Vodka questions...

[johnodon]

OK...I have a few runs of sweetfeed under my belt with my pot still but I now want to give vodkas a whirl. So, I am looking to build another column/condenser just for this purpose. I have a few questions...

1. Do you age vodkas? Does it help in producing a better product as it does with whiskey?
2. I would like to keep cost/complexity to a minimum. What reflux design would you guys recommend (boiler is a keg)?
3. Are there any good resources (threads) on flavoring? My wife likes flavored vodkas...grape, chery, etc...so I would like t keep her happy.

TIA!

John

[sambedded]

To mKe a really good vodka you need a fractioning column. The simplest an cheapest one is a boka. See parent site wiki for boka.

[frozenthunderbolt]

1. Yes.
2. Bok/ Bokka/ Bokkabob 2.5-3 inch if you can find it
3. http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=58
and
http://homedistiller.org/forum/viewforum.php?f=14
Try the panty dropper thread and the one on fruit recipes.

[Prairiepiss]

A good vodka can be made with a pot still. A good neutral you will need a reflux still. So the question is what is your definition of vodka?

A boka slant plate would be the cheapest and easiest to build. Keep in mind it will take you a good 10 to 12 hours to run a 10 gal batch.

Birdwatchers is a good tried and true recipe for a Refluxed neutral.

Bit if your gona try for a vodka in a pot still. I would try the all bran recipe.

[johnodon]

A good vodka can be made with a pot still. A good neutral you will need a reflux still. So the question is what is your definition of vodka?

I guess the easiest way to answer this is to tell you what I like...Grey Goose and flavored Three Olives brands. That being said, I only ever drink vodka in mixed drinks (i.e. vodka pineapple) and occassionaly in girly martinis like appletinis (I'll blame that one on my wife...wink wink). So, I am wondering is a system to produce neutrals would be the better option for me?

A boka slant plate would be the cheapest and easiest to build. Keep in mind it will take you a good 10 to 12 hours to run a 10 gal batch.

Looks like a boka is the way to go. I wanted to build a flute in the worst way, but, don't they retain flavor which is what I want to avoid and it would totally blow my "cost" limitation out of the water? Add the fact that I already have a pot still head that has performed adequately, I would think a second head (boka) would be the cheaper route.

As far as the Boka...is there an alternative that is just as efficient but not as tall? And...possibly take less time to run? I'm guessing we would be getting back into the flute territory again.

Thanks for the advice!

John

[frozenthunderbolt]

The wider the pipe you use for your column the faster you can run it, you will need to throw more heat at it though to maintain a good reflux ratio and obviously you will need a correspondingly sized condenser on top of the bok.
If you want to save height try making a shotgun condenser with a centering ring rather than making a double helix coil condenser for it.