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Has anyone experimented with running two thumpers in line? if so what was the result?

I wouldn't try it because of the time it would add to the run.

Godstilla wrote:I wouldn't try it because of the time it would add to the run.

Thats a good point. How much time would you recon it would take to..................Set up time and clean up time would be affected too.

It takes about 15 minutes for one thumper to get active after the boil, so a second one should not take much more, as the second thumper would probably be a bit smaller than the first. I could be completely wrong, but I am just throwing the idea around my head.

Would running a double thumper mean triple distillation? I saw a picture of a professional grappa set up once and it had what looked like a boiler and two other in line vessels. Cheers, bd.

little edit

What kind of % ABV would you expect from something like that from a single pass?

I do not know, thats why I was asking the question. I would like to know if it would be practical.

Say you started with an 8% wash and ran it through two thumpers (forgetting for the moment whether or not it was practical to do so), what would we end up with? How can we figure that out? Cheers, bd.

Thats what I would like to know. When I used a basic potstill my run would start at about 65 ABV and finish around 30-40 ABV.
Now I run the Frankenstill with the integrated thumper my run starts at about 86 ABV and I usually run down to 40 ABV, which is a difference of 20ABV on the starting percentage. If another thumper was run in line, would the ABV then increase the same percentage, theoretically tripple distilling.

Some rum makers in the Caribbean use a double thumper set up, so it obviously works. Somebody else posted this pic, can't remember who:
and Harry made this drawing
Also, IIRC, the terms low and high wines are used differently here, they refer to the heads and tails, not the first and second runs. Ask Harry for the full details.

Hmmmm you have got me thinking now. Do you think there would be an increase in ABV?
P.S. I don't know Harry, do you know his user name?

Harry

The french tradition was to have a mobile distillery that travelled from orchard to orchard. Bouilleur de cru. There used to be a strict quota of so many litres at a particular proof that were allowed to be distillled tax free. They too used a system of thumpers. Each one carries out a further distillation phase using the vapour heat instead of an additional boiler.



There is an interesting article here:

http://www.wineterroirs.com/2007/01/bouilleur_cru.html

A lot of the ABV increase is based on what initial charge is used in the thumpers.
Water= Less flavor, lower ABV
Wash= More flavor, slight increase in ABV
1st run strip= slight loss of flavor, higher ABV

Great piece Myles, thanks for the link. Quite the rig. Coincidentally, I have a friend from France whose grandmother was the last in her family to have that right to distill. She said that the quality was pretty hit and miss, year after year; some great years and some not so great. bd.

Hookline: That double thumper rig is off the appletons rum estate (see website). It is one of the old stills they show on the tour I believe. I assume the stills they use to this day are of similar design, hard to tell exactly from the photo's I've seen - will have to make the trip.

Thanks for that.