I had bought a one gallon electric 'water distiller' to boost cheap 80 proof vodka to make a better limoncello. That seemed to work well, and I wanted to go for plum brandy.
After collecting about all the plums we could use for plum jam and putting them in the freezer (I hate canning in the summer), I stripped the tree of all left, cooked them slightly to make pit removal easier, yielding 33 pounds of plum, about 3.5 gallons. I added 5 pounds of sugar, 3 packets of Star Champagne yeast, and water to bring it up to 5 gallons in a 7 gallon bucket (from a beer making shop).
For a couple days I stirred it frequently but didn't seal it up, just leaving the lid loose on top. I did skim some skins of the top. Then re-reading these pages I learned it is anaerobic action that produces alcohol. So then I pressed the lid down and checked it occasionally. (The lid had a bubbler in it, but I never noticed it popping.)
After a week it seemed to have settled down and I added a few tablespoons of sugar to see if the yeast was through. A little action, not much.
I thought it ready for the distiller and put about 3 quarts in. The foreshots came off nicely, then about a half cup of clear alcohol was soon discolored by colored liquid coming through. I had not strained the mash and it was being pushed through the distiller. I stopped it. Cleaned everything up and tried again.
I strained the mash through a double thickness of cotton T-shirt. Was slow, took overnight. Then again run 3 quarts in the still. seems to have come off very nicely. See my pictures.
I dumped the first 40-50 ml, then collected in one cup units. The run was nice and steady, quick drops. I stopped after 4 cups. You can see these in the photos. After they cooled I measured the series at proofs of 115, 90, 50, 20. Some of the subsequent runs were lower. I mixed these to yield about 3 quarts of 68-70 proof plum brandy.
I corked two 375 ml recylcled wine bottles of this clear product. It has slight aroma and slight aftertaste, pleasant not harsh. But it's not something others might immediately identify as PLUM brandy. (We don't drink much slivovitz in the country) So I decided to add a bit of fruit to color and flavor. Four frozen small plums to a one quart sample. In just one day it absorbed a nice color, aroma, and taste. I'm unsure which I like better, and will experiment some more.
I may mix and run all the tails less than 20 proof and remainders.
In any case I'm happy with the product and enjoyed doing it save for a few glitches. It can be done with a one gallon 'water distiller' and I expect to make some more. (I think we may have some frozen apricots on hand.
Comments/Tips/Questions welcome. --arncraft
