The Alembic Still.
Unchanged for a Reason.
The alembic is the oldest and most revered distillation vessel in the world. CopperHolic handcrafts every still in the traditional form — hand-hammered copper, classic profile, built to outlast everything else in your workshop.
The anatomy of the
world's oldest still.
The word alembic comes from the Arabic al-anbīq — itself derived from the Greek ambix, meaning cup or vessel. The design has remained essentially unchanged for over a thousand years because it works.
An alembic still consists of three parts working in sequence: the pot holds the material to be distilled, the domed helmet collects rising vapour, and the condenser cools it back into liquid. Simple in principle. Extraordinary in practice.
The copper construction isn't decorative — it's functional. Copper actively improves distillation by binding sulphur compounds, conducting heat evenly, and developing a natural surface chemistry that improves with every run.
The rounded base vessel. Holds the botanical material and water. Hand-hammered copper distributes heat evenly across the entire surface.
The iconic domed cap. Collects rising steam, concentrates it, and channels it toward the condenser through the swan neck.
A coiled copper tube surrounded by cool water. Vapour enters hot and exits as liquid — your essential oil or hydrosol, ready to collect.
The graceful curved pipe connecting helmet to condenser. The distinctive silhouette that makes an alembic immediately recognisable.
Why the alembic form
has never been improved.
Jabir ibn Hayyan (Geber) codified the alembic as a distillation instrument. His designs established the pot, helmet, and condenser as a unified system — a configuration that remains standard today.
Alembic stills spread through European monasteries and apothecaries. Monks used them to produce medicinal waters, herbal extracts, and the first perfumes. Copper became the material of choice for its workability and catalytic properties.
The alembic became central to perfumery, medicine, and craft production across Europe and the Middle East. Master coppersmith guilds formed around still-making. The hand-hammering techniques developed then are the same used today.
CopperHolic alembic stills are built using traditional hand-hammering methods. The profile is unchanged from the stills that have been producing essential oils and hydrosols for centuries. Some things don't need reinventing.
The alembic form exists
for good reasons.
The alembic's dome-shaped helmet isn't decorative — its curvature controls vapour flow. Lighter aromatic compounds rise and concentrate at the top of the dome before travelling through the swan neck, which means better separation of the compounds you want from those you don't.
Flat-topped or column stills work differently and produce different results. For botanical distillation — essential oils, hydrosols, floral waters — the alembic form has remained the preferred choice for over a thousand years because the output quality is simply better.
And nothing else looks like it.
Three sizes of the
same traditional form.
The traditional alembic profile at tabletop scale. Every detail of the classic form — pot, dome, swan neck, condenser — in a compact, stovetop-ready size.
The proportions that define the alembic silhouette at its best. Handles serious runs, fills a space with presence, and remains the most versatile size we make.
The alembic form at full scale. Commanding presence, maximum capacity, and the kind of piece that anchors a workspace or collection for decades.
Alembic still —
questions answered.
An alembic still is a traditional distillation apparatus consisting of three parts: a rounded pot (cucurbit) that holds the material to be distilled, a domed helmet that collects rising vapour, and a condenser that cools it back into liquid. The design has been in continuous use since the 8th century.
An alembic is a type of pot still — specifically one with the classic domed helmet and swan neck profile. The terms are often used interchangeably. The alembic form is the original design from which most modern pot stills are derived.
Copper has been the preferred material for alembic stills for centuries because it conducts heat evenly, reacts with sulphur compounds to produce cleaner output, and develops a living patina that improves over time. It is also malleable enough to be hand-hammered into the complex curved forms the alembic requires.
CopperHolic alembic stills are designed for botanical distillation — essential oils, hydrosols, floral waters, and distilled water. Lavender, rosemary, rose, eucalyptus, peppermint, and chamomile are among the most popular botanicals.
The 5-litre is a compact tabletop alembic ideal for small batches. The 5-gallon is the classic proportioned size and our most popular. The 10-gallon is for buyers who want maximum capacity and visual impact. See the full Size Guide for details.
A thousand years of craft.
Yours to own.
Handcrafted copper alembic stills in 5L, 5-gallon, and 10-gallon. Ships worldwide.
Shop the Alembic Still