Favourite still for whiskey

All styles of whiskey. This is for all-grain mashes.

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Saltbush Bill
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Re: Favourite still for whiskey

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Re the no time thing.
Distilling isnt a fast hobby, it takes time and patients.
Maybe its just not for some folk at all.
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Re: Favourite still for whiskey

Post by Virandell »

Saltbush Bill wrote: Sat Sep 19, 2020 9:21 am Re the no time thing.
Distilling isnt a fast hobby, it takes time and patients.
Maybe its just not for some folk at all.
You know what I mean buddy :D I have patience but not that much time to spend many hours with potstill unfortunately hopefully that will change in the future when the kids will grow up abit ;) and more space when I will have a house and I will can buy barrel for aging
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NZChris
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Re: Favourite still for whiskey

Post by NZChris »

What sized wash will you be running?

How long will it take to run your plater from heat on to finished?
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Re: Favourite still for whiskey

Post by Virandell »

NZChris wrote: Sat Sep 19, 2020 2:06 pm What sized wash will you be running?

How long will it take to run your plater from heat on to finished?
50L keg so It will be around 40L mash and it's taking 50-60 minutes ~ to heat up and output is around 3L/H
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Corsaire
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Re: Favourite still for whiskey

Post by Corsaire »

I love my pot still. But I've never ran plates.
The no time thing is bs. Strip runs don't take up a lot of time if you've got a good process.

Have you tried making whisky in your reflux column? Sounds like you prefer lighter whisky? Maybe you don't even need a new still.
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Re: Favourite still for whiskey

Post by kimbodious »

If I could only have one still it would be my pot still. So it is pot still for me and my grain based spirit.
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Re: Favourite still for whiskey

Post by n_plains_drifter »

Still a newb, but I've probably got a dozen and a half strips complete with my pot- 30 L into a 780 mm liebig, and 5 spirit runs including a 4X for neutral. No experience with anything else.

I run a 23-25 l strip in 2 hrs. 3 or 4 strips, and I have a full boiler for my spirit run. Not gonna lie, a spirit run takes 4.5-5.5 hours set up to cleaned up, but in the big picture, slow enough to get good cuts for final selection.

In my mind, the real work is in the all grain mashing process. I'm doing 20 gallon batches, and that equates to easily as much time as doing the distillation. That said, you don't get Michelin quality at McDonalds.

Sugar washes are a breeze.

YMMV,

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Re: Favourite still for whiskey

Post by The Baker »

If mashing takes as much time as distillation;
and you do both at the same time, then it doesn't, does it?

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Re: Favourite still for whiskey

Post by Deplorable »

Really? Mashing takes as long as a spirit run? I can grind 46# of grain faster than my boiler can heat 13 gallons of water to strike temp using 40,000btu.
A 23 gallon batch of Jimbos single Malt has less than 4 hours of my undivided attention from beginning to pitching yeast.
5 minutes to fill the boiler and light the burner.
15 minutes to weigh the grains
20 minutes to grind them and blow the mill clean
Eat a sammich while the water comes to temp
10 minutes to mash in.
Play with the dogs for 20 minutes
3 minutes stirring, repeat every 20 minutes for 2 hours (18 minutes total)
25 minutes to crash temp to 68°f and dilute to 1.060
5 minutes aeration and pitch yeast bomb.
So just an hour and 50 minutes of my undivided attention.
Really no longer than the SF washes were taking.
Even a stepped Mash for a bourbon shouldn't have you chained to the distillery all day watching a mash tun. A wifi temperature probe and a smart phone will free up a lot of your idle time.
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