Running store bought liquor

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turks50
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Running store bought liquor

Post by turks50 »

Afternoon ya'll

Is it possible to take a couple of 5ths of store bought alcohol and mix them together to run through a sill?
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Skipper1953
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by Skipper1953 »

It would work just fine.
Why would you want to do that?
turks50
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by turks50 »

Well I made a rookie mistake last night. I have about a half gallon of shine I have run in the last week or so. I mixed it with a fireball mixture from one of the shine sites i have been to. I was supposed to mix in 2 cans of concentrated apple juice to it. I forgot that step and had the not so smart idea of just adding in the liquid apple juice I had lying around. Now I have taken my proof from an 85% down to a 40%. I am looking for something to help raise my proof back up. I only have a one gallon onion top still i am using so to get what I have now has taken quite some time. Will this throw my flavor off?
Last edited by turks50 on Fri Mar 03, 2017 7:57 am, edited 2 times in total.
turks50
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by turks50 »

Also the alcohol I would run has been laying around the house for a while. The stuff we do not really drink but has been left or given to us.
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Still Life
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by Still Life »

Flavor may improve. Run it.
Make your cuts and it'll likely come out better than it went in.
Look at the crap you'll toss, and that's what distilling can do for you.
Be safe.
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bluefish_dist
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by bluefish_dist »

If you are just looking for some high proof to add back, why not do a run of birdwatchers? Quick and cheaper than buying alcohol.
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skow69
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by skow69 »

That is one of the beauties of distillation. You can always recycle your mistakes.

But why do you want a flavored drink at 85% ABV? You are not drinking it at that strength, are you?
Distilling at 110f and 75 torr.
I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
turks50
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by turks50 »

skow69 wrote:That is one of the beauties of distillation. You can always recycle your mistakes.

But why do you want a flavored drink at 85% ABV? You are not drinking it at that strength, are you?
Skow69 I figured @ 40% the alcohol was too low. Want to try and get to 80%, Am I wrong in my thinking it should be higher? I know fireball is about 66%. Please forgive my rookie mistakes here but I was talking about PROOF and not ABV.
Last edited by turks50 on Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Pooch
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by Pooch »

You are mistaken. Fireball whiskey is 33%, which is 66 proof. You might be confusing proof with ABV. If you actually have 40%, that would be 80proof. Plenty strong for drinking.
turks50
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by turks50 »

Pooch wrote:You are mistaken. Fireball whiskey is 33%, which is 66 proof. You might be confusing proof with ABV. If you actually have 40%, that would be 80proof. Plenty strong for drinking.
Pooch You are 100% correct I was using the wrong term. I was editing my reply to show that I was talking about proof and not ABV. Still learning here. The proof is down to a 40. Sorry about the confusion.
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by willee »

Run half of it.
Mix it back in.
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by Pooch »

I figured that's what was happening.
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by OtisT »

There should be no problem running That. I used unwanted liquor from my cabinet for my first cleaning run, and it worked just fine. It was a wide mix of shit, and I will say I got more forshots from this run than any of my subsequent ferments. No wonder I didn't drink that stuff. I saved this product and now dilute and re-run this batch for cleaning with each new still.
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by ATV »

I drink 65-70%, 130-140 proof and thats just because that is highest i get from my still on first run.
You just have to be careful, 1 is like having 3... and hangovers hurt.
turks50 wrote:
skow69 wrote:That is one of the beauties of distillation. You can always recycle your mistakes.

But why do you want a flavored drink at 85% ABV? You are not drinking it at that strength, are you?
Skow69 I figured @ 40% the alcohol was too low. Want to try and get to 80%, Am I wrong in my thinking it should be higher? I know fireball is about 66%. Please forgive my rookie mistakes here but I was talking about PROOF and not ABV.
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by NZChris »

ATV wrote:I drink 65-70%, 130-140 proof and thats just because that is highest i get from my still on first run.
You just have to be careful, 1 is like having 3... and hangovers hurt.
You can't properly taste what you made at those proofs as it buggers up your taste buds so you that can't even tell if you are making good likker or crap. Plus, at those abvs, it does cell damage that can lead to some serious health issues in the mouth and oesophagus. Just because you have access to high proof likker, doesn't mean you should be the hero and drink it to impress your friends, or let them have access to it.
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skow69
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by skow69 »

ATV wrote: I drink 65-70%, 130-140 proof and thats just because that is highest i get from my still on first run.
You just have to be careful, 1 is like having 3... and hangovers hurt.
Most of us avoid drinking the heads because of that hangover thing. But if you're bent on drinking hi proof liquor from a single run, well there you are. Personally, I don't understand the attraction. Are you just trying to get as drunk as possible as fast as possible? You know, spirits can be made to taste good and be enjoyable to drink. The journey can be as much fun as the destination.
Distilling at 110f and 75 torr.
I'm not an absinthe snob, I'm The Absinthe Nazi. "NO ABSINTHE FOR YOU!"
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by Pikey »

