My Gin Journey

[artooks]

Hi Everyone,

After a break for 2 years from the hobby, I started again, It is really nice to be back especially making gin is probably the most fascinating thing in the World for me at least Anyway I did 2 Neutral Ferments, stripped them separately and finished my spirit run last week, well after all these steps, probably the most satisfying thing is throwing all the botanicals in the %43 ABV spirit That first minute is really worth watching.
Anyway, I was thinking to do OEG but as I did it in the past I wanted to try another recipe, which is still Odin's, it is in YouTube, I watched it very carefully to find out which botanicals he used then listed them one by one after in order to decide the amounts of the botanicals I used Zymurgy's Formula, at the same time, I was carful to be in the limits of 25-35 Gram Botanicals per litre. So the recipe is as follows.

For 1 litre of %43 Neutral.

* 18 grams of juniper berries
* 9 grams of coriander seeds
* 0.18 grams of dried orange peel
* 0.18 grams of Cardamom
* 1.8 grams of Angelica Root
* 1.8 grams of St. John’s Wort

Total Herbs per litre: 30.96 grams

I was left with 3224 ml @ 94.5 ABV from my spirit run I diluted this to %43 ABV by adding 3981 ml water so my total volume was 7,305 ml @ %43 ABV I calculated the botanicals in reference to this volume and I crushed Juniper berries, Coriander Seeds and Cardamom slightly with mortar and pestle, I added all the rest to the Jar that I will macerate for 24 Hrs, then I will distill with my pot still I guess I will receive the disilate somewhere between %75-80 ABV, there is one thing that I am not sure and read many forums but still did not find the exact answer, for example I will macerate everything under 43 ABV and then collect 400 ml per litre for example if I were to macerate @ %30 ABV will I still be collect 400 ml or because the distillate will come at a lower ABV I will have to increase the amount to maybe 450 ml that is a point where I am not very sure, I will appreciate some feedback on this.

I am also a 3d print user, I designed some labels for my gin Just for the fun You can see it in my pictures

So tomorrow is a big day for me, really excited.

[artooks]

[artooks]

[Bushman]

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing and your % of botanicals looks pretty good.

[artooks]

Its 03:30 here and it has been 13 hrs since all the botanicals are being macerated in %43 ABV I mixed it a few times and I can see that the smell is developing in a good way, the first tine when I put all the botanicals the smell was still good but quite sharp to the nose, now after 13 hrs it is much more mellow, I taste it with a spoon, Oh my god what a good taste, I must admit, I taste it a few time, it is quite drinkable this way the color is much darker now, also most of the coriander and Juniper berries are floating on top, but all the rest of the herb like botanicals are fallen to the bottom, so tomorrow distillation day I am very excited, lets see how this will turn out.

Hi,

[artooks]

After 24 Hrs of maceration I poured everything in the boiler, since I am distilling everything in boiler, I did not use my internal element, instead I used my 1000 Watt modified hot plate, and after 1.5 hrs the first drops started to come, I collected 10 ml and discarded started to collect still collecting at the moment I think it will take 5 hrs anyway, there is one thing that makes me wonder and that is I use my still as a ccvm and Pot still, but since the column is 36" long the distillate comes @ %89 ABV is that a problem I do not know but normally from what I see many pot still are quite short with a Lyne arm, I am wondering whether collecting at %89 ABV and then diluting to %45 ABV does it changes anything with taste because normally Odin states in his recipe that the distillate should come around 70-80, so that is something which I am wondering, but I taste it and even from the still it tastes awesome.

