Peach Shine ...is it possible

Grain bills and instruction for all manner of alcoholic beverages.

Moderator: Site Moderator

User avatar
birdgunner
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 7:05 am

Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by birdgunner »

Over the years I have occasionally come across a jar of "peach shine" with the same story that somebody knows somebody who has been making this forever and the stuff is crystal clear, doesn't freeze (so around 40%), tons of peach flavor and dangerously smooth and good.
I know my way around a still and fermentation pretty well and even flavoring via a thumper and can't figure out how one can get so much pronounced peach flavor and aroma without the aide of essences, so my question is for those who are much better stiller than I, is it possible to make a knock your socks off peach shine without adding flavoring after the fact?
People always ask if I can make peach shine, I have tried several heavy peach mashes and even going through a thumper with fresh pressed peach juice and I can get a hint of peach and something very drinkable and if I add some sugar after the fact the same sweetness but no where near the peach flavor this mystery person is putting out...unless I cheat and use some essences after the fact but in my opinion that isn't a peach shine but rather a peach flavored liqueur.
Just curious if I am chasing a unicorn on this or if it is possible to make something like this with just a grain, sugar and fruit mash?
Thanks.
Samyguy
Bootlegger
Posts: 130
Joined: Tue Nov 28, 2017 5:40 pm

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by Samyguy »

Could it be dried peaches added to the shine after distillation?
Then removed.
User avatar
birdgunner
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 7:05 am

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by birdgunner »

I don't believe so because some of the color from the dried peaches would leach into the shine and this stuff is water clear.
I can make a good "peach shine" with lots of peach flavor via infusion but the color changes and obviously the fruit absorbs a good amount of the ethanol so that's what makes me think essences.
jb-texshine
Master of Distillation
Posts: 3036
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 12:03 am
Location: Texan living in Missouri

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by jb-texshine »

Try googling "lor ann peach candy oil"
Remember not to blow yourself up,you only get to forget once!


Deo Vendice

Never eat Mexican food north or east of Dallas tx!
Pikey
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2444
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2016 3:29 pm
Location: At the edge of the Wild Wood

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by Pikey »

I believe you are on the right track.

Having done my brains trying to make "peach wine" taste anything like the nectar I can buy from the "Offy" - I am convinced the flavour has to be added afterwards.
User avatar
still_stirrin
Master of Distillation
Posts: 10337
Joined: Tue Mar 18, 2014 7:01 am
Location: where the buffalo roam, and the deer & antelope play

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by still_stirrin »

...or, fill the thumper with fresh peach puree on the spirit run.
ss
My LM/VM & Potstill: My build thread
My Cadco hotplate modification thread: Hotplate Build
My stock pot gin still: stock pot potstill
My 5-grain Bourbon recipe: Special K
Pikey
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2444
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2016 3:29 pm
Location: At the edge of the Wild Wood

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by Pikey »

birdgunner wrote:
, I have tried ....................... and even going through a thumper with fresh pressed peach juice and I can get a hint of peach and something very drinkable and if I add some sugar after the fact the same sweetness but no where near the peach flavor this mystery person is putting out...unless I cheat and use some essences after the fact..................
zapata
Distiller
Posts: 1664
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 1:06 pm

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by zapata »

Juicy peach from the flavor apprentice is good.
I hear ya on wanting to make it the purist way, but dollars to donuts people with a single jar who know a guy who knows a guy with some colorful story and abilities unknown to this forum, it's just a shiner with some candy flavoring. Or even worse a pretender with store bought vodka.
(Saw that not long ago, girl shared a bottle of "Apple pie moonshine" a coworker had given her claiming to have made it. Nose got within 6 inches and it smelled unmistakably of Smirnoff! Sure it had some apples, spices and sugars, but that aint enough to cover up Smirnoffs hairspray smell. So yeah, I guess he "made" it, but why try to front and call it shine?)
User avatar
birdgunner
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 7:05 am

