Gin botanicals basket query ????????

[sampvt]

I've acquired a screw-on botanicals basket for my alembic copper head which goes on the T500 turbo boiler. I am looking to make Odins easy gin but his instructions are to macerate and soak the botanicals then dump the lot into the boiler and potstill it out saving 40% of the resultant output.

My question is if I macerate the herbs and put them in the basket in the path of the vapours, will it have any less of an effect on the resultant liquor that comes out. I guess I could try it but I'm getting low on neutral ethanol.

[Corsaire]

Then you should make some more neutral

The only way to find out what you like best is experimenting.
I'd make Odin's first. It's a great recipe, and a very good baseline to check your experiments against.

[Bushman]

This will be my next test. I made my own gin through Macerating similar to Odin’s recipe. My son bought me a gin basket so I am going to combine both, not sure it will add anything but will never know until I do a test and compare it to what I have already made.

[sampvt]

Ive got 50 gallons on bubbling away now but the first one due off will be after xmas, which I why I fancied having a go at Odins gin (in the basket) before xmas, hence the question. Ive allready got 10 liters of Odins recipe, made from macerated botanical and boiled in the boiler, on the shelf ageing, but to be honest, unless it changes its profile a lot, I doubt it will get drunk. It smells really citrusy and lacks juniper profile, maybe through being boiled in the boiler, who knows. Im just looking for advice from people with practical experienes.

[sampvt]

This will be my next test. I made my own gin through Macerating similar to Odin’s recipe. My son bought me a gin basket so I am going to combine both, not sure it will add anything but will never know until I do a test and compare it to what I have already made.

Bushman don't you think the basket way will come out wishy washy. It will be after all only in contact with the vapours for an hour or so as opposed to the steeping and boiling method. Thats what Im looking for.

[Corsaire]

It takes some weeks for the flavors to balance out. The citrus will calm down. How long has it been aging?

I don't have a gin basket, so I don't know how wishy washy it will be.

[zed255]

I remove my citrus part way through the maceration to limit its contribution and don't include it in the boiler at all. I also noted that although good alcohol comes off past the recommended cut point, if you get greedy and continue collecting into your gin the citrus will take over. Anything you collect past the recommended volume is feints. The juniper seems to be up front and the citrus comes out throughout, becoming more bitter as you progress. The five week rest does mellow the citrus. A neighbour who helped me with some of my early construction has a gin snob cousin who tried my OEG and practically raved about it having so much flavour.

[Bushman]

This will be my next test. I made my own gin through Macerating similar to Odin’s recipe. My son bought me a gin basket so I am going to combine both, not sure it will add anything but will never know until I do a test and compare it to what I have already made.

Bushman don't you think the basket way will come out wishy washy. It will be after all only in contact with the vapours for an hour or so as opposed to the steeping and boiling method. Thats what Im looking for.

I am going to do both, not sure the botanicals will do much using them a second time in the basket after masceration. The basket was a gift from my son so I feel obligated to at least try it.

[NZChris]

It smells really citrusy and lacks juniper profile...

Adjust your recipe.

[Demy]

I've only made a few gins (I have to experiment with more species with botanists I find around) but I think you could do a combination of both (soaking in neutral alcohol and then new botanicals in the basket). I believe that maceration extracts much more aroma, and I also think that the various techniques should be used depending on the botanists chosen. I made a gin (if we can call it that) with orange peel macerated in neutral and then redistilled, it was a bit opaque due to the essential oils but delicious.

[Alcophile]

I have the same setup with alembic plus basket on t500/grain father boiler. I do vapour infused gin with it, nothing gets macerated (some oats go in the boiler for mine). I use the usual ratios of botanicals (more or less) with 20-25g juniper in the basket for 2.5 litres of 90+% neutral diluted to 40%. You seem to need less botanicals with vapour infusion than I hear for maceration. After the gin run all the odour of the used botanicals has gone (and is in your gin).

[NZChris]

I have the same setup with alembic plus basket on t500/grain father boiler. I do vapour infused gin with it, nothing gets macerated (some oats go in the boiler for mine). I use the usual ratios of botanicals (more or less) with 20-25g juniper in the basket for 2.5 litres of 90+% neutral diluted to 40%. You seem to need less botanicals with vapour infusion than I hear for maceration. After the gin run all the odour of the used botanicals has gone (and is in your gin).

How long do you make the run go for?

[Saltbush Bill]

You seem to need less botanicals with vapour infusion than I hear for maceration.

That's not been my experience , I only ever macerate my own gin, Ive tasted plenty of gin made by others who use gin baskets / vapour infusions, few if any have ever had the same amount of flavour in my opinion.
For a good bold tasting Gin maceration wins hands down I think.

[Demy]

You seem to need less botanicals with vapour infusion than I hear for maceration.

That's not been my experience , I only ever macerate my own gin, Ive tasted plenty of gin made by others who use gin baskets / vapour infusions, few if any have ever had the same amount of flavour in my opinion.
For a good bold tasting Gin maceration wins hands down I think.

This has been my identical (albeit limited) experience

[Alcophile]

You seem to need less botanicals with vapour infusion than I hear for maceration.

That's not been my experience , I only ever macerate my own gin, Ive tasted plenty of gin made by others who use gin baskets / vapour infusions, few if any have ever had the same amount of flavour in my opinion.
For a good bold tasting Gin maceration wins hands down I think.

That's interesting, all my gins have been largely vapour infused, but guides on here and elsewhere suggested larger quantities of botanicals for maceration than I would use for vapour infusion.
For example, how much juniper would you macerate for 2.5 litres (5.25 US pints) of neutral diluted to 40% ABV for a gin run?