[artooks]

Well After 5 hrs the Gin Run has finished, and I got a yield of %88 ABV I diluted it to %45 ABV, I did not experience touching, even after the dilution it was crystal clear, the only thing that I forgot was to take out the element since I used my hot plate for the run, I did not use hop cooking bags for the botanicals, I just tossed everything in the boiler, but now I see that even this was very easy but at the end of the run, it was not so easy since it takes a long time cleaning the boiler properly, I used a strainer to dumb everything inside it as you can see in the picture, I taste the remaining botanicals there was no taste left, they were like empty shells, My wife she really loves gin especially Bombay and from time to time Monkey 47 I called her and asked her to taste the gin she first smelled and tasted it and told me that she had never tasted a gin so good in her life, which felt really good, now I will try to keep it for 5 weeks, this gin is a little bit earthy and strong in Juniper which I really like, I believe in 5 weeks time it will taste much better, but all I can say is if you like the earthy dominant Juniper taste this recipe is just that, I poured myself a gin and tonic and must say this is just awesome, I am not sure how much of this Gin will remain after 5 weeks

[zed255]

Well done atrooks. The gin absolutely will evolve over the 5 week rest, allowing the flavours to mellow and marry together. You could sneak a bottle after two or three weeks though as you will have about 80% of the benefit of the resting period in my limited experience.

[Saltbush Bill]

Well done Artooks......glad it worked out well for you.

[artooks]

Thanks a lot yes I am quite happy with the result.

[NZChris]

It sounds like you have done a great job of your first gin, Artooks.

Congratulations.

Chris

[artooks]

It sounds like you have done a great job of your first gin, Artooks.

Congratulations.

Chris

Thanks NZChris, yes it looks like it I previously did OEG but this is his other recipe which. is very good, the Juniper is quite dominant but I really like it that way, the only thing is that my distillate yield is %88 ABV for pot still do you think this. would make a Taste difference if it were say like %80 ABV ?

[NZChris]

I suspect it depends on the shape of your still head, ambient temperature on stilling day, etc..

I keep good records, fiddle with the bill, push the limits etc.. E.G. using less citrus lets me run further and collect flavors that are left in the boiler doing a simple OEG. My take has evolved to be somewhere around 78-82%, but that might change now that I have a copper alembic to play with.

[artooks]

I suspect it depends on the shape of your still head, ambient temperature on stilling day, etc..

I keep good records, fiddle with the bill, push the limits etc.. E.G. using less citrus lets me run further and collect flavors that are left in the boiler doing a simple OEG. My take has evolved to be somewhere around 78-82%, but that might change now that I have a copper alembic to play with.

Thanks NZChris, I too keep good records so with time I will find an optimum point where I will be happy, by the way this time. I did a charge of 43% ABV I really want to try 30% ABV you probably tried both I guess 43 % ABV charge should result more dry what about 30% ABV charge I guess the distillate would come at a lower yield ABV and did it taste better than the dry one, did you also follow Odin's 400 Ml collection for 1 litre but that is for 43% ABV does this collection amount still valid for a 30% ABV charge ?

[NZChris]

Many of my gins are collected to 440ml/l, some have been more, some don't have a foreshot removed.

Because I've been running my gins in mini stills, I haven't tried running with low ABVs.

[artooks]

Many of my gins are collected to 440ml/l, some have been more, some don't have a foreshot removed.

Because I've been running my gins in mini stills, I haven't tried running with low ABVs.

I am at the same boat my mini still is 3 Gallon so that forces me to increase the ABV Charge as well regardless of what I want, I can surely do 30% ABV but then I will be left with less gin which I do not want to do it is a lot of work, cleaning air drying installing again, I must admit for the last 1 month period this hobby helped me to lose weight and increase my muscle ratio ))

[artooks]

Hi,

After 48 hrs I wanted to try my new made gin, I know that I should wait 5 weeks but only 1 drink would not hurt I guess
When I was away from the hobby, I was drinking lots of Bombay G&T so I like the taste of it, well after tasting my gin with tonic and lime.
All I can say is that, this is a very bold gin, nothing like I ever tasted miles away from the store bought gin, he reason being I guess is that O used the cleanest hearts and very good botanicals all adds up to the bill I guess, but I highly recommend this recipe to anyone wants to try.

