Hello from AL

[Sippsy]

Brand new to distilling and made my first batch of potato mash over the weekend. Basic recipe of potatoes, sugar, lemon juice, tomato paste and yeast(I used turbo yeast). Fermented about 2 weeks.
Got a 2.5gal copper pot still for Xmas. It worked flawlessly. I even set up a siphon from my hot tub to my condenser and back to the pool so no water waste, lol.
So I Seperated the run out into mini mason jars for taste comparison. First half tasted great, last half not so much. Ended up with about 750ml of decent vodka after running through a filter.(had a zero water filter that was about done and it did a great job of cleaning up the taste after one pass) Wasn't bad before filtering, but definitely better afterwards.

This was a "no cook" mash which was nice, but I really want to make some quality whiskey and it seems the only way to do that is to get to cooking!

Any suggestions on a good first time whiskey batch?

Looking forward to starting my distilling adventure!

[Bigbob]

Welcome Sippsy, it's sounds like you have the same still as I do(21/2 gal alembic). They do work but are small and hard to make cuts with. You didn't mention if you did a cleaning run and sacrificial run, Hope so. Make sure to read a little spoon feeding for new distillers in novice. It will help you with all the questions your gonna have. As to whiskey, I suggest you start with a suger head such as sweet feed or ujssm. You'll find the recipes in tried and true. Both are super simple and produce pretty good product! Enjoy the forums!

[Lazarus Long]

Everybody knows the Alabama folks make the best distillers! Welcome aboard. There are plenty of recipes in the Tried and True section that have passed the vetting process. Stay safe!

[FullySilenced]

Welcome! Enjoy your visit here with us... MAKE SURE YOU READ THE REQUIRED INFORMATION

Welcome to the forum... Please read the forum rules and regulations, safety tips and the new distillers section when you can... this may help you get a few questions answered early...

I also have links in my signature line...

Happy Stillin,

FS

Give this post a read will help you a lot...

http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtopi ... 15&t=52975

[Sippsy]

Thanks for the welcomes!
Yep, I did do a cleaning run and a sacrificial run. I was wondering how hard it'll be to start telling the parts of the run apart.
On my first run I prob sampled every 6oz. I could tell when it started to get sour, but thats about it. Once i get some more experience I might jump to a 5 gal still so the parts will become more distinct.

[Sippsy]

What is the ideal size pot still to begin to easily differentiate your cuts? I have a 2.5, if I jumped up to a five gallon, it'd be nice because I use 5 gal fermentation buckets. But would 5 gal be big enough to really start seeing distinct cuts?

[Bigbob]

5gal is usally the minimum recomended. Lots of people use kegs. I'm happy with my 21/2 gal, because I don't have room for anything bigger .

[HDNB]

15+ gallon and you can make your fractions in quart jars (even though i usually use 1/2 quart..whats that a pint? 500mL)

[Mud Mechanik]

+1 on the keg, and it sounds like you are on the right track neighbor....welcome aboard.