Odin's Easy Gin

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CoogeeBoy
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by CoogeeBoy »

zed255 wrote: Sun Jan 03, 2021 6:03 am You don't need a parrot for OEG. You are collecting a specific volume based on the volume you macerated in, not going by ABV at all. If you collect too long you will end up with orange flavoured likker that doesn't much resemble gin, just ask me how I know this. There will still be good alcohol in the boiler you may choose to collect separately, just be aware it will have significant orange flavour that might be hard to strip out.
Zed,
I switched to reflux mode once I thought I was into the tails on the pot still run (I know OEG is a volume based recipe but I still tasted and smelled what was coming out, call me greedy, I wanted more!)
I threw what I thought were tails plus feints from another run into the boiler and refluxed it. I got a sensational result, a really clean finished gin plus I captured what other alcohol was left in the wash.
Taking a break while I get a new still completed....
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by zed255 »

Sounds like a good result CoogeeBoy. I was just trying to remind sampvt that Odin specified this as a volume based collection when he mentioned a parrot.

Nice to know you can get a nice light gin product via reflux and feints.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by sampvt »

zed255 wrote: Sun Jan 03, 2021 3:02 pm Sounds like a good result CoogeeBoy. I was just trying to remind sampvt that Odin specified this as a volume based collection when he mentioned a parrot.

Nice to know you can get a nice light gin product via reflux and feints.
Ive got 8 litres of saved feints so ill flip the lids after ive collected enough essence and reflux the remainder for more cuts. Thanks guys, great advice.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by CoogeeBoy »

sampvt wrote: Sun Jan 03, 2021 5:23 pm
zed255 wrote: Sun Jan 03, 2021 3:02 pm Sounds like a good result CoogeeBoy. I was just trying to remind sampvt that Odin specified this as a volume based collection when he mentioned a parrot.

Nice to know you can get a nice light gin product via reflux and feints.
Ive got 8 litres of saved feints so ill flip the lids after ive collected enough essence and reflux the remainder for more cuts. Thanks guys, great advice.
Watch your ABV but putting the feints into hot wash / hot still really speeds the process up.
Taking a break while I get a new still completed....
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by tox »

Odin,

This is great!! thank you and to all the guys adding things and telling of their doings. It is encouraging for a novice to just have a crack knowing that even some real solid distillers are just having a crack also.

Regards,

†ox
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Andrew_90 »

So I made Odin's Gin.

My departure was that I could get not Tangerines as they are out of season so I improvised and used Lemon Rind on the basis that a slice or two of Lemon in G&T is a rare thing of beauty while Gin and Dry Lemon is also special.

So mine was,

4 liters 43% of my best Neutral (not that amazing as it comes from a pot still run)
48g Juniper Berries
12g Coriander Seeds
75g Lemon Peel

This was set aside for 10 days with frequent agitations to keep the aromatics moving. On day 11 I removed all the aromatics. A couple of day later I thought I would try some of the Gin before the final distil. It is a deep tannin brown and does not look appetising, almost Rum like in appearance.

Took a 375ml glass, half filled it with ice, poured in 50ml of Odin's L'Gin (Lemon Gin) and topped it up with Tonic. WOW,WOW it is delicious, while being lemon forward I really like this characteristic. So to best describe the taste ... it tastes like Gin with Dry Lemon but without the sickly sweetness of the Dry Lemon, but also not far of of G&T. This is a real keeper, I am sure after the second spirit run it will be even better.

Thanks Odin, owe you one.
Last edited by Andrew_90 on Thu Jan 14, 2021 9:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

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Did you remove the pith from the lemon peel?
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Andrew_90 »

Yes, was extremely careful to do so, only pure rind / peel.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by CoogeeBoy »

Andrew_90 wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 5:16 am So I made Odin's Gin.

So mine was,

4 liters 43% of my best Neutral (not that amazing as it comes from a pot still run)
........
You know I always wondered about this, if the neutral referred to had to be refluxed or multiple pot still runs.

Then I thought about a vapour infused method where the botanicals are in the vapour stream of a pot still run of a wash.

So, my thinking is, a "neutral" from a pot still run really is more like feints or low wines, but if they are used in a vapour infused gin distillation, what's the difference?

Not so sure about macerating in low wines though but would love to hear what anyone else thinks. It sounds like yours worked just fine.
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NZChris
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by NZChris »

CoogeeBoy wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 2:19 pm So, my thinking is, a "neutral" from a pot still run really is more like feints or low wines...
Only if you've made a bad job of the ferment and the stripping runs and then stuffed up the heart cut.

As for macerating in low wines, or running low wines through a basket of botanicals, I doubt you'll find a single experienced gin maker on this forum recommending that, because they all know that you don't want to have to choose a heads cut when there is a heap of desirable flavors coming out of the spout.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by SGB »

I would like to try to make this but before I do..
Should I make a dedicated condenser for running only Gin.. If I run this trough my current setup using my small pot will the flavors influence other spirits I distill?

