Botanical maceration

[birgirms]

Hey gang. Most of the discussion regarding botanical maceration mentions 24-48 hours of maceration before distilling. Those of you who do longer macerations, what effect is it having on the final distillate? Stronger aromas? More complex aromas?

Cheers!

[still_stirrin]

Probably just longer waiting....

Some botanicals don't need long at all to macerate. In fact, I usually just measure the botanicals and put them into the boiler with the neutral Then, fire up the heat. I don't even macerate overnight. There is plenty of the juniper and coriander to come over with just a quick "wet & forget" run.

Now, some sticks may benefit from longer soak times. But, I don't use those sticks. So, YMMV.

24 to 48 hours....whew, I'll be drinking the gin before that time is up.
ss

[Saltbush Bill]

Probably just longer waiting....

Pretty much my gut feeling on it to.
I don't know that for sure as Ive never felt the need to macerate for longer, 24 hours has always done the job for me.

[NZChris]

It's a broad net you cast, birgirms. All gin botanicals have optimum steep times, distilling times and places in the still where their flavors can be extracted. The commercial distillers who have put in the effort to find out what those optimums are probably don't post here and, if they did, it wouldn't be in their best interests to tell you.

[Rrmuf]

Just catching up on this post:
I've also read that the different botanicals have different distilate ABVs that they are best steeped at as well. Inoticed that the thread is 3 years old: Are there any updated views on the subject?

[Demy]

Just catching up on this post:
I've also read that the different botanicals have different distilate ABVs that they are best steeped at as well. Inoticed that the thread is 3 years old: Are there any updated views on the subject?

In theory you are right, there are tables that indicate ABV based on which substance you want to extract from a plant .. This is especially true for hydroalcoolic tinctures. I believe that few here have addressed the topic, I am interested in recently because I am creating herbal liqueurs who are generally not distilled but only maceration and in this case I think it makes a difference both the ABV and the times of maceration, maybe less Important if it is distilled.

[Saltbush Bill]

You could muck around with optimum steep times and optimum abvs for each botanical for ever if you wanted, I doubt very much if the end result will be worth the effort....or even be noticeable to 99% of people.
Its just making a simple task much more complex than it need be imo.

[Rrmuf]

....you are likely right SB: I admit it just appeals to the more nerdy side of my persona.

I am mostly interested in the following way: I've macerated botanicals in a single step and in two steps (Junipers @60% first and then remainder @43% where the lead time ranged from 48hrs/24hrs to 18hrs/12hrs ) and both were acceptable but different. I will certainly develop my own view of "optimum for me" but of course I always look for other data points to draw from.