First spirit run

[bonanaking]

Completed my first spirit run yesterday. Had 4.5 gallons of sweet feed low wines that I diluted to 35%. Started coming off the still at 85%. I collected down to about 65% ended up with about 2.5 gallons of distillate. All in all I was pretty happy with the results. I pulled a pint in the middle of the hearts and did some "nuclear aging" turned out pretty good.

[Truckinbutch]

Good start . Hope you enjoyed it and learned from it .
Cutting off at 65% left a lot of usable alcohol and flavors in the still . I run down to +/- 20% . Once you take it out you can decide how to use it .
If you throw it away it is gone .

[bonanaking]

I do realize this. I need to add a sight glass to my boiler. I was getting concerned about uncovering the element.

[NZChris]

I do realize this. I need to add a sight glass to my boiler. I was getting concerned about uncovering the element.

Measure how much liquid is needed to safely cover the element, then you can calculate how much distillate you can take off before it runs dry.

[cuginosgrizzo]

bonanaking, your numbers ara wrong. 4,5 gallons at 35%ABV means a total of 1,57 gallons of pure alcohol. 2,5 gallons at, say, 65%ABV means 1,625 gallons of pure alcohol. So either you created some alcohol in between or something is not right.

[bonanaking]

You are right. I started with 4.5 gallons of low wines that I diluted ton35%. What I left out was that he diluted volume was 6.5 gallons

[cuginosgrizzo]

Ok, that sounds more like it. You stopped way too early on your spirit run, but you know it already. What I can tell you is that you stopped way too early also on your stripping runs. In fact your low wines were 50% ABV. I suggest that you continue stripping until your low wines are around 35% or lower, so you don't have to dilute them so much on the spirit run, and you don't lose that sf taste.

[bonanaking]

Looking back at my logs for stripping runs, distillate started at an average of 65% and I collected down to about 30-35%.

[cuginosgrizzo]

Looking back at my logs for stripping runs, distillate started at an average of 65% and I collected down to about 30-35%.

See? you stopped way early. You should stop stripping when the total distillate is 30-35% and not when you are collecting 30-35%, otherwhise you are leaving a lot of alcohol and good taste in the backset. Depending on the time of the day and if I am tired or not, I strip to around 10-15%. Some go further...