Visit to local distiller

[Richardhead]

Yesterday I visited a local distiller for a blending session which was very interesting. The objective was to create your own 750ml bottle. You are given a 350 ml base of juniper and coriander and then, via experimentation, add various alcohol infusions (8*40ml) to make your concoction. I added, rhubarb, lemon, peppercorn, Cassius bark, blueberry, orange and some others I have written down somewhere to make mine.

I was also able to have a look around and ask a few questions. I took some pics.

They buy in alcohol and add hard botanical, juniper and coriander into the still. Other botanicals are added into the stainless basket shown to the right. They use osmosis to soften the water and condense and re use cooling water.

They also had a small reflux column with bubble plates they use to experiment with.

One thing I do t quite get is.. if they can buy in alcohol, why would they have the reflux column? It was running when I got there, but no output from the column. No fusion basket either. I looked at the power panel and it was taking 2700 watts. After 2 hours it was switched off.

[NZChris]

The reflux might be for recycling feints.

Some commercial GNS can be a bit headsy so maybe they clean it up. I don't think many do that.

[Canuckwoods]

Commercial vodka columns are much longer than what you have pictured.

[Richardhead]

It was a commercial distillery. Anno.

[LWTCS]

It was a commercial distillery. Anno.

Not for profitable vodka production. The big column last shown is arguably short on plates for top tear "one and done" vodka.
Can always get your mates to enjoy some free vodka while hanging out in the shed. But to get perfect strangers to pay good money for a premium vodka,,,,that's the hard part.

Vodka requires a bunch of resources.

[pope]

Better than some I've seen. Some of these nano guys I visit have told me things like "I have to run this 3 more times" to get vodka because they only have 5 or 6 plates. I would think it would be preferable to run one 20-plate 4" column than run a 5-6 plate 6-8" column four times.

[LWTCS]

Better than some I've seen. Some of these nano guys I visit have told me things like "I have to run this 3 more times" to get vodka because they only have 5 or 6 plates. I would think it would be preferable to run one 20-plate 4" column than run a 5-6 plate 6-8" column four times.

Sure.
I used to say no less than 10 because I didn't want folks feeling like they over spent. But let's face it, 10 plated vodka will only sully the brand.
Now I'd say nothing less than 20 unless ya straight up don't have the ceiling height.

The dual side by side columns are a nuisance because so much previously distilled high proof alcohol ends up heading back to the kettle as column bottoms. Puts a real damper on production speed.

[pope]

It's really interesting how some brands will release something that doesn't measure up to their line. I won't say who, but someone released an agave and I really thought it was much worse than the other spirits I tried.

So on a dual stack you can't just push everything forward into a reservoir at the bottom of the second column and give that some booster heat? I really haven't tried to wrap my head around vodka columns much.

[LWTCS]

So on a dual stack you can't just push everything forward into a reservoir at the bottom of the second column and give that some booster heat? I really haven't tried to wrap my head around vodka columns much.

Mmmm, not really. You'd still have to find a way to manage legit column bottoms.
Theoretically you could meter/pump column bottoms from column #2 back to the top of column #1. But that would have to be engineered according to vapor coming off of the kettle, and reflux ratios (if any) of column #1 in order not to flood the plate at the injection sight.

[bluefish_dist]

I found I needed around 20 plate equivalents to hit 190+ proof as required by law for vodka. It was a little higher proof at 24, a solid 190.5+ and faster. I am very skeptical of anyone who claims azeo on a low number of plates or packing. I found it was not easy to hold 190+ proof. May have been my altitude 6300 ft as I have no comparison to running at sea level.

I could have bought alcohol cheaper than I made it, but that wasn’t what I wanted to do. At that point it’s just marketing.

[Richardhead]

Well they are selling gin and vodka throughout south east UK, have their own shop and Anno is found in most pubs. So I think they would argue they are not commercial and their product is better drunk outside a shed. They buy their alcohol.https://annodistillers.co.uk/

I was just sharing pics from visit.

[pope]

Bluefish that brings up a good point - is there a reason more nano's don't use some combo of plates and packing, or just packing? I know it can be expensive, heavy, collapse, etc but compared to plates...

Richard not trying to pick apart your post, I am really glad that you shared! Just got the gears turning and I always have to ask questions. I wasn't trying to be critical... I figured they are buying, could be that they bought the equipment, tried to make their own, found with their setup the numbers didn't really work, and just changed it up. Or bought it for looks (I think for tours an impressive rig counts for a lot), or its just a reason I don't know about (which is still a lot).

[goose eye]

Sound like they in the business to make money not ribbons.

So I'm tole

[bluefish_dist]

I now see it’s in the uk. From what I found there they have different licenses for rectifiers and true distillers. I don’t know the details, but I think it’s a lot easier to get a rectifier license and most of the gin distilleries use that license. Even beefeater doesn’t make the base spirit on site.