Distilled water is very often tap water to begin with. Bottlers commonly start with a municipal supply, run it through a distillation process and sell the result, and the label is allowed to say so plainly. What separates the two is not the origin but the processing: distillation removes the dissolved solids that the tap water carried, and adds nothing back.
Where store-bought distilled water starts
A bottler needs a large, consistent and already treated feed, and a municipal supply is exactly that. The water is then boiled and the steam condensed, leaving the dissolved minerals behind. So the honest description is that distilled water is tap water with its dissolved content removed, which is different from spring water, where the selling point is the source rather than the process.
What the label is telling you
Look for the wording that names the process and the source. Distilled tells you the method. A line about a community water system tells you the origin. Purified is a broader term covering distillation, reverse osmosis and deionization. None of these mean the water came from a mountain, and none of them are worse for that: the process is what determines what is in the bottle.
Distilled at home is definitely your tap water
A countertop distiller has only one feed, which is whatever you pour into it. The output is your own supply with the dissolved solids left behind in the chamber, which is why the chamber scales in a hard water house and needs regular descaling. Volatile compounds are the one category that can carry over with the steam, which is why better units run the condensate through carbon.
The source still matters to your decision
If you are buying distilled water to avoid something specific in your tap, find out what that something is first. Every community water system publishes an annual Consumer Confidence Report and the EPA maintains a finder for it. Read yours, and the choice between drinking the tap, filtering it, or buying jugs stops being guesswork and becomes a decision against a measured list.
Questions people ask about is distilled water tap water
Is bottled distilled water the same as bottled drinking water?
No. Drinking water may be filtered and left with minerals, while distilled water has been vaporized and condensed to strip its dissolved content.
Can I make distilled water from well water?
Yes, a distiller works on any feed. Very hard or iron-rich well water will scale and stain the boiling chamber quickly, so expect frequent cleaning.
Is distilled water safer than tap water?
It has less dissolved in it, which is not the same as safer. A well maintained public supply is tested continuously against enforceable standards.