Both my 5gallon pot and 1gallon pot can connect to the same condensing worm. All I've ever run through it has been rice alcohol (baiju) , ujssm and the Napa cabbage neutral. I have never ventured into doing botanical spirits before
Is a simple flushing with water good enough or should I just go ahead and build a dedicated set up for running botanical spirits?
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NZChris
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by NZChris »

The worst thing you can do is try to run gin with a condenser lined with fusels. I give it a soak in foreshots, then pull a foreshot soaked rag through it. I soon got over doing that and built a thin walled SS Liebig for gin only.
Last edited by NZChris on Fri Jan 15, 2021 12:07 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by SGB »

Thank you! I'm glad I asked before I ran it!
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Archee72 »

Last night I tasted my current batch with the changes of lemon, rosemary, thyme. Macerated for over 4 weeks due to no distilling in Xmas period.
Tastes real good 😊
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Rrmuf »

Hi,

As if this T&T process needs any additional testimonial, but is it ever nice!!!! It is my fourth attempt at it, increasing the volume, correcting my execution and editing botanicals along the way and it feels like it is nailed! A few of us tasted it last night ... only a couple days after settling and we were all blown away! We're consuming it now, but I can't wait to see how it is going to be in a few weeks.

I did the Gin run on:
- a boiler load of 13l of neutrals
- Selected from a spirit run of a 22l load from a set of TedFFV washes.
- Botanicals macerated for 2.5 days (just because that is what was convenient) included:
- 230g of cracked juniper berries (locally picked :thumbup: )
- 80g of cracked coriander seed
- 20g of Angelica root
- 20g of Grain of Paradise
- 10g of Licorice Root (powdered)
- 10g of orange peel (fresh, washed, no white pith) --- I actually cut this down from my last batch.
- 2g of cardamom seed (slightly pulverized)
- 2g of lavender flowers
- 2g of orris root
That amounted to ~30g / litre so within the guidelines suggested I think.

After initial (2.5day) maceration, I poured the load through a muslin bag into my boiler. Lots of the finer stuff made it through but the berries and alot of the seeds was held in the bag and I hung it in the liquid keeping away from the internal element (1700w) ...it more or less succeeded but this seemed the sketchiest part of my process. I wish I could just dump the botanicals in without a bag. NB. I did not pick out the orange peel.

Ran nice and slow in pot still mode, my still had just 25cm of column. Followed Odin's method to a tee!
- Threw out the first 20ml and Collected the next 7l or so in jars: I was skeptical of the 40% cut prescribed by Odin (Wrong! I ended up keeping and blending exactly 40%!!!!!)
- That gave me 5.2 l @81% ABV. I let it breath a bit, but kept lids on it over night.
- Next day, I diluted with distilled water. @55% ABV it was very clear.
- I split that into 4 jugs (1 jug of 1.5l 'reserve' kept at 55% for another experiment, and 3 equal vol. jugs further diluted to 45%ABV). Those were quite cloudy!
Of the three:
- I left one jug as is. (I called this one RAW)
- 1 jug was blended with 45% neutral until it cleared. (It took aprox. 500ml I think) (aka. DRY)
- 1 jug was blended with half that neutral. (aka. UNFILTERED)

We sampled from all three last night. Very nice. As you would expect, The lavender and cardamom really come through in the RAW, much less so in the DRY, but the Juniper is pretty pervasive through all three.

Surprises:
- I was surprised at how pungent the jars were immediately after distillation. It was changing over time, and the next morning I decided to blend the 40% cut, not knowing whether I would drink or re-distill. Did it ever change again once diluted and allowed to rest another day.
- Afterwards, I was further surprised at the next jars after the 40% cut. There was a spicey element to them that I wondered as to whether to include..... Next time.

We all loved this gin! And one comment was that it is very well balanced. The flavours are not fighting each other at all. So, I have the equivalent of 12 bottles and I will not refrain from drinking along the way, but I will have plenty left in a month to see how that progresses.

Anyhow, kudos and thanks to Odin for this recipe and method.... It is really nice. I think I might look alter my maceration technique to avoid a muslin bag and just a few tweaks to the botanicals (of course! :idea: ) But I would not hesitate to just repeat this run as is!
Gin Batch 6 Yield.jpg
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MartinCash
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by MartinCash »

Looks like an awesome recipe, but it bears no resemblance to Odin's Easy Gin whatsoever, other than the 40% keep, so it would probably have been better in a separate thread.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by CoogeeBoy »

Rrmuf wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 7:00 am What Martin said but hey, you started with OEG so kudos.


On you comment "I wish I could just dump the botanicals in without a bag...." seen a bit of a thread where one of those fold out or collapsible steamers are used to keep the botanicals off the bottom.
That is what I am going to try next time.


Taking a break while I get a new still completed....
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Rrmuf »

MartinCash wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 1:11 pm Looks like an awesome recipe, but it bears no resemblance to Odin's Easy Gin whatsoever, other than the 40% keep, so it would probably have been better in a separate thread.
Fair enough. I did start with OEG and gradually added botanicals per run per his suggestion. I mostly wanted to +1 the technique and process.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Rrmuf »

CoogeeBoy wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 7:18 pm
Rrmuf wrote: Fri Jan 22, 2021 7:00 am What Martin said but hey, you started with OEG so kudos.