ATV wrote:I drink 65-70%, 130-140 proof and thats just because that is highest i get from my still on first run.
You just have to be careful, 1 is like having 3... and hangovers hurt.
.............
Sounds as though you are not even dumping the foreshots :roll:

(That's where the biggest part of the hangovers live) - There's a lot more in late tails and some say there are headaches in heads too.
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by ATV »

Pikey wrote:
ATV wrote:I drink 65-70%, 130-140 proof and thats just because that is highest i get from my still on first run.
You just have to be careful, 1 is like having 3... and hangovers hurt.
.............
Sounds as though you are not even dumping the foreshots :roll:

(That's where the biggest part of the hangovers live) - There's a lot more in late tails and some say there are headaches in heads too.
I dump ruffly 1 shot per gallon to be safe and read that only organics (grains,veg,rice) produce toxins. That sugar mashes dont produce toxins. Could be wrong only repeating what i read.
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by Klein »

ATV wrote:
Pikey wrote:
ATV wrote:I drink 65-70%, 130-140 proof and thats just because that is highest i get from my still on first run.
You just have to be careful, 1 is like having 3... and hangovers hurt.
.............
Sounds as though you are not even dumping the foreshots :roll:

(That's where the biggest part of the hangovers live) - There's a lot more in late tails and some say there are headaches in heads too.
I dump ruffly 1 shot per gallon to be safe and read that only organics (grains,veg,rice) produce toxins. That sugar mashes dont produce toxins. Could be wrong only repeating what i read.
There are still heads and tails to be cut in a sugar wash.
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by ATV »

Klein wrote:
ATV wrote:
Pikey wrote:
ATV wrote:I drink 65-70%, 130-140 proof and thats just because that is highest i get from my still on first run.
You just have to be careful, 1 is like having 3... and hangovers hurt.
.............
Sounds as though you are not even dumping the foreshots :roll:

(That's where the biggest part of the hangovers live) - There's a lot more in late tails and some say there are headaches in heads too.
I dump ruffly 1 shot per gallon to be safe and read that only organics (grains,veg,rice) produce toxins. That sugar mashes dont produce toxins. Could be wrong only repeating what i read.
There are still heads and tails to be cut in a sugar wash.
all i know is nothing touches my barrel that's not above 100 proof.
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Hillbilly Popstar
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by Hillbilly Popstar »

When you make good likker, 150 proof can be smoother than 80 proof store bought hooch.

I shared a nip of 150 proof with a friend last night. Its no bad right out the jar, but I get more enjoyment out of pouring it over a couple ice cubes.

To the OP.

I 2nd the idea of rerunning half your concoction and adding it back. Plus when you rerun it it, you might be surprised how much of the Apple cinnamon flavor carries over and lends itself better to mixing in your drink.

Of you run a bunch of store bought stuff, no telling what flavors you'll get.
"Making likker with a hydrometer and thermometer is like measuring the length of a 2x4 with a clock"
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by still_stirrin »

ATV wrote:...all i know is nothing touches my barrel that's not above 100 proof.
Of course..."cask strength" is typically 120-130 proof. That's where you get the best trade of flavor from the oak wood and evaporation of higher volatile spirits (angel's share).

But to restate a previous caution (because we try to teach safety and safe processes):
NZChris wrote:
ATV wrote:I drink 65-70%, 130-140 proof and thats just because that is highest i get from my still on first run.
You just have to be careful, 1 is like having 3... and hangovers hurt.
You can't properly taste what you made at those proofs as it buggers up your taste buds so you that can't even tell if you are making good likker or crap. Plus, at those abvs, it does cell damage that can lead to some serious health issues (Cancer) in the mouth and oesophagus. Just because you have access to high proof likker, doesn't mean you should be the hero and drink it to impress your friends, or let them have access to it.
Be a safe, responsible, and discrete hobbiest. It matters.
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Re: Running store bought liquor

Post by ukmoon »

ATV wrote:
Klein wrote:
ATV wrote:
Pikey wrote: Sounds as though you are not even dumping the foreshots :roll:

(That's where the biggest part of the hangovers live) - There's a lot more in late tails and some say there are headaches in heads too.
I dump ruffly 1 shot per gallon to be safe and read that only organics (grains,veg,rice) produce toxins. That sugar mashes dont produce toxins. Could be wrong only repeating what i read.
There are still heads and tails to be cut in a sugar wash.
all i know is nothing touches my barrel that's not above 100 proof.
hear that
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