Is there any point in making a "sour mash" with fruit wines?

[Boozehound]

Today I've distilled some elderflower wine I made (twice in a pot still to take it to about 40% ABV) and it seems alright - very fragrant. Now as summer and autumn come around I'll be making lots of fruit and flower country wines and I'm going to distill all of them as experiments. What I'd like to ask the wise old heads around here is is there anything that can be done with the backset from the first run. I'm keeping a gallon of the stuff just in case.

If I were to make a 4 gallon white sugar wash with 1 gallon of elderflower backset added would that be anything other than disgusting? Has anyone tried this?

I love the recycling idea of using backset, but is it ever worth it with distilled country wines?

Thanks for all the help, by the way. Like I say, I'm going into winemaking overdrive now so I'll be asking a lot of strange questions in the next few months - have patience.

Cheers.

[Husker]

I do not think I would add backset to elder flower wine. You want to keep the delicate bouquet from the flowers. It does come across in distillate. However, I think the backset would change that significantly. You certainly could try it, and might produce a decent end product. However I like the lightness of elder flower wine and the spirit produced.

Btw, this has been a very bountiful year this year for elder. I could probability get 100 gallons of berry heads in a few weeks, with just a hard day of work to get them. The rain and heat has been 'perfect' for them. But I did screw up, and missed getting flowers this year.

H.

[Boozehound]

Yeah, by the time I got around to picking them most of the flowers had gone as well. I also missed the Hawthorn blossom which would have made a great spirit I think. Still, like you say, no mistakes with the berries and there are going to be loads of them as well. Never made elderberry wine / spirit - what's it like?

The elderflower spirit is a strange beast, though. I've just had a couple of glasses and it seems to have loads of fragrance but not a lot of flavour. Maybe I should have added some grape concentrate for more body. Still, I think it'll make a great summer drink in a cocktail or with a dash of lemonade.

Hopefully next week I'll be able to get a load of cheap carrots. This is interesting because the taste of carrot wine is supposed to be very unlike what you'd expect so it might be a good for a spirit.

As for the backset - I think I'll just tip it onto the garden.

Cheers guys.

[blanikdog]

This is a good thread IMHO. Spring is almost upon us here - followed by bush fire season - and there are Hawthorn trees everywhere along the roadside. Buggered if I can find any Elderberry though. Maybe too hot where we are. Good luck you more fortunate blokes. I'll be following this with much interest.

blanik

[Fredistiller]

This year I have A LOT of elderberry flowers. I want to give a try to distill some flowers wine. But I hesitate witch recipe to follow. I saw one with raisins but I didn't found organic ones and I fear for some traces of sulfites ( give a bad taste.) Or some grains to give more body? Or just flowers and sugar? What are your ideas people of HD ?

Fred