On you comment "I wish I could just dump the botanicals in without a bag...." seen a bit of a thread where one of those fold out or collapsible steamers are used to keep the botanicals off the bottom.
That is what I am going to try next time.


Thanks . I will look for that thread.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Terrenum »

I am new on this forum and have introduced myself in the welcoming section.
I have a quick question. If I dilute to 35% before running the OEG, do I collect only 400ml? there will just be more water at the end of the run I guess
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Rrmuf »

Hi,
You're a bit vague, but i believe your question suggests two things here:
1. The prevailing wisdom is You should never exceed 40% ABV with whatever you put in the boiler.
2. Odin you should only collect 40% of the VOLUME. BUT that is not the diluted volume you put in the boiler. That volume is based on the 43% ABV Neutrals you were supposed to macerate at.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Terrenum »

Thanks; I'll try to be more clear.

Not sure if Odin is diluting his 43% wines before running it; there is no mention of it. I was wondering if I lower my load to 35% by adding water, should I collect 400ml only?

thanks
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Rrmuf »

I guess I can only describe what I do (and I believe this is the intended way) but I base my 40% by volume on the original 43% neutrals.
I do add a bit of water to bring ABV in the boiler to 40% for the final distilation.

On that run, I track how much volume I pull out and when I get close to the 40% volume, I do collect in seperate smaller jars and I might pick and choose from those as well to pick up some "late" botanicals. NB. I follow the OEG process but I've added a number of botanicals run after run.

Good luck!
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by howie »

Terrenum wrote: Thu Feb 04, 2021 9:16 am Thanks; I'll try to be more clear.

Not sure if Odin is diluting his 43% wines before running it; there is no mention of it. I was wondering if I lower my load to 35% by adding water, should I collect 400ml only?

thanks
from reading only, a lower abv should give you a less dry, more mellow gin (i've not tried it yet)
lower than 30% will not always extract the botanicals in the boiler method (vapour is ok of course)
a method of low abv workaround for a full tasting mellow gin is described as steeping the botanicals overnight in 60% before diluting to 35% with warm water.

as for volume, i now collect the first 2 x 10ml separately.
then followed by about 400ml, closely monitored after about 350ml.
then i collect 2/3 samples of the next 15-20ml depending on taste.
then i decide what to keep as the collection volume seems to change slightly with each 1L charges.
but 400ml is a good ballpark figure to work to.
just run it and keep tasting.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Terrenum »

Completed my first run of gin following OEG instructions.
Had 2.2L of neutral @ 40% with 2 days maceration. Used orange peel instead of mandarine
diluted my load to 35% before running. discarded first 10-12ml and ended with 800ml @ 80%. Diluted with top local spring water to 43%

It took a solid 3 hours to run. I ran an extra 150ml of feints for a future run (it was quite grassy). I didn't expect it to be this long. it's about 300ml per hour. Classic alembic style copper pot still.

Smells great. Seems like an awesome base recipe. Can't wait to see how it evolves over the next few weeks, but in a few hours I will try my first G&T!

Thanks Odin for sharing this recipe. Awesome for a novice distiller to get started. I look forward evolving this recipe to make it my own... so many ideas in mind!
Cheers
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Saltbush Bill
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Something wierd going on with your still.
You could make 10L of gin in that time.
Stick some heat under that boiler.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by tox »

Just want to agree with pretty much everyone saying this is a great recipe. I have a pretty stock standard set up but pulled the old air still out for this one as its pretty much a pot still and with a small volume it works ok with herbs in the boiler so yeah. The only problem is there's no slowing it down but the results that have come out are awesome enough. I do, like others, find it hard to wait for the settling period of 5 weeks.

But Odin, thanks for this and thank you to everyone that builds on it and tries stuff.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by NZChris »

tox wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 6:00 pmI do, like others, find it hard to wait for the settling period of 5 weeks.
I make enough that I haven't run out before 5 weeks is up and the next batch is already 5 weeks old when the previous batch runs out. That said, most of my gins have a lot less citrus than OEG, which might explain why I don't notice much benefit from waiting 5 weeks.
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Terrenum »

Saltbush Bill wrote: Fri Feb 05, 2021 1:52 pm Something wierd going on with your still.
You could make 10L of gin in that time.
Stick some heat under that boiler.
I am using a single electric stovetop unit which is suppose to be 1800W; it is smaller in diameter however so I have about 1inch of my still hanging all around. What I find weird is that I was getting1-2 drops per second which according to what I have been reading should total more than 300ml per hour...

My real oven is a convection stovetop so doesn't work with copper....
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Re: Odin's Easy Gin

Post by Saltbush Bill »

Sounds to me that your stove top might be cycling on and off.......cant see any other reason for it to be that slow.
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