Neutral with a flute?

[Big Stogie]

I have a 5 plate 4” column, I want to make a neutral to try my hand at Gin with my carter head. I know this is not the ideal tool for the job so I have some options. I have 36” of 4” I can out on top filled with scrubbies or something else. I dint really want to build another column if I can avoid that. So anyone have some input or suggestions?
Thank,
B.S.

[LWTCS]

For some perspective: On the pro / legal side,you'd be looking at a strip and 18 to 20 plates + ( actual or theoretical) for a vodka snob's vodka that people will pay money for.

[HDNB]

alternately, you could scrub it with water by diluting and running multiple time until clean. but that seems a bit of lunacy.

[Swedish Pride]

Carbon?

[OtisT]

Hi Big Stogie. I don’t run plates, but I do run packed columns when making a neutral. I’ve been successful making what I consider a clean neutral with a strip followed by a spirit run in a packed column with only 3’ of packing in my 3” column. I have to watch the speed/power to ensure there is not too much turbulence so I’m getting good separation. If I had 5 plates to run under my packed section when I’m making a neutral I would do it.

I think the real key to a good neutral is a good clean ferment with little flavor. I personally have had good luck making a clean happy ferment following the recipe for Shady’s Sugar Shine.

Otis

[NZChris]

Do a ferment large enough to pot strip into a full boiler charge for the flute. Take foreshots and don't be greedy near the end, not stripping until the low wines receiver is below 40%. Use something fairly neutral, like Rad's All Bran, Wineos, etc.. The trick is to choose something that doesn't clash with the gin, even complementing it, so that you don't need to distill it to extremely neutral.

I've just done a seven strip batch using wheat bran that has turned out good for gin. I'm using it's double pot distilled narrow heart cut for some gins and have refluxed the feints and what wouldn't fit in the boiler for the pot still spirit run for others. I won't have to make neutral again for at least a couple of years, meanwhile, I can make small batch gin any time I want.

[Yummyrum]

I saw you have available a 36” section .
I went down your road and tried a 1m packed section above my 4x 4” plates but I was not impressed on a one and done .
So I just stripped and used the packed section on its own with much better results .
My limiting factor was my deflag was undersized to handle the power that the packed column really wanted to take full advantage of its size . It could barely cope with 3kw and the 4” packed section could take 6-8kw ( gas equivalent as I don’t have that much electric power) . I was only able to take off just under 2lph .
So I added a bigger reflux condenser to handle the extra power and can now pull 95% at close to 4lph. I am now limited by the cooling capacity of my 2000liter water tank which gets really hot after a run .
That become another issue as CM operation was a nightmare with the changing temp and I modified to VM and now its a perfect tool .

[Big Stogie]

I have 50 lbs of rice I was going to mash maybe add some sugar depending how it converts. I want to not get too crazy and keep the yeast happy. Think I’ll just finish the extra 4” packed column to go on top and see how it goes. If it will pull 92% or better I’ll call it good.

[StillerBoy]

You will need to add some sugar to the rice to get a decent SG at start .. mash the rice then add extra water and sugar on your first batch so as to get an idea of what amount sugar required to get an SG of .065/.070.. my batches with rice are 50/50, or 3K rice and 3K sugar in 6.5 gal batch.. makes nice spirit with 2 runs and 94/95% abv.. the rice (calrose) can be done both ways, cracked or whole, and mash at 180 for an hour, and when it thicken, add some amylase enzymes.. It's also done with the added ingredients, epsom, DAP, fermaid, citric etc, the same as a regular sugar wash, and watch the PH within the first 6 and 10 hrs mark..

Mars