First Stripping run done, next step Gin

[Candleworks]

Hi

I got my still built with the aim to make gin and did my first stripping run yesterday. Everything worked like a charm, no leaks, no problems.

I have made 3 mashes to strip and build up volume for my spirit run. As I have never done this before and from reading know that the cuts that you make have a big influence on your finial drink, I am using the stripping runs as practice to distinguish between heads, hearts and tails by taste and smell. Even if I mix it all together in the end anyway.

Was very surprised that I could actually determine the difference between heads, heart and tail. Not exactly when they switch over but more when I was into each part. Hope with practice I will get better.

The question I have is if I throw away the foreshot with each stripping run, do I still need to do it with the spirit run as well or can it safely go into my feints keg?

(Hope I got all the lingo right)

[new distiller]

I think the general answer is to be safe an throw a small amount... Even if there are no nasties you would at worst be loosing a small amount of heads... So you will have the same output of drinkable product regardless... The worst thing that can happen is you loose a few hundred mls of an all feints run (or if you throw it in your next batch a few mls less in your product). When weighed against your safety or peace of mind its nothing... Make this a general practice and you will never know the difference.

[OlympicMtDoo]

Yes always ditch some foreshot on every run, but don't throw it away put it in your cleaning solvent jar then it doesn't feel like you're loosing anything either.

[frozenthunderbolt]

With Reference to the title of this thread - do a spirit run with really tight cuts before you make gin - the cleanest neutral/vodka will be necessary to make a decent gin as you need everything except the first few mls (Depending on the size of your run) after macerating your botanicals.
Just a heads up

[Candleworks]

Damn I should have checked the thread before I did my gin run.

Did my gin run with a multitude of jars to separate my cuts, so that I can taste later and decide what goes into bottles and what goes to the feints jar.

To my dismay every jar had flavors that I wanted in my gin, except those towards the end. Ended up mixing most of my "heads" with the "hearts".

Its still a tasty drink but not exactly what I wanted. Luckily it was only a small test batch.

Next time I will do a stripping run followed by a spirit run to make the necessary cuts and only then do the gin run.

Thanks for the advice.

[frozenthunderbolt]

It happens - I did the same thing my first gin! Then i followed Odin's easy gin recipe and got a wicked awesome result

[Odin]

Yes, cut for a good neutral hearts. Use a limited amount of herbs/spices to start with (and up it from there if you want to). Dish the first mls of the gin run, since excessive juniper oils tend to gather there. And as you found out ... most of the tastes (juniper, fruit) is in the early part of the run.

Good luck!

Odin.

[Candleworks]

Thanks for the advice. Have a 2nd wash ready to run this weekend. Will post the results.

[Odin]

If you could share your herbs bill and distillation approach ...

That would be wonderful!

Odin.

[PirateAndy]

I recently have begun experimenting with creating mash and distilling. I made a corn meal mash in a 55 gallon plastic food grade barrel and allowed it to ferment while I made my still. I had a stainless keg, knocked out the center valve and ordered a keg to 2" kit. I had built a still previously, of the old timer variety; with a thumper and worm. It really sucked, the most I could get out of it in a run was 35% alc by volume and it was god awful big. The second attempt I did was a 2" bokabob. I have had great results with it, it looks nice and had a small footprint. 2" copper was very expensive but in the end It was worth the cost because the product made, was made by me; homemade! It is a process that extends itself to being improved constantly so it doesn't get boring, and unlike video games or sports it had a payoff when you are completed, booze, lol. So far I have made three pints of moonshine, and at four fights per pint; that's twelve fights! lol. As you see with all tools, there are tools to rough out and tools to final polish. My bokabob 2" is a rough out still. I have to make a smaller one to go on the stove top to polish. One where more control can be given. All in all the trade off was 7.5 gallons for 2 pints, not to bad for a first run.

[Doubler]

You only got 2 pints out of 7.5gals? Maybe 2 pints of hearts? Did I miss something? I just ran off about a half gallon of goods from my whiskey mash, about 1 1/2 gal total collected (plus about a gallon in the thumper) , highest was 76% (heads) on pot, thumper and worm. But I run slooow. Sorry to derail the thread.

[Candleworks]

Finally got my pot still and did another gin run, but still not happy with results.

Details:
I run a very small copper pot still, 5 liter capacity.
Made very tight cuts with my stripping run to ensure only the good stuff went into the gin.
Ended with about 2liter of 45%ABV in which I macerated my botanical for just over 24 hours.
30g Juniper, 15g coriander, 3g each liquorices root, grains of paradise, angelica root and cinnamon, lastly 2g sweet orange peel.
The aroma after 24 hrs was great. Very close to what I wanted.
I strained out the solids and run it through my still.
The results was a little "flat". Lost a lot of the original aroma and flavor and the coriander dominates. Before it was more juniper and orange.

Should I have removed the botanicals or ran the still with them in?
Or just increase the amount used?

[Odin]

Strip run is where you concentrate alcohol. Spirit run is where you take cuts. Gin run you do with cut spirit. Preferably with herbs, etc. in the boiler for maximum taste transfer.

Odin.

[Candleworks]

Thanks
Will leave them in next time

[Odin]

Just 12 to 24 hours will do.

Odin.