[artooks]

Hi,

Today I wanted to make a smell and taste comparison of the Gin I made vs Bombay, this might not be the right comparison due to the different ABV that both spirits have Bombay being %40 ABV vs %45 ABV the one I made and also the different techniques that the two gins are produced, one being Steeped Gin and the other made by Vapor Infusion, but even than its good to know the differences between the two, but also taste and smell will differ from person to person. I poured the two gins in small liquor glasses without mixing with Tonique just as they are, first the smell test, When I smell both of them separately, the steeped gin stands out in terms of the taste profile, I must say it is a very bold gin, Bombay on the other hand, is quite light in terms of smell, it feels like it has a good smell profile but very distant, you really has to focus to feel it. When I taste them, the steeped one has a very rich taste profile, very good, If there was a blind test I would definitely opted for this one for sure, very satisfying taste profile, I am afraid I cannot say the same thing for Bombay because again it has a very low profile it feels like the botanicals are infused in vodka for a few minutes and are taken out, so the taste is not there 100%.
It is obvious to me that the steeped Gin is much better in terms of smell and taste, I will 100% stand out compared to a store bought gin, now I realize homemade gin is much better and miles away versus store bought gin.

[Saltbush Bill]

Store bought Gin will never taste as good again. If the gin you made is a little to flavorsome you can always cut it with a little more neutral.

[artooks]

Store bought Gin will never taste as good again. If the gin you made is a little to flavorsome you can always cut it with a little more neutral.

You are definitely right Saltbush Bill I think I will not be able drink store bought gin again Thanks for the tip for adding more neutral.

[artooks]

Hi,

I has been 6 days since my gin is resting, so I wanted to try it, I normally pour 2 X 30 ml to a gin glass and top it with a little bit of lime juice and ice and tonic, which I did, I felt a little bir hard on the alcohol, then I realized that store bought gins are normally %40 ABV well mine is %45 ABV a slight increase but it felt like I had two glasses anyway the taste profile is developing that small bite is almost gone, and it is developing in a very good way, I think is a months time it will be perfect, also yesterday a few family members paid a visit, I poured them some in a liquor glass just as is without tonic, they really liked it, so all I can say that this recipe is quite good, after having some problems in the customs, I finally received my Cassia Bark and Orris root so will be preparing myself for a new gin. really love this drink.

[artooks]

Hi,

Today is Day 10 I had another 2 glass with tonic, the taste is developing very well, I can smell the beautiful fruiteness coming from the glass, everything going quite good, only 1 thing that is bugging me is that after these two glasses I feel like I had like 4 or 5 glasses not saying that I feel drunk, I feel like I want to sleep afterwards it is a hard thing for me to explain, I am sure about my cuts in the spirit run, I took the time and did it slow and made generous cuts did not even collect tails, if I rewind back, I did all my cuts in the spirit run, I did not do any cuts in the stripping run not even foreshots ? could it be not likely but still thinking about it, could it be the mix of this botanicals ? or I am thinking during spirit run, I wait like 40 minutes for the column to equalize, and I read in some posts that some people are against this I think it wad DAD300 he strongly believed that equalizing the still causes everything to smear during the time spent in this stage, so I would be very happy if someone could help me with those points.

[MtRainier]

This isn't completely related to your gin, but your boiler looks very similar to the MileHi one that I have for doing smaller gin runs. Even though it's stainless, mine is ferrous enough to work on an induction burner, and yours might too. You can run it on top of an inexpensive Ikea induction cooktop which is able to heat based upon wattage applied. It allows for easy varying of the power and a nicely controlled rate of output up to 1800W. I gather at around 800W for a 1 liter batch.

[still_stirrin]

... after these two glasses (and) I feel like I had like 4 or 5 glasses, not saying that I feel drunk, I feel like I want to sleep afterwards. it is a hard thing for me to explain...

If you were drinking a whiskey, it would make you feel like you want to fight!

Cheers.

[artooks]

This isn't completely related to your gin, but your boiler looks very similar to the MileHi one that I have for doing smaller gin runs. Even though it's stainless, mine is ferrous enough to work on an induction burner, and yours might too. You can run it on top of an inexpensive Ikea induction cooktop which is able to heat based upon wattage applied. It allows for easy varying of the power and a nicely controlled rate of output up to 1800W. I gather at around 800W for a 1 liter batch.

