My new still

The long and storied history of distilled spirits.

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eStill
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My new still

Post by eStill »

...I wish. I thought this would be an appropriate place to share a pic I took yesterday at a Calvados distillery in Normandy, France. Calvados is an apple brandy for want of a better description. The local apples are fermented to a cider and distilled. The distillate then goes back into the cask for maturation and flavouring. It loses over half it's ABV to evapouration and is served (typically) at 40%
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der wo
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Re: My new still

Post by der wo »

Sure that they loose over half of the abv? So for example the barrel strength is 90% and after aging 40%?
No I am sure, you mean half of the volume. And this only for the most expensive calvados they sell.

But I see, you had a good time. Beautiful picture. :thumbup:
In this way, imperialism brings catastrophe as a mode of existence back from the periphery of capitalist development to its point of departure. - Rosa Luxemburg
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Danespirit
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Re: My new still

Post by Danespirit »

I'm sure you had a good time.. :thumbup:
Calvados is a speciality from the Normandy but is also distilled around other places in France.
The traditional Calvados is distilled like Cognac, one stripping run to collect "eau de vie" and a spirit run to make the cuts.
I've made some out of unfiltered apple juice...which was pretty good.
However, I can hardly wait for the end of the summer, when the apples around here are almost over-riped...bet they are even better than the juice.
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eStill
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Re: My new still

Post by eStill »

der wo wrote:Sure that they loose over half of the abv? So for example the barrel strength is 90% and after aging 40%?
I thought that was rather a lot! Apparently I mis-translated something along the way. The amount of ethanol lost depends largely on atmospheric conditions. Low humidity causes more water to be lost vs high humidity which causes more alcohol loss.

The cask strength is watered down with distilled water (again, this is manufacturer specific) for retail sale.
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