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by birdgunner »

zapata wrote:Juicy peach from the flavor apprentice is good.
I hear ya on wanting to make it the purist way, but dollars to donuts people with a single jar who know a guy who knows a guy with some colorful story and abilities unknown to this forum, it's just a shiner with some candy flavoring. Or even worse a pretender with store bought vodka.
(Saw that not long ago, girl shared a bottle of "Apple pie moonshine" a coworker had given her claiming to have made it. Nose got within 6 inches and it smelled unmistakably of Smirnoff! Sure it had some apples, spices and sugars, but that aint enough to cover up Smirnoffs hairspray smell. So yeah, I guess he "made" it, but why try to front and call it shine?)
Thank you Zapata for confirming my theory and end my pursuit of chasing rainbows and unicorns. When I first, first started out I used to use candy flavoring and essences, adding them to my sugar washes to make the stuff drinkable but fast forward to today and I look back with shame as I consider that cheating and trickery! :lolno:
goose eye
Master of Distillation
Posts: 2846
Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:19 am

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by goose eye »

Peach cider an work it off slow.

So I'm tole
jb-texshine
Master of Distillation
Posts: 3036
Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2015 12:03 am
Location: Texan living in Missouri

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by jb-texshine »

I been thinking...pain that it is. If I was going to try it, I would make an all peach wine and run it once then take the low wines and add a bunch of dried peaches and let it set a week or so then remove the dried peaches and squeeze them really good and charge the primary with the low wines and the thumper with jumex brand peach nectar and fresh pureed peaches. If that don't do it then what your looking for don't exist by Natural means.
There would literally be no other options to try.
Jb
Remember not to blow yourself up,you only get to forget once!


Deo Vendice

Never eat Mexican food north or east of Dallas tx!
User avatar
birdgunner
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 7:05 am

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by birdgunner »

jb-texshine wrote:I been thinking...pain that it is. If I was going to try it, I would make an all peach wine and run it once then take the low wines and add a bunch of dried peaches and let it set a week or so then remove the dried peaches and squeeze them really good and charge the primary with the low wines and the thumper with jumex brand peach nectar and fresh pureed peaches. If that don't do it then what your looking for don't exist by Natural means.
There would literally be no other options to try.
Jb
That is a whole lot of peaches.
I have run straight apple cider fermented with 1118 and fresh cider charged in the thumper and you can get some apple but nothing close to apple cider with a punch like this peach stuff I have had...so I am really thinking these individuals selling these jars for $40/qt are not doing it naturally, esp seeing how it is high proof.... but then again maybe I am wrong and someday I will learn a new magical trick!
zapata
Distiller
Posts: 1664
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 1:06 pm

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by zapata »

What about vapor infusion? Suspend peaches over the finished booze. I think the French do it for some liquors with citrus and cloves, some people here do it for lemoncello and some gin botanicals. I haven't done it so I don't know it would stay clear, but it's worth a shot.
User avatar
birdgunner
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 7:05 am

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by birdgunner »

zapata wrote:What about vapor infusion? Suspend peaches over the finished booze. I think the French do it for some liquors with citrus and cloves, some people here do it for lemoncello and some gin botanicals. I haven't done it so I don't know it would stay clear, but it's worth a shot.
Funny you should say this, just last night I was looking at getting a gin basket for my set up and 99% certain I am going to, will have to give it a try with some roasted peaches for giggles.
User avatar
raketemensch
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 2001
Joined: Sun Nov 09, 2014 2:10 pm
Location: Tralfamadore

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by raketemensch »

birdgunner wrote:
zapata wrote:What about vapor infusion? Suspend peaches over the finished booze. I think the French do it for some liquors with citrus and cloves, some people here do it for lemoncello and some gin botanicals. I haven't done it so I don't know it would stay clear, but it's worth a shot.
Funny you should say this, just last night I was looking at getting a gin basket for my set up and 99% certain I am going to, will have to give it a try with some roasted peaches for giggles.
Just to be clear, he wasn’t talking about vapor infusion at distilling time, he was talking about something like putting finished spirits in a large jar and suspending the fruit in cheesecloth over it, then sealing the jar.
zapata
Distiller
Posts: 1664
Joined: Fri Jul 07, 2017 1:06 pm

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by zapata »

Yeah, that's what I meant. "Vapor infusion" is a confusing term because that does usually mean the gin basket distillation thing. Anybody know if the cold sealed in a jar with no liquid contact thing has a name?

