Rerunning Feints

Distillation methods and improvements.

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Chauncey
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Re: Rerunning Feints

Post by Chauncey »

BrewinBrian44 wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 7:23 pm Saw this thread, surprised I hadn’t read it before.

Good stuff. Lots of differing opinions too. It definitely seems geared towards the pot stilling crowd or people that use the feints for neutral. I kind of land somewhere in between.

Most of my product is AG bourbon. I usually run everything in single runs of wash with a 2 plate VM reflux column. I rarely strip/spirit anything. The only exception is stuff with lots of rye or my recent apple brandy, for those I pot still.

The way I treat my feints is a little different, but it definitely builds flavor over time. When I’m single running my plater with wash and it’s time for cuts, I find my hearts blend and keep that for aging. I then save the late heads “almost hearts” and all the rest of the tails I can actually squeeze out of a VM head and dump them into my next single run. I toss the first fores jar down the drain and save up the rest of the heads in a separate glass vessel with the intention to make it into neutral. Been building this up for quite some time actually.

My last 5gal barrel fill was HBB. When I’m building up the stock to fill my barrel, it’s all waiting in quart jars with date labels, so I can easily keep track of flavor change in subsequent runs. I’ve found that recycling compressed tails feints/late heads in subsequent runs has a pretty profound effect on the flavor of the entire spirit. When I taste my last run jar and compare it to my first run, it has a much bolder sweet grain flavor and body. Since I’m compressing the tails and VM can only collect so much, there’s only a few jars after the hearts, but man, it’s highly concentrated flavor. Blending this stuff into subsequent runs amplifies the richness of my late hearts, which I find is the foundation of most of the flavor in HBB. My yield ticks up slightly, but not much. I find this method works well for me.
not to derail the thread but what average ABV is your collection through each fraction using the 2 plate vm?

im actually asking because i think the abv of said feints may change how they behave. also i am just wondering how 2 plates performs. wash abv?
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jonnys_spirit
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Re: Rerunning Feints

Post by jonnys_spirit »

I save and add feints cut back into next spirit run. Generally I’ll make four cuts from the fractions:

Fores = fores and early heads. This goes into the fores jug(s) for fire starter and cleaning solvent. 2-3 liters.

Feints = late heads and tails. Throw it on some oak and keep it for next spirit run of similar spirit. Flavors really compound after multiple generations which end up bleeding over into the hearts cut in a good way :) This stuff really adds some goodness to the next spirit run and along with fresh wash means i only need two strips not three for a spirit run. 3g feints on a 16g spirit run charge.

Wide Hearts = barrel cut. Fairly wide for longer term aging. Maybe 2-2.5g hearts on a 16g spirit run @ approx 120pf.

Clean White = middle hearts. Clean white with good flavor early. Sip it white. Love this stuff but it’s limited quantity each spirit run and I guess it’s all limited quantity. A liter or 1.5 tops @ 120pf.

Cheers!
-j
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i prefer my mash shaken, not stirred
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BrewinBrian44
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Re: Rerunning Feints

Post by BrewinBrian44 »

Chauncey wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 7:46 pm
BrewinBrian44 wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 7:23 pm Saw this thread, surprised I hadn’t read it before.

Good stuff. Lots of differing opinions too. It definitely seems geared towards the pot stilling crowd or people that use the feints for neutral. I kind of land somewhere in between.

Most of my product is AG bourbon. I usually run everything in single runs of wash with a 2 plate VM reflux column. I rarely strip/spirit anything. The only exception is stuff with lots of rye or my recent apple brandy, for those I pot still.

The way I treat my feints is a little different, but it definitely builds flavor over time. When I’m single running my plater with wash and it’s time for cuts, I find my hearts blend and keep that for aging. I then save the late heads “almost hearts” and all the rest of the tails I can actually squeeze out of a VM head and dump them into my next single run. I toss the first fores jar down the drain and save up the rest of the heads in a separate glass vessel with the intention to make it into neutral. Been building this up for quite some time actually.

My last 5gal barrel fill was HBB. When I’m building up the stock to fill my barrel, it’s all waiting in quart jars with date labels, so I can easily keep track of flavor change in subsequent runs. I’ve found that recycling compressed tails feints/late heads in subsequent runs has a pretty profound effect on the flavor of the entire spirit. When I taste my last run jar and compare it to my first run, it has a much bolder sweet grain flavor and body. Since I’m compressing the tails and VM can only collect so much, there’s only a few jars after the hearts, but man, it’s highly concentrated flavor. Blending this stuff into subsequent runs amplifies the richness of my late hearts, which I find is the foundation of most of the flavor in HBB. My yield ticks up slightly, but not much. I find this method works well for me.
not to derail the thread but what average ABV is your collection through each fraction using the 2 plate vm?

im actually asking because i think the abv of said feints may change how they behave. also i am just wondering how 2 plates performs. wash abv?
I don’t track ABV by fraction, I only keep note of the total ABV of the entire keeper blend which is usually around 85%.

The wash ABV is 8%, before adding feints. 2 plates with wash creates a very flavorful drink, I just need to run it a little slower than I would with low wines. For my rig, I’ve found the spirit isn’t quite as bold using 3 or 4 plates. My previous barrel fill was nothing but 4 plate runs. It’s still tasty, but slightly thin. My goal with 2 plates is pot still flavor without the need for stripping runs. Works well.

The plates are 3” bubble caps.
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Re: Rerunning Feints

Post by BrewinBrian44 »

jonnys_spirit wrote: Tue Nov 29, 2022 8:25 pm I save and add feints cut back into next spirit run. Generally I’ll make four cuts from the fractions:

Fores = fores and early heads. This goes into the fores jug(s) for fire starter and cleaning solvent. 2-3 liters.

Feints = late heads and tails. Throw it on some oak and keep it for next spirit run of similar spirit. Flavors really compound after multiple generations which end up bleeding over into the hearts cut in a good way :) This stuff really adds some goodness to the next spirit run and along with fresh wash means i only need two strips not three for a spirit run. 3g feints on a 16g spirit run charge.

Wide Hearts = barrel cut. Fairly wide for longer term aging. Maybe 2-2.5g hearts on a 16g spirit run @ approx 120pf.

Clean White = middle hearts. Clean white with good flavor early. Sip it white. Love this stuff but it’s limited quantity each spirit run and I guess it’s all limited quantity. A liter or 1.5 tops @ 120pf.

Cheers!
-j
Good stuff Jonny. I should consider pulling out the middle of the hearts to sip white. I’m just always in a race to fill a barrel haha.
I bet this really amps up the flavor of your barrel cut.
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NZChris
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Re: Rerunning Feints

Post by NZChris »

I don't pull out some middle hearts for drinking white, I choose a blend from the available jars. Young white dog for your drinks cabinet doesn't have to be short on flavor.

It's the easiest cut to make because it ages little and what you select is what you will be drinking until it's gone. It does improve a bit, but not as much as the prime heart cut on wood.
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