My new alembic

[japsinok]

Ran cleaning (vinegar) and sacrificial (random feints and failures in jars) runs on my new 10 gal alembic. I've been using a 5 gal alembic for 3 years and decided to go a little larger. I really like the drops these stills make and I'm not a big fan of neutrals, so I am satisfied with an alembic pot still. And of course there are the aesthetics. These things are functional works of art!!! Bought it directly from Portugal, but it does not seem to be of the same quality as my smaller 5 gal alembic (thinner gauge and undersized condenser coil). But it's still a fine bit of copper craftsmanship. Had to run a bit more cooling water than I would prefer, and added 42" of coil to the end (passive air cool) and that really knocked down all the vapors at near full power. It's gonna be nice being able to run 8 gals at once rather than 4 gals twice!! And I can still use the 5 gal for smaller spirit runs.

japs

[NZChris]

You're going to love using that.

[res]

I started out with a tiny 5 litre alembic, probably from the same people in Portugal, was and is a great still
I really should find something small to run for old times sake.

[Still Life]

that's a beautiful work of copper.

[japsinok]

Thanks ya'll.

I've got 10 gals of Carolina Bourbon bubbling away so should make the first stripping run on it later this week or weekend. I'm sure looking forward to it.

[japsinok]

Squeezed 8 gals this evening from the 10 gal ferment of bourbon mash that finished out at 0.999 (according to the refractometer and calculator). I use 9 gal water in the mash recipe so actual recovery is 8/9. Charged the new 10 gal alembic and took her for a drive this evening. Even though it's just a larger version of the 20 liter one I already have, it has it's own character that i'll have to get used to. Heat up was right at 40 mins to the first drops. I turned down the power and started collecting fores, but it still puked which was no biggie. Turned the power down a little more and collected 300mls of foreshots (and a little puke) that I discarded, then collected 2 gals of low wines down to about 15%. It's supposed to be a 40L/10gal boiler but I think it might be a bit smaller. I'll have to measure. Nevertheless, with an 8 gal charge i had to go slower on the 1st gallon than I would have liked to keep it from puking, but once that 1st gal was collected, the extra head space in that spherical boiler meant I could turn up the power a little more so the 2nd gal of low wines stripped a bit faster.

I had worried that the condenser coil was too short. But with the added length of copper, and water flow to the flake stand, it knocked down all the vapors such that puking is the greater concern now. I can run the burner wide open until close to boiling so heatup is still quick, but still have to turn it down more than I thought for collecting/stripping. Will have to play around with the maximum charge size and burner power to determine the optimum stripping conditions.

Overall, it's certainly a time saver over two separate stripping runs. I am uncertain about what to expect in terms of differences in spirit runs between stills. Since I have been collecting my Carolina Bourbon spirit runs with the 5gal alembic, I will likely finish out the spirit runs for this project with the 5 to maintain consistency.

Any thoughts on what differences I can expect in terms of spirit runs and making cuts between very similar 5 gal and 10 gal alembics?

[japsinok]

I am (was) not happy with the length of the coil in the flake stand on the new 10 gal alembic, so this past weekend, for about $20 USD, I put a liebig condenser together. And the only question I have is ...why didn't I do that sooner for my other still!! This thing is amazing!! It's 34.5 in (875mm) between the inlet and outlet. 1/2" copper inside 3/4" jacket, with 12ga wire coiled and brazed on the outside of the 1/2" inner copper in an anti-clockwise direction. I took a piece of copper flashing I had lying around, cut it into strips just under 1/2" wide, soldered them together to make a single 36" length, gave it a clockwise twist, and inserted inside the 1/2" inner pipe so that coolant flows anticlockwise, while vapor coils clockwise inside the condenser. Finally, I put a valve at the inlet to control flow rate. All I can say is WOW!! Did a 1 hr vinegar cleaning run this evening and it could take all that I could throw at it and the condensate came out cool with a coolant flow rate of ~1000ml/min. I need a better flow valve so that I will have greater control of coolant flow rate. Based on how cool the condensate was, I know I can turn the flow down more than what I can control easily with the 1/4 turn hose valve I have on it now.

Long story short, the flake stands have most likely been retired. I can easily adjust the height. Also got a 1/2"-3/8" reducer so that I can use the same liebig with either the 5 or 10 gallon boiler. Might make another one shorter (24" cooling length) just for fun, though I like the longer length that allows me to move the output further from the fire.

It's mounted at 45 degrees and I do not see how there is any chance for pooling. The inner twist is not a tight fit so condensate should still flow downward. But if necessary, I can reconfigure to vertical by swinging the lyne arm forward over the work stand, and removing the 45 degree angle.

One question: While the solder on the inner twisted flashing is lead-free, does it present any problems being in contact with the distillate. I just used what I had, but can always try to locate a single long piece of flashing and make the inner coil from a single length if needed. Any thoughts or opinions on that?

[NZChris]

If I deep into rum tails my condensers get very stinky and I like to be able to remove anything lining them for cleaning, so I don't solder.

[japsinok]

I didn't solder the coiled flashing as a permanent mount, but rather to join a bunch of short pieces to make a single long one. I can easily pull it out for cleaning. Just wondering if the contact with the solder joints affects the distillate.

[NZChris]

I'm sure that'll be fine.

[japsinok]

Thanks!! I still need to run a sacrificial, and then later this week should be able to run the first strip. But it's the spirit run I'm really looking forward to, to see if there are cleaner cuts across the fractions compared to the worm coil/flake stand I'm used to using.

[WillytheScotchman]

I am in the market for a 10 gallon Alembic. They are the best!!! Right now I am running a Popcorn Sutton style pot still that I made myself. I love it, but alembic stills are the way to go. Eventually I'm going to make my own alembic, but in the meantime I need to just buy a good one.

[japsinok]

I am in the market for a 10 gallon Alembic. They are the best!!! Right now I am running a Popcorn Sutton style pot still that I made myself. I love it, but alembic stills are the way to go. Eventually I'm going to make my own alembic, but in the meantime I need to just buy a good one.

Willy,
I'm impressed that you would tackle hammering an alembic!! That's a skill I don't have.

I really like my 5 gal. alembic, but wish I had purchased the 10 gal from the same vendor. The 5 gal came from a reseller here in the US, but I purchased the 10 gal direct from a manufacturer in Portugal. It was a lot cheaper, even with international shipping (~$200 cheaper), but the quality of the 5 is much better. The copper is a heavier gauge, and the length of the coil in the flake stand is sufficient to knock down the vapors on the 5, but too short on the 10 (the coil is only 2 complete turns, and probably less than 3 ft in length). The 5 is clearly of better quality

That's why I made the liebig condensor, which does such a good job that it will see a lot more use than either of the worms I have. They look nice but I am sold on the liebig now.

Let me know if you want any details. I can pm you.

[WillytheScotchman]

Japsinok,
I am sure I am not yet skilled enough to make a proper alembic. It will take some time for sure. I will make one though. It is on my list of things to do this year. I love working with copper and making stills is so much fun! Thanks for the info, and I will prolly be asking you some questions.