the best brandy with CM still

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spiritdistiller123
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the best brandy with CM still

Post by spiritdistiller123 »

hi there,

I have a Cool Management(CM) reflux still.
I want to know what should I do in order to have a more pure brandy with a pleasant aroma and flavor?
and what is the best alcohol percentage for the brandy to be collected while distilling with a reflux still?

thank you
The Baker
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by The Baker »

I made nice brandy from old wine.
Twice through the pot still.

Geoff
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spiritdistiller123
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by spiritdistiller123 »

The Baker wrote: Tue Mar 09, 2021 6:40 pm I made nice brandy from old wine.
Twice through the pot still.

Geoff
Thank you for your answer

Actually I care about my health and I want to produce purer spirit.
Is it possible to achieve this goal through pot distillation?
I chose reflux still because I can get vodka with lowest impurities.
for brandies it is important to keep the flavor and aroma! but I don't know how to maintain the aroma with lowest impurity simultaneously!
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by greggn »

spiritdistiller123 wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 4:58 am Actually I care about my health and I want to produce purer spirit.

That pretty much describes everyone here.
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MartinCash
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by MartinCash »

Impurities are what gives it the aroma, so it will be a balancing act. The more reflux you use and the longer the packed section, the higher the purity and the lower the flavour.
4'' SS modular CCVM on gas-fired 50L keg.
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by The Baker »

There is a difference between 'purity' and harmfulness.
So long as any impurities are not harmful, purity is irrelevant.

Geoff
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by CopperFiend »

spiritdistiller123 wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 4:58 am
The Baker wrote: Tue Mar 09, 2021 6:40 pm I made nice brandy from old wine.
Twice through the pot still.

Geoff
Thank you for your answer

Actually I care about my health and I want to produce purer spirit.
Is it possible to achieve this goal through pot distillation?
I chose reflux still because I can get vodka with lowest impurities.
for brandies it is important to keep the flavor and aroma! but I don't know how to maintain the aroma with lowest impurity simultaneously!
I think you are missing some of the basic elements of what we do. Pure ethanol is lethal. Purer does not mean healthier at all.
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by cranky »

I have never run brandy through my CM but I have run it through a Boka, flute and of course pot still. Flavor comes from impurities.

My Boka would concentrate the apple bomb at 90+% to a single small jar but would be difficult to blend. The flute also concentrated flavor to a point of being difficult to add back at around 75-80%. I've never been totally happy with brandy run through the flute (which is technically a CM). Of course these are just concentrated impurities to get the flavor but you lose a lot of what brandy is. The best results I get are by doing a double run in a pot still and paying little attention to the ABV.
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by MartinCash »

Also bear in mind that we cannot close to matching the quality control labs of major beverage manufacturers. We might (and probably do) have carcinogenic congeners like ethyl carbamate in our carcinogenic home-made ethanol beverage and we don't know the quantity.
4'' SS modular CCVM on gas-fired 50L keg.
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by v-child »

MartinCash wrote: Sat Mar 13, 2021 1:21 pm Also bear in mind that we cannot close to matching the quality control labs of major beverage manufacturers. We might (and probably do) have carcinogenic congeners like ethyl carbamate in our carcinogenic home-made ethanol beverage and we don't know the quantity.
You may want to choose another hobby.
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by tiramisu »

The taunting is relentless.
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by Demy »

They are not entirely agree with what I read, perhaps because I do small lots .... but I have a better product with a reflux system. I do not use cc but ccvm, I can only advise you small reflux and small packaging .. you will get a pure product with a more delicate aroma than a pot still (double distillation) .very depends on personal tastes.
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by spiritdistiller123 »

cranky wrote: Fri Mar 12, 2021 2:56 pm I have never run brandy through my CM but I have run it through a Boka, flute and of course pot still. Flavor comes from impurities.

My Boka would concentrate the apple bomb at 90+% to a single small jar but would be difficult to blend. The flute also concentrated flavor to a point of being difficult to add back at around 75-80%. I've never been totally happy with brandy run through the flute (which is technically a CM). Of course these are just concentrated impurities to get the flavor but you lose a lot of what brandy is. The best results I get are by doing a double run in a pot still and paying little attention to the ABV.
interesting
I want to try something with my CM and want to know your opinion.
I want to distill my apple brandy as follow:
pack the column with SPP, turn on reflux condenser and cut the foreshot.
then turn off reflux condenser and collect the head and heart parts.
what is your opinion? do you think that I can have a good quality brandy through this procedure or not?

thank you
spiritdistiller123
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by spiritdistiller123 »

Demy wrote: Sat Mar 13, 2021 2:55 pm They are not entirely agree with what I read, perhaps because I do small lots .... but I have a better product with a reflux system. I do not use cc but ccvm, I can only advise you small reflux and small packaging .. you will get a pure product with a more delicate aroma than a pot still (double distillation) .very depends on personal tastes.
what do you mean by small reflux? please explain
you mean you set the reflux at a higher degree for example 82 degrees Celsius??
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by Tummydoc »

spiritdistiller123 wrote:
what do you mean by small reflux? please explain
you mean you set the reflux at a higher degree for example 82 degrees Celsius??
CCVM doesnt rely on temp control of the reflux condenser. He's referring to minimizing the reflux ratio. In CCVM it's raising the coil which would be opening the valve in VM
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by v-child »

tiramisu wrote: Sat Mar 13, 2021 2:07 pm The taunting is relentless.
Explain
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by cranky »

spiritdistiller123 wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 5:33 am
interesting
I want to try something with my CM and want to know your opinion.
I want to distill my apple brandy as follow:
pack the column with SPP, turn on reflux condenser and cut the foreshot.
then turn off reflux condenser and collect the head and heart parts.
what is your opinion? do you think that I can have a good quality brandy through this procedure or not?

thank you
I don't see why that wouldn't work although I'm not a big fan of having any packing with brandy but you would essentially be running your CM as a pot still except for the foreshots. I have run my flute in a similar way in the past but still prefer the results a plain old pot still produces. The best way to find out is give it a try and see how you like it.
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by MartinCash »

v-child wrote: Sat Mar 13, 2021 1:39 pm You may want to choose another hobby.
Why?
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by v-child »

"Also bear in mind that we cannot close to matching the quality control labs of major beverage manufacturers. We might (and probably do) have carcinogenic congeners like ethyl carbamate in our carcinogenic home-made ethanol beverage and we don't know the quantity."

Nothing personal, but most of us take a great deal of care when we distill and although we probably realize there are dangerous chemicals being produced, it's probably not enough to worry about and probably far less than anything a mass producer of ethanol would allow in their end product. In the world of dangerous chemicals and pollutants, our drinking water or driving a car is far more dangerous.
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MartinCash
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by MartinCash »

I agree, I still don't know what your comment was about. OP is worried about impurities in commercial liquors. My point was, in a sarcastic kind of way that perhaps was too subtle for some, that it seems pointless to be worried about impurities in commercial products (who have better analytical labs and quality control than we can ever hope to match) when creating a product that we love to drink and know to be carcinogenic.

So no, I don't feel the need to search for a new hobby, I will continue to knowingly imbibe this toxin and not worry about it.
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Re: the best brandy with CM still

Post by v-child »

I'll drink to that.
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