Still House ยท working title

Every run is a judgement call.

A distilling simulation with real chemistry under the hood and a distillery to build on top. Start with one sketchy still in 1920s Ontario. Finish with a house people ask for by name.

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The run screen: the copper still on the left, the run sheet with its flavour radar and hearts chart on the right
  1. Night in the barn: the first still, with Uncle Gus explaining the foreshots

    1

    Learn the cut

    Your uncle has run moonshine for years and he's willing to teach you, mostly. Stoke the fire, watch the proof coming off the still, and taste as you go. Heads, hearts, tails: where you cut decides what's in the bottle. Run the still hot and the spirit changes, so no fixed number saves you.

  2. The first leased unit: a copper pot still, fermenters and a stillman at work

    2

    Go legit

    Lease your first real premises and a proper still. Save a good run as a recipe and let your hired hands repeat it while you plan the week. Juggle fermenters, stills and time on a schedule, and decide what goes to market as white spirit and what goes into barrels.

  3. A finished run and its tasting card: nose, palate, finish and the buyer's verdict

    3

    Master the craft

    Barrels age differently by where they sit in the rickhouse, and some turn out special. You won't know which until you taste them. Customers want different things, rival houses want your customers, and new ingredients and equipment open new products.

The chemistry is real. You just can't see all of it.

Under every run, the game tracks the compounds that give spirit its flavour, and how your still and your choices change them. Early on you judge by proof and taste, like a real distiller. Better equipment reveals more.

A run's flavour radar across seven families, compared with the buyer's target

Gallery

The plant: an isometric distillery floor with a pot still, column and fermenters
A spirit run in progress, just before the cut to hearts
The run is in: a batch summary with the week's notes
Booking batches on the weekly schedule
A contract from the curling club for plain white spirit
The title screen, set as a 1920s front page

Early Access

Still House is planned for Early Access on Steam, starting in Prohibition-era Southern Ontario. More starting locations, eras and spirits are planned for the full release.

Questions

When is it out?
When it's ready. Sign up and you'll hear first.
Which platforms?
[Windows on Steam first; confirm before launch.]
Do I need to know anything about distilling?
No. The game teaches you as you go, starting with your uncle's lessons.
Is it about crime?
Only at the start. The bootlegging is where the story begins; the game is about building a legitimate distillery.
Is Still House the final name?
It's a working title and may change.