I looked at some more pictures and apparently it does color the liquid a bit with oranges, so presumably it would with peaches as well. Oh well
User avatar
LWTCS
Site Mod
Posts: 12837
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: North Palm Beach

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by LWTCS »

goose eye wrote:Peach cider an work it off slow.

So I'm tole
About how slow goose eye?

Pisco is done painfully slow single run and is pretty amazing. I personally have never been able to achieve a good clean mouth feel like that is found on a nice pisco. Must be so slow?
Trample the injured and hurdle the dead.
User avatar
LWTCS
Site Mod
Posts: 12837
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: North Palm Beach

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by LWTCS »

Malliard reaction a requisite?
Trample the injured and hurdle the dead.
MDH
Distiller
Posts: 1001
Joined: Tue Nov 29, 2011 4:33 pm
Location: Pacific Northwest

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by MDH »

The answer to this is to literally just ferment a mash of very ripe peaches.

It's vitally important to pick up and smell the peaches. They're best when in an almost overripe state, practically falling off the tree, and then stored for a day or two together in a box which will soften them even more. They will SMELL very strongly of peach. This is good distilling material. If you are just sourcing peaches from the store in bulk because they are trying to get rid of them, those peaches came all the way from somewhere else in the world, picked way too early because the acidity allows them to sit on a shelf for a long time. They are absolutely pointless to distill unless you just want bulk ethanol to make into something else (e.g. Gin).

If you are interesting in splurging on a bottle, I recommend sourcing a bottle of Kuchan Blood Peach Eau de Vie (google it), which is distilled from Blood Peaches grown in California. Or, better yet, source a bottle of Jean-Paul Metté Pêche.

The trick is that they use very ripe peaches from good peach varieties, then proceed to put the peach distillate into glass vessels and age them for years. What happens is that the harshest aspects (which are kind of like heads, they're the most volatile) will evaporate off over time and the better flavors will concentrate. The result is razor sharp peach flavor.
The still is not a liar. Mash and ferment quality is 99.9% of your performance.
goose eye
Master of Distillation
Posts: 2846
Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2006 3:19 am

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by goose eye »

Doc you mean you can't chuck 2 tins of peaches in a barel an don't get no carry over?

It don't make cents how folks will squeze a barrel of Apple to get that Apple but think peach ain't the same.

So I'm tole
User avatar
birdgunner
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 7:05 am

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by birdgunner »

MDH wrote:If you are interesting in splurging on a bottle, I recommend sourcing a bottle of Kuchan Blood Peach Eau de Vie (google it), which is distilled from Blood Peaches grown in California. Or, better yet, source a bottle of Jean-Paul Metté Pêche.
.
Thanks MDH, I will be on the look out for the Kuchan, I am intrigued!
So super ripe peach mash will result in a super "peachy" end product, just clarifying you have done this with great results? To gooseyes point, I have run fresh pressed cider fermented on 1118 and didn't get that overwhelming apple flavor, could you tell it was apple based, sure but it wasn't like biting into an apple unlike this fabbled peach shine I have had a time or two which when out of the freezer dang near tastes like you are drinking the syrup from a jar a grandmas canned peaches but with an extra bonus.
I am game for getting a score of fresh picked peaches this summer and doing it to it, just don't want to go through the time and expense to end up with a mild peach tasting shine is my fear.
For what its worth I run a Brewhaus 3" column that I pack with either copper pipe pieces or mesh when running as a pot.
User avatar
birdgunner
Novice
Posts: 10
Joined: Fri Sep 16, 2016 7:05 am

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by birdgunner »

raketemensch wrote:
Just to be clear, he wasn’t talking about vapor infusion at distilling time, he was talking about something like putting finished spirits in a large jar and suspending the fruit in cheesecloth over it, then sealing the jar.

