First 2 Runs - Astringent Taste?

[NormandieStill]

Okay, so I've gone ahead an done another run - same recipe and all. I did take SBB's advice and I ran quite a bit hotter, getting as close to an unbroken stream as I could. I left everything out for a full 24 hours before tasting any of it (all collected into 300mL cuts, for a total of 1800mL after tossing fores). When I went to taste and smell it the next day, as far as I could tell, I've ended up with 300mL that are pure and clean as can be, and another 300mL with only a slight hint of burn on the tongue/ethyl acetate smell. I would say that adding anything else would definitely degrade those 2 jars.

My last spirit run (with a boiler charge of about 17L @ 25%) yielded 23 jars at 250ml per jar (Should have been slightly more jars but I missed the changeover point on a couple of them). 6 jars doesn't really give you much granularity. Doubling the number of jars without changing anything else may well let you save an extra 300ml of clean distillate before you start finding "compromise jars".

[TheAlchemist]

Okay, so just a quick update on this. I wasn't too picky with the run I did over the weekend, I just wanted to pull some out of the very center to try, and used the rest as low wines for a spirit run (alongside the troublesome birdwatchers runs this post was originally about). I doubled the amount of time at full reflux, and my problems appear to have been solved (went from approx. 15 minutes to approx. 30 minutes). This time around, both the heads and tails seem significantly more compressed, and while it's not where I presume ideal should be, it's a lot better. My pot still head (built from various tri clamp parts, fitted to a second t500 lid) should all be here by Wednesday. I think I'm going to try out stripping a few runs with that (of course, after the first cleaning run), and then doing a full spirit run through the reflux head with a good long time spent at full reflux and take the cuts down to 150mL each for that.

[JakeB]

I am relatively new as well, but I also have a T500. As others have said, do stripping runs first, then a spirit run. What I do for stripping runs is take the packing out, start off with the water running fast and toss out the first 50 - 100ml that comes out. Then I turn the water down to make it run as fast as it will run and collect everything in 1 vessel (usually about a gallon of low wines around 40%). Do this a few times until you have enough that after distilling off the alcohol there will still be about 10l in the boiler. You can add water if you need to, but do at least 2 strips. Don't put over 40abv back in, if it is over then dilute it.

For the spirit run, I run it at a slow drip and again throw out the first 50 - 100 ml. Once forshots have been taken, then I speed it up to somewhere between a drip and a broken stream. Collect in small jars (about 150ml). After you get used to where the cuts will be, larger collection at the middle of hearts is OK, but start out with all small cuts.
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When my spirit run is done, I cover loosely for 24h somewhere where it won't get knocked over or exposed to spark or flame. After 24h, starting from the middle and working my way out, I dilute small samples to around 30%, and taste them. You will find heads up at the front and tails in the back, there could be some off jars between if temps fluctuate too much, so do check them. If there are some you are unsure of, dilute them even further, it will open the flavor up. Blend all the good cuts together and dilute to drinking strength, but let it rest awhile before drinking. The heads and tails can be saved for faints for later runs, or hand sanitizer.

[Saltbush Bill]

I did take SBB's advice and I ran quite a bit hotter, getting as close to an unbroken stream as I could.

Running hotter on a T500 means ,hotter water leaving the reflux condencer, that in turn means less reflux and more booze leaving the still faster, in turn that means more smearing or less pure booze.
Its along time since ran a T500, my quote of a very small unbroken stream might be a bit fast, slowing down to less should help....the slower the better.
When taking fores off you can do that at a very slow drip after 10 mins or so , dont have to wait for 30 mins IMO.