First time making gin, few question

[Granham]

Hey everyone, I have access to a pot still and 56% alcohol base spirit. Since I've never made gin before I have a few questions before I try to make my first batch.
The botanicals I'm planning to use for 5l of base spirit:
50g juniper
50g coriander
25g lemongrass
25g rose blossoms
25g green tea
10g cassia bark
1g orange peel
1g lemon peel
The first question I have is how much should I dillute the base spirit? I'm assuming this is done right before distillation and that I should macerate in just the base spirit for 24 hours. I think I can suspend the bag in the liquid during distillation, the still does have an onion head so vapor infusion might be an option but I'd rather do it with maceration with my first try. In case I can't for some reason suspend the bag, how long should I macerate for? I was also thinking about keeping the green tea in a separate bag so I can remove it during the distillation since it might come off as too bitter if kept. The still has an 80 liter capacity, would it be fine to dillute the base spirit 50/50 so I end up with a 28% alcohol mixture or should I go for 18.6% with a 2:1 water to spirit ratio. Also since I'm using a spirit that is already pure and distilled, should I throw any of the run away or is it fine to keep it all? (aka is there going to be methanol). Looking forward to hearing from people who have done all of this in practice

[StillerBoy]

Want to learn, best to start here..

https://homedistiller.org/forum/viewtop ... 14&t=48594

Mars

[Bushman]

I would macerate at 45%, your coriander should be 1/2 the amount of the juniper berries.
Below are a few proportion recommendations that I use.

Recommended proportions
x = Juniper berry
x/2 = coriander
x/10 = angelica cassia, cinnamon, licorice, bitter almond, grains of paradise
x/100 = bitter & sweet orange peel, lemon peel, ginger orris root, cardamon, nutmeg, savory, chamomile

[Saltbush Bill]

Your quantities all seem wrong......how did you come up with that recipe?

[still_stirrin]

Your quantities all seem wrong......how did you come up with that recipe?

Granham,

Hmmmm...maybe it was, “flunkin’ Duncan”....George, that is! Gotta’ stick with Zymurgy Bob’s formula to start, just like Odin’s.
ss

[Granham]

I was under the impression juniper can be in the exact amount as coriander if you aren't trying to make a london dry style gin.
https://distillique.co.za/Shop/blog/gin ... illers-n79
This is where I found different ratios and I'l be honest that I want the juniper to be detectable but not in any way prominent, the flavor I want to shine the most is the green tea. With these ratios it should be 37.4g/liter. The link I used says if you're trying to go contemporary you can use juniper and coriander in equal amounts, but for london dry it's 1/2, and Odin's seem to be a quarter. What other ratios would you change if I halved the coriander amount?
If I dillute to 45%, should I also dillute it to 30% before the distillation itself? What amount of the 9.3 liters @ 30% should I expect to collect after distillation?

[StillerBoy]

Asking a hundred question, will not provide an answer to what you are wanting to have..

Experimenting with different batches, and keeping a log of the recipe, process, and method, will provide the answer..

Mars

[still_stirrin]

I was under the impression juniper can be in the exact amount as coriander if you aren't trying to make a london dry style gin.
https://distillique.co.za/Shop/blog/gin ... illers-n79
This is where I found different ratios and I'l be honest that I want the juniper to be detectable but not in any way prominent, the flavor I want to shine the most is the green tea. With these ratios it should be 37.4g/liter. The link I used says if you're trying to go contemporary you can use juniper and coriander in equal amounts, but for london dry it's 1/2, and Odin's seem to be a quarter. What other ratios would you change if I halved the coriander amount?

You (might) find your answer here, since this is where you got your original guidance. https://distillique.co.za/Shop/distilli ... d-rum.html

If I dillute to 45%, should I also dillute it to 30% before the distillation itself? What amount of the 9.3 liters @ 30% should I expect to collect after distillation?

Have you even referred to Odin’s EZ Gin recipe, as recommended here?

Do it now...push “pause” on your Youtube videos and go read through the Tried & True recipe (and process).
ss

[MartinCash]

Also make sure your base spirit is up to the job. Many that are advertised as grain neutral spirit are anything but, and may need re-distilling and doing cuts.

[Granham]

Also make sure your base spirit is up to the job. Many that are advertised as grain neutral spirit are anything but, and may need re-distilling and doing cuts.

It's home made (Rakija) made out of grapes, the guy I'm sourcing it from has been making it for 30+ years so I think it will do. My part of the job was deciding on the botanicals, with that being said I think I will change the ratio as recommended, except keeping the juniper 1:1 with the coriander.
So the first run will be:
50g juniper
50g coriander
10g lemongrass
10g rose blossoms
10g green tea
10g cassia bark
1g orange peel
1g lemon peel
Will post results in about 3-4 weeks.

[Saltbush Bill]

All gin recipes that I have seen or used use 1/2 the amount of coriander to Juniper.
My gut feeling changing that to a 1 to 1 ratio is that the coriander will dominate over all else.
Nothing wrong with experimenting to find out what suits your tastes.
Please report back with your findings.

[Granham]

Ended up doing it like this
60g juniper
30g coriander
12g lemongrass
10g rose blossoms
10g cassia bark
1g orange peel
1g lemon peel
1g cardamom
Macerated for 36h in 56% base spirit along with the 10g of green tea.
Distilled the spirit today along with the herb bag, but removed the tea to avoid bitterness.
Threw away 50ml, collected 3.5l @ 67%
Dilluted to 45%.
Tasting notes:
Martini was very smooth, did wish I ended up using more juiper though.
Drinking it straight, the smell of the base spirit is still quite strong. The taste however is like mild gin. I can taste the botanicals, and the green tea has the same burn as in Roku. I still hope it will develop more after 4-5 weeks.
In your experience guys, how much does the flavor change after the 4 weeks in a demijohn? Can I expect the smell to subside a bit as well or am I gonna have to deal with that?

Edit: The liquid is perfectly clear, the bottle is making it look fuzzy. I filtered it into a pot and back into the bottle and it's 100% transparent in the pot.

[howie]

probably would be an interesting gin using Rakija (fruit brandy?) instead of neutral.
what ABV did you dilute it down to for distilling?
apparently going to 30% and below may not extract all the taste/oils from some botanicals in a boiler.
how many litres did you put into the boiler?

[Granham]

probably would be an interesting gin using Rakija (fruit brandy?) instead of neutral.
what ABV did you dilute it down to for distilling?
apparently going to 30% and below may not extract all the taste/oils from some botanicals in a boiler.
how many litres did you put into the boiler?

Yes, I used grape-based Rakija which is pretty close to neutral except for the strong smell. Macerated in 5l of 56%, dilluted it to 9l for distilling (in the boiler) so probably around 30%. The gin itself tastes good, but the nose is really confusing because the smell completely stuck. So I have a gin that smells like Rakija but tastes like it should. I haven't tried it with tonic yet but I will in about 4 weeks when my exams are done and the flavors settle a bit better in the demijohn.

[howie]

well if you like it after 4/5 weeks, make some more
if you don't, try and get some neutral off your mate and follow odins easy gin ingredients and method.
good luck with your exams.

[MartinCash]

With gins I've made, the juniper intensifies over the five week rest. Or perhaps other botanicals, particularly the citrus, mellow out, allowing the juniper to come forward.