PXL_20201219_202812275.jpg

Hi,

If you look at my previous posts you can see that I have hot plate under my boiler, I also own the same boiler from Mile-Hi, this is the 3 Gallon one, sorry for asking but I couldn't link the problem that I have with using the boiler with a hot plate, but one other thing is that since I use my still with a long column my gin run came out 88% ABV which is on the high side, I do not know if this contributes to a problem, I guess if I lower my charge I will be able to get a low ABV alcohol.

[artooks]

This isn't completely related to your gin, but your boiler looks very similar to the MileHi one that I have for doing smaller gin runs. Even though it's stainless, mine is ferrous enough to work on an induction burner, and yours might too. You can run it on top of an inexpensive Ikea induction cooktop which is able to heat based upon wattage applied. It allows for easy varying of the power and a nicely controlled rate of output up to 1800W. I gather at around 800W for a 1 liter batch.

PXL_20201219_202812275.jpg

One other thing is I cut a circle aluminum piece and put it on top of the hotplate to bond the two because as you know the bottom part of the boiler is concave so I am wondering how you are able to use an induction plate to heat up the boiler, becuase in your case since the induction cooktop is flat only the outer rim of the boiler should be touching I guess.

[artooks]

... after these two glasses (and) I feel like I had like 4 or 5 glasses, not saying that I feel drunk, I feel like I want to sleep afterwards. it is a hard thing for me to explain...

If you were drinking a whiskey, it would make you feel like you want to fight!

Cheers.

Could be but really wondering the situation in my case

[still_stirrin]

... after these two glasses (and) I feel like I had like 4 or 5 glasses, not saying that I feel drunk, I feel like I want to sleep afterwards. it is a hard thing for me to explain...

If you were drinking a whiskey, it would make you feel like you want to fight!

Cheers.

Could be but really wondering the situation in my case

Well, my point is.....it is your (personal) reaction to the spirit. A different spirit would or could produce a different reaction/feeling. And since this “feeling” was in response to your “unique” drink, your reaction very well could/would be unique, to you uniquely as well.
ss

[NZChris]

Hi,

Today is Day 10 I had another 2 glass with tonic, the taste is developing very well, I can smell the beautiful fruiteness coming from the glass, everything going quite good, only 1 thing that is bugging me is that after these two glasses I feel like I had like 4 or 5 glasses not saying that I feel drunk, I feel like I want to sleep afterwards it is a hard thing for me to explain, I am sure about my cuts in the spirit run, I took the time and did it slow and made generous cuts did not even collect tails, if I rewind back, I did all my cuts in the spirit run, I did not do any cuts in the stripping run not even foreshots ? could it be not likely but still thinking about it, could it be the mix of this botanicals ? or I am thinking during spirit run, I wait like 40 minutes for the column to equalize, and I read in some posts that some people are against this I think it wad DAD300 he strongly believed that equalizing the still causes everything to smear during the time spent in this stage, so I would be very happy if someone could help me with those points.

I might be caused by the St. John’s Wort, which I've read shouldn't be taken with alcohol.

[MtRainier]

One other thing is I cut a circle aluminum piece and put it on top of the hotplate to bond the two because as you know the bottom part of the boiler is concave so I am wondering how you are able to use an induction plate to heat up the boiler, because in your case since the induction cooktop is flat only the outer rim of the boiler should be touching I guess.

Yep, mine is the 3 gallon one too. I tried with a hot plate and a speed controller first. I should have bought a better hot plate, though, because it got so hot I burned out the internal overheat safety thermostat. Then I went to the induction cooktop. You're right that it has the rolled plate bottom, so the entire bottom doesn't entirely make contact with the glass. It's close enough, though, that it does get hot quickly.

I'm embarrassed to say what I did to the boiler to "help" it get closer to the glass... I put it on the floor and jumped in it a bunch of times. The bottom of mine is now kind of rounded down, so maybe that helps or maybe it was just me creating a silly scene.

I use the minimum amount of hardware from milehi to do my gin runs. Just a head, some elbows (that I got from Glacier Tanks), and the condenser. I'm not sure why yours would come out so high. Mine comes out right on the nose when I do the 1 liter Odin 43% ABV charge and collect 400ml and then dilute to 750ml.