Greetings from Russia , St. Petersburg

[KaspSPb]

My wife asked me, "I'll buy you a present microbreweries?"
I thought and bought a distiller with a reflux condenser;).

My goal is the production of whiskey, bourbon, gin, grappa (limochello), Calvados.
Vodka is easier and cheaper to buy, so the rectification without taking.
Although it should be noted that the manufacturers of equipment in Russia it succeeded in it.

First, I made a few spans sugar mash. Degree of the obtained product using 80-82% copper mesh and 90-95% with parallel spiral nozzle.

Braga is now worth 6 liters of grape juice + 4.5 kg of sugar + 22 liters of water. Maybe today will make the first stage. After the second distillation the resulting brew will be used as the basis for limoncello.

PS Since I have knowledge of English at a small level (read only), I use when writing translaytegoogle. Claims for grammotno to it .

[thecroweater]

Hello and welcome here. Can you post a picture of your still

[Bushman]

Welcome, I would also be interested in seeing your set-up. When you say it is cheaper to buy vodka in Russia than to make it, I am guessing your also talking about cost + time and energy. If your making potato vodka it can be more expensive, if your making a neutral base then it might be cheaper to make. Check out our Tried and True Recipe Section. Also a personal note, I was visiting family in Norway and we took a trip up to Tromsø, I wanted to to continue to St. Petersburg but was out voted. It is still on my bucket list of places to visit.

[KaspSPb]

I bought a distiller in the online store of the United States.
We have many good manufacturers, but they work in the segment of 1-1.5 inches.
I had it on the clamp connection for subsequent modernization.
The first modernization produced - a replacement filling column.
Alcoholmeters showed 95%, but suffered organoleptic (taste of corn at the second distillation was killed, of course I can stop early selection).
Continue to strengthen the parts are replaced by a glass column with bubble-cap trays.


The minimum cost of 0.5 liters of vodka in Russia, $ 3. If you wish, you can find cheaper, but it's of counterfeit product.

The cost of 1 kg of sugar 0.8 US dollar. From it you can make up to 1 liter of vodka, but to lose your time on it I do not.
1 bottle of limoncello join us 14-20 dollars. Do more complex drinks profitable and tastier. I tried limoncello from the shops - it is not made on the basis of grappa, but on the basis of ethyl alcohol.

My mother-in-law lives in the south of Russia in Krasnodar Krai. There's a cheap fruit. In the summer go do blank wine for distillation.

[KaspSPb]

In St. Petersburg, is worth visiting for the period May - September. White nights end in July, but even when it was black night - beautifully lit and palaces as if hovering over the Neva. It is also worth to get to Russian Versailles - Peterhof. It is best to go on the hydrofoil Meteor. They are recovering from the Neva River and the Admiralty.

And let lucky with the weather!

[MDH]

My mother-in-law lives in the south of Russia in Krasnodar Krai. There's a cheap fruit. In the summer go do blank wine for distillation.

This is from mulberries?

[Dan P.]

Welcome!
I was in St. Petersburg when it was Leningrad, years ago. A beautiful city!

[thecroweater]

That still in the picture will strip flavour every time and I would be concerned about that hose you have on the take off swapping it out for possibly some copper pipe. The plated columns are an excellent choice for flavoured libations and what I and many others here use

[HDNB]

That still in the picture will strip flavour every time and I would be concerned about that hose you have on the take off swapping it out for possibly some copper pipe. The plated columns are an excellent choice for flavoured libations and what I and many others here use

+1
i would like to have a better solution for the product take off and suggest using copper.
plastic hose on the take off is going to make the liquor taste bad. and plastic is no good for your health.

[KaspSPb]

Plastic stands on the supply of water for cooling (condenser, reflux). Contact with vapors and alcohol have no plastic. The selection of the alcohol wore silicone hose.
The temperature of the cold water in the water + 6C. The temperature of the alcohol at the exit +16C - +18C.

On Russian forums also came to the conclusion that in order to better preserve flavor plate column.
I ordered online stilldragon part of "Baby Crystal Dragon" 2.5-inch and they will replace part of the distillation.
I think that columns 3 and 4 inches will not be able to operate normally, since I have the maximum heating power of 3 kW.

[KaspSPb]

My mother-in-law lives in the south of Russia in Krasnodar Krai. There's a cheap fruit. In the summer go do blank wine for distillation.

This is from mulberries?

I ate there in the summer of 2014: the red, white and black mulberry;).
Mulberry growing in the streets, as much spoiled.

The principal will: apples, pears, grapes and can be cherry wine for distillation kirshvayser.