My Gin Intentions

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KenMac
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Location: Madeira, Portugal

My Gin Intentions

Post by KenMac »

MAKING GIN
What I (KWM) intend to do is to use only 5 Botanicals to start, lightly cracking the Juniper Berries and the Coriander Seed first in the following amounts.
Juniper Berries 40 gms
Coriander Seed 20 gms
Angelica Root 4 gms
Liquorice Powder 4 gms
Sweet Orange Peel 4 gms

The basis of our Gin will be the result of distilling Grape Lees in my Vertical Still. This should mean that the initial distillate will not have any flavour.
I will load the Pot Still with about 20 litres of this spirit @ 80%ABV and add 20 litres of Distilled Water to complete the wash.
Initially I will put the Botanicals in the stainless Steel box I have had made, and bolt the box to the delivery end of the Pot Still. This means that the Vapour from the pot should be infused with the flavours of the botanicals as the vapour passes through the Botanicals Box to the condenser where it becomes liquid. This should be our first Gin.

My question here to everyone, especially Oden the master, is about distilling this average 40% ABV wash. Should I make this stronger or weaker, and how much Gin should I eventually get at 43% ABV ??

The next experiment will be to load the Pot Still with the same Mash as above, and then Macerate the listed quantities of Botanicals in the pot. Then leave it for 24 hours before distilling as normal.
Compare the results from each method.
This timing and Method is from The Instructables notes below.
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!
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still_stirrin
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Re: My Gin Intentions

Post by still_stirrin »

Sounds like a good experiment. You will see the effectiveness of purely vapor infused vs macerated products.

And looking at the recipe, it likewise looks appropriate and complex, which is what you're after. The X/2, X/10 ratios seem logical too. But, I think the citrus component looks a little light, but perhaps you prefer that to not overwhelm the gin overall.

I added Angelica root to my first gin too, but found that I prefer the gin more simple, so I cut back to simply juniper, corriander, and citrus. And I never considered licorice really as a quality that I seek in gin.

Running this as a 2-part experiment is a good idea, because you will learn first hand the differences between vapor infusion and maceration of the botanicals.

Good luck, and be sure to follow up with your discoveries.
ss

edited to add - You always want to use a very clean neutral spirit (hearts) as the basis of your gins. Starting with 45%ABV will net you 45%ABV coming off the potstill. See Odin's EZ gin recipe for a better process description.
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
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KenMac
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Location: Madeira, Portugal

Re: My Gin Intentions

Post by KenMac »

Thank you for such a positive response. I will certainly post my results here. Afterwards I also intend to add some local (Madeiran) botanicals as they have in Cape Town where they have included Fynbos a very local Cape bush in their Gins. I also intend to find a similar taste from here. Sorry to Odin for mis-spelling his name in my original post.
Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!
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NZChris
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Re: My Gin Intentions

Post by NZChris »

40g in 40l is a bit light. Stick to the ratios Odin says for you first one.

You cannot distil 45% until you get to 45% without running the pot dry and having to scrape off the burn on. Stick to the volumes Oden gives for your first one.
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Ma Flodder
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Re: My Gin Intentions

Post by Ma Flodder »

NZChris wrote:40g in 40l is a bit light. Stick to the ratios Odin says for you first one.
KenMac uses 72g, not 40 - you only counted the juniper. But still - my last gin had 33g/l - 1,8g is not a bit light, it's hardly there... The parent site http://homedistiller.org/flavor/gin" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow recommends 20-35 gram per liter and I say that's sound advice. Although 30+ might be a tiny bit too much if you try to copy mainstream gins like Gordon's, Tanqueray or Beefeater.

Ma.
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