How to get the Gin bite

[sampvt]

I am disabled and find it easy to use the T500 reflux still.I make very neutral ethanol and am very happy with it now I've got my new carbon filter which basically polishes it off for me. Ive tried to make gin by using botanicals but all that does is discolour the spirit so I now use the still spirit range of gin profiles.For 1 gallon I use 2 x london gin small flavour profile bottles and 1 x gin base profile which gets the flavour about a 6/10. I am missing the gin bite which is that distinct hit of juniper/acidic style of nose.

Can anyone suggest what I could add to my mix to achieve this nose hit and flavour explosion. I cant seem to find anything and I've tried juniper essence and even concentrated juniper oil, but nothing works. HOW DO YOU GIN MAKING EXPERTS GET YOUR NOTES AND FLAVOURS.

[rubberduck71]

I only have a small pot still, so haven't really ventured into gins until I get my next rig.

I see my your "join" date, you've been around for over a year, so have you read Odin's gin recipe in Tried & True? I believe macerating in a neutral & then re-running it so it comes out clear will carry some (but maybe not all) of the flavor you're shooting for? I can't remember if the the T500 has a gin basket attachment under the lid as a possible alternative for botanicals.

Good luck!

[Expat]

I am disabled and find it easy to use the T500 reflux still.I make very neutral ethanol and am very happy with it now I've got my new carbon filter which basically polishes it off for me. Ive tried to make gin by using botanicals but all that does is discolour the spirit so I now use the still spirit range of gin profiles.For 1 gallon I use 2 x london gin small flavour profile bottles and 1 x gin base profile which gets the flavour about a 6/10. I am missing the gin bite which is that distinct hit of juniper/acidic style of nose.

Can anyone suggest what I could add to my mix to achieve this nose hit and flavour explosion. I cant seem to find anything and I've tried juniper essence and even concentrated juniper oil, but nothing works. HOW DO YOU GIN MAKING EXPERTS GET YOUR NOTES AND FLAVOURS.

Lets be direct on this topic; flavoring that comes in bottles is shiet.

Gin is relatively easy if you've already managed to get a quality neutral. As suggested, Odin's Easy gin is what you need to attempt to stronger flavor profiles (bite?) viewtopic.php?f=14&t=48594

Ive tried to make gin by using botanicals but all that does is discolour the spirit

Gin has to be redistilled after macerating the botanicals, the result will be colorless. Cloudiness is possible (AKA "louching"), this is an excess of flavor which doesn't necessarily need to be fixed.

[howie]

https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... 11&t=56998
make this wash for a start.
there isn't any filtering or buggering about required.
then when you have a nice neutral from running this, have a look at odin easy gin (OEG)
only 3 ingredients for a start, good stuff.
viewtopic.php?f=14&t=48594
it can't get any simpler than that.
i am no expert, and just made my first OEG.
well pleased.
sounds like you have the basics, just follow the FFV recipe and the OEG instructions

[Demy]

I haven't made many classic gins, but I did it with herbs that I find locally. My advice is to start with a true neutral (no charcoal needed), soak the botanicals in the neutral and then redistill, you can also add a gin basket. The amount of flavor you will find in the distillate depends a lot on botanists, in the sense that some have a strong aroma while others have delicate aromas that are more difficult to "extract". This is just my experience as a non-expert.

[still_stirrin]

I am disabled and find it easy to use the T500 reflux still … I make very neutral ethanol … HOW DO YOU GIN MAKING EXPERTS GET YOUR NOTES AND FLAVOURS.

Build a potstill.

The T500 is great for making a high purity neutral, but not the best for making “flavored spirits”. While you need a clean neutral for the base spirit to make a gin, you need a process to distill with the flavors from the macerated botanicals to carry over. Hence, a “purpose-built” gin still. And a small potstill is “just right” for that, Goldilocks!

A stock pot on the stove top with a sealed lid and a vapor takeoff is easy to build and makes a great compliment to your distilling tools. And it doesn’t need to be large capacity because gins are often best when young. So, you make a bottle or two when you need to replenish your liquor cabinet.

Tools. A guy’s got to have “the right tools”!
ss

[NZChris]

Ive tried to make gin by using botanicals but all that does is discolour the spirit....

You are doing something wrong. Tell us exactly what you are doing and you should get advice on how to avoid the problem.

[sampvt]

I bought the t500, i also got the screw-on botanical cylinder/basket. I filled the boiler with 30% double distilled hearts. I bought a botanical packet from still spirits, loaded it and followed the instructions with an empty column. The finished distillate came out at 93% but yellow. I kept the column at 55 degrees so in short I did everything they suggested, but yellow gin was the result and to be fair, it tasted pretty crap as well.

[Saltbush Bill]

Buy a spare lid for your t500....build a small pot still head to go on the spare.
Find a good gin recipe , macerate botanicals in your spirit for 24 hours... tip the lot into the boiler and run it.
You will then have excellent gin.
The way you are doing it atm moment the only winners are the Still Spirits wholesalers and retailers.

[RAS_Brewer]

Buy a spare lid for your t500....build a small pot still head to go on the spare.

I did exactly that. Got the T500 for neutral spirit, and after reading here some - made a pot still head for flavor. Added a stainless column with some copper mesh to get a bit of reflux if I want it. You need the right tools to do the specific job, and can have "too much" equipment IMO.

[sampvt]

Buy a spare lid for your t500....build a small pot still head to go on the spare.
Find a good gin recipe , macerate botanicals in your spirit for 24 hours... tip the lot into the boiler and run it.
You will then have excellent gin.
The way you are doing it atm moment the only winners are the Still Spirits wholesalers and retailers.

I have a spare column which I can run without saddles, will that do, or do I need to get a copper head to make a pot still.

[Saltbush Bill]

A spare T500 column?......if its the t500 column with synthetic top plate bit I wouldnt......that part will likely melt and leak ethanol vapour.
Its really not hard to build a small pot head to suit.
Adapters are available to fit one straight to the existing or a spare lid