One-and-done advice?

[cellsaver]

I have a 6 galloon copper still w/ thumper+hotplate. I'm a newbie but have done about a dozen stripping+spirit runs, tried several mashes/washes: all grain, sugar only, Welch's, peach, apple, and molasses, all with stripping then spirit runs.

I've seen a few mentions of one-and-done runs but I can't find any good info other than casual reference. I've got a Bird Watcher's sugar wash and a banana wash both waiting. Which one would be more amenable to this technique, and what are some tips?

Main thing I'm trying to achieve is getting some flavor into the final product. Spend a lot of money and time on the fruit stuff but can't taste it at all.

Tx,
Cellsaver

[der wo]

Because most her do double runs, I personally don't think, that this is the problem.
Perhaps you added much sugar and water to the fruits, grains or molasses? Did you dilute between the runs?

[MichiganCornhusker]

I've done many a one-and-done right off a simple pot still, no thumper.
I've done maple sap, cherries, bananas, blue corn, and most of my rums.

I think you keep more flavor by not running it a second time, but it does limit the abv because of the single run.

When you do your "stripping" run, just collect in small jars and do cuts like you would. If you don't like what you get then you can always run again.

[Pikey]

I tend to do "1.5s" where you save the heads and tails of one run to go in with the wash of the next. This tends to boost the abv and olso I use 1 kg sugar in 5 litres wash which is a little more than most say on here. You have to do several ferments of each recipe, to make this work.

Generally speaking I get a hearts cut around 60% abv - a little more or less. Flavour has not been a problem, for me so far, although I know people struggle a bit with banana. I shall try it when I get a batch of cheap ones, but they and half the skins will be boiled to a grey sludge before the ferment !

But you have a thumper ! Read all over the site how people put the clear wash in the pot and all the fruity mush from the ferment, in the thumper - this boosts your abv and also boosts the flavour !

[NZChris]

You don't need to do stripping runs when using a thumper, so if you are not getting enough flavor, study up on how to do cuts.

A common flavor trap for newbies is getting greedy and adding sugar, which increases the yield but dilutes the flavor.

[BoomTown]

I frequently did a one-&-done technique. It simply required a very modest rate, and constant monitoring. I used a 20L pot, (posted picture of Lil Pauncho somewhere here years ago...)and 1.5" still head; collected in pint jars. Left the jars sit 24 hours covered with a coffee filter held tight with a rubber band. Output rarely ran more than 2 quarts between fients down to a 20p jar of tails. After the wait, I made gross cuts by nose, and tasted the jars on either side. I chose for hearts the jar after the super sweet heads, and just between the dishwater tails. Then I combined the jars, let them set in a sealed jar for about a week, cut to around 100p, and called it White liquor. Your results may vary, but your rig sounds a lot like Lil Pauncho. I did use only grain mashes though, except for an occasional molassas based rum. Good luck.

I will say that I kept the fients, heads and tails from 4 batches (about a gallon), and added them into the next batch (in the thumper) every time, which is a techniques used to emphasis the congenors that contribute the taste I was looking for. After a while, that added bit becomes pretty raunchy if tasted by itself, but it shore helped Uncle Lum's Misty Morning!

[BoomTown]

You don't need to do stripping runs when using a thumper, so if you are not getting enough flavor, study up on how to do cuts.

A common flavor trap for newbies is getting greedy and adding sugar, which increases the yield but dilutes the flavor.

Yeah, I agree with this, a sugar run is low on flavor, high on octane. That's why I went to an All Grain recipe. But the key is in using the collected tails and heads from earlier runs and running that as volume in the thumper.

[raketemensch]

I finally put together a flute assembled from parts as my 3rd still because I wanted good flavor from a single run. Since you’re only running it once I think more flavor sticks around, but I also generally get 70-75% alcohol from that single run.

Now, I’ve read a truckload about bubble plates vs. sieve plates, or 3 plates vs. 5 plates to optimize a flute, but I honestly think that if you run a still with a reflux condenser and maybe a little packing and only reflux your way to about 70%, you’re probably going to produce some tasty, single-run juice.

I guess this is the basic gist of Ian Smiley’s “Making Pure Corn Whiskey” book, and is how people have been making flavored spirits with a boka for years now.

A little reflux on a pot still can be a good thing, IMHO.

[cellsaver]

This is all great advice, but the flavor I am looking for is in the fruit runs. Tried filling thumper with pureed peaches or whatever, still no fruit flavor in final product. Any advice for this issue?

[NZChris]

Common causes are drowning the flavor by adding sugar to the ferment and by discarding the flavors with the heads and tails because of poor blending choices, or poor cuts done on the fly.

[HDNB]

Cranky does a lot of fruit, he's a bit busy right now so i thought i'd add a comment i'm sure comes from him

- a lot of the fruit essence comes over in the heads-

maybe try smaller fractions on heads collection and see what you can isolate there.

[cellsaver]

I haven't used any sugar in the fruit runs. My guess is that the answer lies in the heads and probably also just expecting too much. Got bananas fermenting at the moment, will hope for the best!

[skow69]

I believe that Cranky also recommends a year or two of aging to mellow out those heads.

[Truckinbutch]

I believe that Cranky also recommends a year or two of aging to mellow out those heads.

That was a point I was going to make . Seems that you need to cut heavy into heads , judiciously into tails and then let time do it's magic to get the flavors you are seeking .

[raketemensch]

Bananas can be very tough to bring flavor through. I don’t at all mean to discourage you, they’re also a fairly cheap way to get practice at blending fruit brandy.

Most grocery stores will sell them to you cheap after they’ve gone too brown to sell, which is perfect for getting the most sugars out.

[NZChris]

According to my notes on my only peach brandy, the feints jug tasted more like peach than my carefully selected heart cut and to consider blending it back in the future. That was 2014. I should have a hunt around and see if I can find it all. Both are aging on peach wood.

[Shine0n]

I personally like a one and done with the thumper addition. If I have a full charge on both pot and thumper I do strip it for my rums though and add dunder to my low wines for the spirit run.
On all others I like a one and done as I retain plenty of flavors and using the thumper raises the abv to a better range for aging instead of stripping and spirit runs.
Shine0n

[Shine0n]

I forgot to mention, fruit is something that takes time to come around. Months to even years for it to mature, if you're looking for a super strong flavor with fruit I'd find a way to suspend fruit in the thumper and not add any fluids as to steam strip the flavors from them.

Still will take time to develop into something drinkable though but the flavors will be improved alot more and sooner.

[Alchemist75]

I'm not one to argue with the not adding sugar thing but I've run a few batches of fruit hooch that had a lot of sugar added and still came out with a fair bit of flavor. My bestie is always after quantity as where I chase quality and he brings his funky brews to me to have them run. I always double em' strip on a pot and spirit on the column. The column doesn't make vodka for a couple reasons but what I typically end up with is a smooth Brandy of distinct flavor-again, brewed with liberal cane sugar added. I think a slow run one and done with careful cuts could make a right fine sip from some higher octane fruit hooch. Maybe a little lighter flavor wise but miles away from vodka especially on a potty.