[Saltbush Bill]

Id use 30 grams in 2 L.......so a litte more for 2.5.
Ive have tasted the same recipe quantities both macerated and vapour infused and i still say macerate makes a bolder more juniper forward gin.
I like juniper and dislike the wishy washy "modern style gins"
Just my opinion....tastes vary person to person.

[NZChris]

That might be because they are running too fast. Commercials using Carter Heads don't run their gins in an hour. It's more like 18-20 hours. I like to take at least 5 hours, usually 6. It's such a PITA for such a small advantage, (If there really is one), that I seldom use a Carter Head.

[Saltbush Bill]

Ive never run slow when using macerated botanicals .....element full on, on a t500 boiler ....no controller.
Tried running slower once with the controller and it made absolutely no difference.
If it took me 5 hours to make a few liters of gin I wouldn't make the stuff.
Ive made 10L in 2 hours at times.

[NZChris]

I'm running today, 2 hours maceration, everything in the boiler. The element it's on is a bit underpowered, so the run will take about 2 hours.

[sampvt]

I'm running today, 2 hours maceration, everything in the boiler. The element it's on is a bit underpowered, so the run will take about 2 hours.

Chris can I bother you for your exact recipe and maceration time please. I am curious.

[NZChris]

2 hours maceration because I didn't get around to putting it together the night before. The longest I do is 24 hours.

This is copied & pasted from a small run to try out a new still. It is not my only recipe, or method.

Copper alembic
1000ml run

Proportions:
x = juniper
x/2 = coriander
x/10 = angelica, cassia, cinnamon, licorice, bitter almond, apricot kernels,
grains of paradise
x/100 = citrus peel, ginger, orris root, cardamom, nutmeg, savory, chamomile

12g Juniper Berries
6g Coriander Seeds
1.2g Cassia bark
1.2g Powdered Licorice root
1.2g Angelica root
1.2g = 2 apricot kernels
0.12g freshly ground nutmeg
0.12g Mandarine peel, dried
0.24g Navel orange peel, dried
0.12g Orris root

1000ml of 43% neutral (actually used lightly grape flavored spirit)

Macerate up to 24 hours at room temperature (it got 12 hours)
____________
Remove a 10ml foreshot
Collect 440ml in over an hour
Dilute to 45%
Blend with 45% neutral to get rid of louche (optional, not done this time)

[sampvt]

2 hours maceration because I didn't get around to putting it together the night before. The longest I do is 24 hours.

This is copied & pasted from a small run to try out a new still. It is not my only recipe, or method.

Copper alembic
1000ml run

Proportions:
x = juniper
x/2 = coriander
x/10 = angelica, cassia, cinnamon, licorice, bitter almond, apricot kernels,
grains of paradise
x/100 = citrus peel, ginger, orris root, cardamom, nutmeg, savory, chamomile

12g Juniper Berries
6g Coriander Seeds
1.2g Cassia bark
1.2g Powdered Licorice root
1.2g Angelica root
1.2g = 2 apricot kernels
0.12g freshly ground nutmeg
0.12g Mandarine peel, dried
0.24g Navel orange peel, dried
0.12g Orris root

1000ml of 43% neutral (actually used lightly grape flavored spirit)

Macerate up to 24 hours at room temperature (it got 12 hours)
____________
Remove a 10ml foreshot
Collect 440ml in over an hour
Dilute to 45%
Blend with 45% neutral to get rid of louche (optional, not done this time)

Thanyou kind sir. Ill try it next week. Ive got one on the shelf, made from a rather nice tomato paste wash, very similar to this one I got from the love brewing web site and my mate Richard

[Alcophile]

I do 20 to 30g of juniper plus other botanicals in a vapour infusion basket, for 2.5litres of 92% neutral spirit, diluted to 40%. The higher end of that does tend to cloud though, very flavoursome!
This still seems less than mentioned above.

[sampvt]

Just one thing on the louche effect...... I thought it was the fact that I used tap water so I bought a rather expensive reverse osmosis system but I still get it in my final gin recipe. Ive now found out that its probably the liquorice root or something else that's giving me the effect of milkiness, but by pure accident I managed to get rid of it. Ive got a prime filter pad installed in a winebrite filter housing and when the gin is passed through it I get a clear gin and to stop it drying out, I submerge the whole filter in a bucket of RO water waiting for the next usage. Ive run wine, gin and even vodka through the same pad with RO water between runs and the pad is still active.

[NZChris]

It's not something I would subject my gin to.

https://homedistiller.org/forum/app.php/rules See rule i.

[sampvt]

It's something I would subject my gin to.

https://homedistiller.org/forum/app.php/rules See rule i.

I don't understand, you say you would doit to your gin then suggest I broke a rule. Can you explain, I am confused.

[NZChris]

Sorry. I've corrected my post.

[sampvt]

Sorry. I've corrected my post.

I don't know why because it does not alter the taste, but that's fine. Im still at a loss as to what rule I've broken ??

[Rod]

I have yet to use the distillery air still

Air still , waiting on a shoulder reconstruction

this was part of the KIT ,fits on the top with herbs etc in the basket

may give you some ideas

https://distilleryking.com.au/collectio ... ion-basket

[sampvt]

It's not something I would subject my gin to.

https://homedistiller.org/forum/app.php/rules See rule i.

Ive just been on a post where both Odin and your good self contributed and one of the suggestions to negate Louche is to chill and use coffee filters which if my info is right, are of a similar micro rating as the pad I used, so why is my idea rubbish when it actually works as long as the pad is kept wet. Even stupid ideas have merit, if they work, its how half of the worlds most important inventions were founded.