distiller starts to feel like part alchemist, part scientist.
Your first steps
- Seat the parrot so the flow from your still feeds into it.
- Place your hydrometer or alcohol meter in the holder.
- Keep a notebook nearby and log readings as the run goes.
- Use those readings to make more accurate heads, hearts and tails cuts.
Real-time readings mean cleaner, smoother results and a faster learning curve. A note for beginners: owning a still is legal in the US, but distilling alcohol requires federal (TTB) permits. Follow federal, state and local law.