I Appreciate the clarification, never tried this method but will definitely research it some more. Thanks!
chickenfeed
Site Donor
Site Donor
Posts: 93
Joined: Sun Jun 11, 2017 12:13 pm
Location: Florida

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by chickenfeed »

I do a peach shine made from peaches and sugar i use ec1118 and do a single run with a 4 plate 3 inch column dont reflux for too long after the foreshots are out much of the flavor is in the heads its all about using a good yeast for the fruit mash and a careful run
User avatar
Tater
Admin
Posts: 9678
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:19 am
Location: occupied south

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by Tater »

Removed some off topic posts in this thread.Ive made some peach .Always thought steam peach likker was best .As ya could leave peels in with ferment.And as goose says.Can also put then in sack and remove when cookin on direct heat.Peach juice and peels will help in thumper also.Lower proofs when tempering also help 80 proof has more water them 100 and flavor is in water.Peach for me is harder then apple to keep cent and it can be found in heads and tails on some ferments. Good yeast help in my opinion also.ec118- d47 are 2 I like .Wild yeast also if ya catch a good strain.If ya aint got 6 or more bushels ya aint got enough to fool with in peaches for pure brandy.As for way it taste .How can it taste like fresh peaches if all sugar that made peaches sweet are used up in ferment?A hint of peach flavor in taste . A smell of peaches when ya smell it what your gonna get in pure brandy .That will improve some with age.In last 40 years that Ive made or tasted peach likker . any that tasted like raw sweet peaches was flavored.The best was peach brandy aged on whole charred peaches (Easy way 1 med peach per qt charred with trying to keep intact as possible placed in clean sock for easy removal.aged to what ever tastes good to you.Peachs can be ate or sugared to make syrup if ya want brandy sweetened can get good results soaking uncharred and doing same as well )
I use a pot still.Sometimes with a thumper
User avatar
LWTCS
Site Mod
Posts: 12837
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: North Palm Beach

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by LWTCS »

Was wondering when you would chime on this Tater.
Trample the injured and hurdle the dead.
The Baker
Master of Distillation
Posts: 4659
Joined: Sun Aug 27, 2006 4:48 am
Location: Northern Victoria, Australia

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by The Baker »

Thanks, Tater.

Just wondering....I have some apple distillate that needs another look, some is feints, whatever....

There is not that much apple flavour in any of it. How about ageing it on apples; and would there be any benefit to charring the apples??

Thanks again, Tater and all.

Geoff
The Baker
User avatar
Tater
Admin
Posts: 9678
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:19 am
Location: occupied south

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by Tater »

Couldnt say about apples Ive made it but dont care for it like I do peaches.Charred peach was grandpas recipe to his taste.Main thing I can say about apples is Ive had better luck in taste when using 2 or more variety's as is done with good cider.Where with peaches ripe seemed to be main thing .Also remember some oldt timers seemed to ferment out apples over longer colder temps in fall sometimes over winter.However this is a peach topic lets keep it on them.
I use a pot still.Sometimes with a thumper
User avatar
LWTCS
Site Mod
Posts: 12837
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: North Palm Beach

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by LWTCS »

Pretty sure you've mentioned a time or two Tater, but about how many pounds of peaches for a full (10 or 12 gallon) kettle charge?
Single run/low and slow?
Trample the injured and hurdle the dead.
User avatar
Tater
Admin
Posts: 9678
Joined: Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:19 am
Location: occupied south

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by Tater »

Takes 6 or 7 bushel to do 55 barrel 300lb+ or so.So count back from that.On pure would count on proof of ferment on how it was run . With sugar usually single run with thumper
I use a pot still.Sometimes with a thumper
1under
Novice
Posts: 3
Joined: Sat Aug 06, 2011 7:02 pm

Re: Peach Shine ...is it possible

Post by 1under »

Older thread, I know, but relevant. I was in Georgia last year and a friend of a friend brought his families peach shine, that he claims he made. Crystal clear in a mason jar, went down like peach candy, it was the best booze I had ever drank. And I drink EVERYTHING!!! He promised to make it for me and has not responded to my friend's inquiry. He said it was his grandmother's recipe that was given to him when she died. Well, wifey got me a copper pot still for Christmas and come hell or high water, I will make something. Didn't know this was a thing!
Post Reply