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Photonic
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Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:01 am

Hello from a lurker here...

Post by Photonic »

Hi,

Firstly, what a great site, both the main site and the forum.

I have read here for a while and learnt a fair bit, but I had already gone and bought one of the Still Spirits AirStills before reading here.

Through reading, I've realised that Turbo Yeast IS NOT the way to go, so am preparing a wash from here to try.
I used Turbo Yeast to try to make a mead a few weeks ago and it pretty much sucked all the flavour out of it. I put that down to the carbon in the fermentation bucket.

Anyway, while the wash from here ferments I decided to throw a few bottles of cheap dry white wine through the still to practice trying to make cuts and learn the smells associated with the foreshots, heads, hearts and tails, by collecting 50ml at a time in shot glasses.

The flowrate gave a bit away as it slowed down greatly after throwing out about 450ml (The wine was 4 litres @ 12% ABV).

I threw the first really smelly 50ml away, then smelled the next 50 ml - it still smelled pretty nasty and had quite a heavy vinegar smell to it- so I threw that too,thinking that it was either still foreshots or heads (I guess the foreshots would be pretty minimal of a 4 litre run).

The rest of the 350 or so ml that I collected was still fairly smelly, with only jar number 7 smelling fairly neutral.

I guessed that as it is such a small run, the heads (and maybe tails) were scattered throughout what I collected.

I mixed jars 3 and 4 and added 50ml of water to bring it up to 150ml, then took an alcohol reading - the total was 40% ABV, so I guess my undiluted alcohol content would be 60% ABV.


I'm not sure if I'm going to keep the spirit as the smell is not good, but a small taste of it tasted okay.

Shuold I be filtering this as it is based on a commercial wine (who knows what else they put in it?), or should I dilute down to 40% and redistill?

Do you think I was too harsh throwing out the 2nd 50ml?


Any advice would be really helpful.

Many thanks.
rad14701
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Re: Hello from a lurker here...

Post by rad14701 »

Welcome to the forums, Photonic...

With an air still you probably should have kept everything you collected and then given it another run, diluted with water... You're better off doing several strip runs and then one spirit run with such a small still and only making cuts during the spirit run... You probably threw away some otherwise good alcohol by making cuts on such a small boiler charge...
Photonic
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Joined: Tue Sep 22, 2009 1:01 am

Re: Hello from a lurker here...

Post by Photonic »

Thanks Rad14701.

I guess that as a newbie I erred on the cautious side and threw too much.

I'll do as you suggest and collect a 4litre batch of once-distilled product (low wines?), dilute down to 40% and run them back through... again throwing the first 50ml out and collecting carefully.

I can't believe how nasty the first 50ml was - it actually hurt to smell it!
rad14701
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Re: Hello from a lurker here...

Post by rad14701 »

That 50ml volume is just a rough guide... You need to use smell, taste, and feel in order to make proper cuts... I'd suggest collecting in small glass containers, especially for foreshots, heads, and tails collection... When I'm working with a new recipe I collect the entire run in old baby food jars and I only partially fill the earliest jars... The first one or two smell like they'll burn out your nose hairs and go into my alcohol stove fuel jar...
Photonic
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Re: Hello from a lurker here...

Post by Photonic »

Thanks for the advice, that is something I'll follow with my next wash.

Okay, I've had a chance to do some more runs with my still now, mostly for experimenting with, not for drinking yet.

I guess that rather than getting the purest product I could, my main concern (as I guess with most newcomers to this) is getting over my fear of having methanol in the product (although pure would ensure that). That was, and I guess still is, my overriding worry.

Anyway, I ran a sugar wash through it in 3 x 4 litre runs. I discarded the first 60ml of each run and kept the rest which came out at around 60% abv. I diluted it down to 40% abv (about 3 litres in total) and let it sit in a gallon demijohn with a coffee filter in the top to let it air for a couple of days.

Curiosity got the better of me and I had a couple of tastes (even though I still consider it to be a stripping run). The airing helped mellow it

Then I wondered about filtering it, so I filtered it. I AM TOO IMPATIENT!
Not bad taste, fairly "harsh tasting, but nothing nasty (I like the alcohol burn).

This is where it gets messy...

I took a couple of bottles of the spirit and added a whisky essence (that came with the still) to them.
I'm not impressed - after a week, it still smells like the neutral but tastes whiskyish.

Now, here's the question... After my impatience got the better of me, I have now calmed down and want to redistill and do things properly. Is it too late to save the bottle with the essence added, should I just leave them to drink, or is it okay to add them to my next run of 40% and make cuts as you suggest?

My thinking is that some of the essence will carry over and maybe taint the 2nd distillation, but it may not be that bad.
rad14701
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Joined: Wed Dec 19, 2007 4:46 pm
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Re: Hello from a lurker here...

Post by rad14701 »

When experimenting with essences, don't try it with an entire run... Yeah, your runs are small as are mine... You can't add the time and body that time and aging on oak imparts... It just ain't gonna happen... There is no substitute...

Your spirits are drinkable right out of the still, not matter what type... With sugar washes, and even grain based washes, you will never get enough methanol in your spirits to be harmful, especially if you drink in moderation... Do what I do... Regardless of whether I'm doing a strip run or a spirit run I mix up a drink using whatever mixer I prefer on a given day, making sure I don't go overboard on my spirits to mixer, and drink just that one drink... Then don't drink anything else... If something dragged through then you'll feel it as the small buzz wears off... At least I do... If it's clean enough I don't even know when the buzz starts or ends... If I do then I know I either dragged some heads or tails into the mix... If that is the case then I schedule that lot to be re-distilled with another batch... If I want to make sure I don't have off taste of smell coming through I use water as the mixer... I don't turn this into rocket science because I do this to relax... If I want to be tensed up I'll just work 24/7...

Don't over-think things is what I'm trying to say... Over-thinking takes the fun out of things... Know your theory and let your senses be your guide... Good luck...
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