Great site you have here - congratulations! After many years of home brewing beer, mead and some wines, i have just embarked on some distillation. I have sourced a small pot still and have done my first batch by distilling some Port. Quite a good result for the first pass with some almost 70% stuff, then about 40% and dregs to be recycled about 20%.
The resulting product has a very nutty pleasant odor. Will re- destilling the lot remove some of the odor and make it more neutral?
Also can you advise if using Port rather than a fermented mash still produce some Methanol at the start and should the first portion be discarded?
I look forward to the experts comments!!
Big Hi from Sydney in Oz
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rtalbigr
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Re: Big Hi from Sydney in Oz
Welcome to the forum, zd.
Yes, you'll get methanol from port. No re-distilling won't really make it more neutral but tends to concentrate flavors. To reduce your odor narrow your cuts, keeping less of the heads and tails, esp. the tails. Your tails generally start around 65%abv, the deeper into tails you go the more odors and off tastes you'll have.
Big R
Yes, you'll get methanol from port. No re-distilling won't really make it more neutral but tends to concentrate flavors. To reduce your odor narrow your cuts, keeping less of the heads and tails, esp. the tails. Your tails generally start around 65%abv, the deeper into tails you go the more odors and off tastes you'll have.
Big R
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Ayay
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Re: Big Hi from Sydney in Oz
hi zdziandy,
Redistilling can be:
1. A deliberate process where the first run is called a stripping run to maintain flavour, or a deliberate process to get a more neutral along with a higher ABV;
2. A necessary fix because of a mistake in the cuts or the stillin. Making the cuts is deciding what to keep from the whole run for drinking or ageing.
Foreshots...early heads...heads...late heads/early hearts...hearts...late hearts/early tails...tails...late tails. Takes some practise to taste more than just heads/hearts/tails.
If you still too fast the hearts can be spread out into the heads and the tails will be present all through the hearts.
Foreshots can be thrown away every time along with some of the early heads because you'll only be keeping them for fuel!
Making the cuts is finding the middle hearts (in an ideal run) and then carefully tasting on both sides to see how far you can go. You shouldn't go too far into early or late hearts in the beginning. Alas this means you will only have 1/3 to 1/4 of the whole output for drinkin
but it will be very good drinkin, and the rest (minus the fuel) can be distilled again and cut again... 
Still your port only if it's crappy port not worth drinkin asis. 'Tried and True Recipes' has brews tailored for stillin.
Redistilling can be:
1. A deliberate process where the first run is called a stripping run to maintain flavour, or a deliberate process to get a more neutral along with a higher ABV;
2. A necessary fix because of a mistake in the cuts or the stillin. Making the cuts is deciding what to keep from the whole run for drinking or ageing.
Foreshots...early heads...heads...late heads/early hearts...hearts...late hearts/early tails...tails...late tails. Takes some practise to taste more than just heads/hearts/tails.
If you still too fast the hearts can be spread out into the heads and the tails will be present all through the hearts.
Foreshots can be thrown away every time along with some of the early heads because you'll only be keeping them for fuel!
Making the cuts is finding the middle hearts (in an ideal run) and then carefully tasting on both sides to see how far you can go. You shouldn't go too far into early or late hearts in the beginning. Alas this means you will only have 1/3 to 1/4 of the whole output for drinkin
but it will be very good drinkin, and the rest (minus the fuel) can be distilled again and cut again... Still your port only if it's crappy port not worth drinkin asis. 'Tried and True Recipes' has brews tailored for stillin.
cornflakes...stripped and refluxed