Gin > When to stop the stripping & last spirit run ?

[Turbo6ta]

New to distilling ... I am planning on making my first batch of gin.

Question: When do you normally stop distilling your stripping run and the last spirit run for your gin?

Reading online info about this gives so many various answers ... I am thinking I might stop the stripping distilling when the ABV reaches 15% and stop the last spirit run when the ABV reaches 20%

Does this sound reasonable to you ?

[8Ball]

viewforum.php?f=14

[Dee Envy]

^This^
Specifically Odin's Easy Gin.

[Turbo6ta]

I read that first post that shows the recipe for Odin's Easy Gin, but it does not say at what alcohol content to stop distilling the stripping or the final spirit run ... unless it's buried in one of the 46 pages of posts later on in the thread.

I was just hoping any of you folks could tell me at what ABV you normally will stop the distilling process for both your stripping and final distilling run.

[Tammuz]

If reading is too much..

[Turbo6ta]

No, reading is not 'too much' ... but thanks for the video link

[Twisted Brick]

No, reading is not 'too much' ... but thanks for the video link

Excellent. The guidelines for terminating a stripping and/or spirit run are literally all over the forum. You may hear others warning you to 'filter' out what you have learned from other sites because the information is often wrong. Unfortunately this advice also applies to advice from distilling retailers. As a general rule, direct experience is always the best teacher.

Oh, and thanks for your service.

[shadylane]

Question: When do you normally stop distilling your stripping run and the last spirit run for your gin?

Reading online info about this gives so many various answers ... I am thinking I might stop the stripping distilling when the ABV reaches 15% and stop the last spirit run when the ABV reaches 20%

Does this sound reasonable to you ?

There's not a simple answer, it depends on too many variables to give a definitive answer to.
Gin starts with a neutral spirit. Here's a link to potstill cuts and the info also applies for reflux cuts.

viewtopic.php?t=13261

[NZChris]

Leave the word 'gin' out of your searches, it's just confusing things. You are needing to make 'neutral', which can be used for many different drinks besides gin.

[Turbo6ta]

Thanks everyone for your replies and info provided

[The Booze Pipe]

Leave the word 'gin' out of your searches, it's just confusing things. You are needing to make 'neutral', which can be used for many different drinks besides gin.

You can also make and use a light whiskey as a base. That would be more of a genever gin, correct?

[The Booze Pipe]

Thanks everyone for your replies and info provided

Just a heads up, the questions you are asking have been answered many times before. This forum has changed a good bit, as there was no "hand holding" as there is now. So if you are met with some resistance with these questions, that's why.

Keep researching and digging on this forum, it'll take hours and hours of reading. But if you keep some notes while you do it, you'll learn more that way than writing posts.

Do you know what style of gin you want to make? Do you have a favorite one?

[shadylane]

Just a heads up, the questions you are asking have been answered many times before. This forum has changed a good bit, as there was no "hand holding" as there is now. So if you are met with some resistance with these questions, that's why.

I remember the old days when new members would get ganged up on for asking questions.
I like it better the way it is now.

[The Booze Pipe]

Just a heads up, the questions you are asking have been answered many times before. This forum has changed a good bit, as there was no "hand holding" as there is now. So if you are met with some resistance with these questions, that's why.

I remember the old days when new members would get ganged up on for asking questions.
I like it better the way it is now.

Yes, it is much nicer! I still encourage research over hand-holding though... in a nice way.

[NZChris]

Leave the word 'gin' out of your searches, it's just confusing things. You are needing to make 'neutral', which can be used for many different drinks besides gin.

You can also make and use a light whiskey as a base. That would be more of a genever gin, correct?

I do a lot of research when making a new product, not just on the forum, this includes looking at the spirit used. For Genever, I mix AG and neutral rather than refluxing most of the flavors out of AG.

[shadylane]

It appears there's at least three different ways to make gin.

1. Steep the botanicals in alcohol for an extended period of time and strain it before distilling.
2. Place the botanicals in the pot with alcohol and distill.
3. Use a gin basket.

[Saltbush Bill]

That's about the size of it Shady, none of those , or combinations of all are wrong.
As for when to stop on the gin run, with the recipe I use, you collect in small jars, as soon as you see a cloudy jar stop, I never keep that jar.
Once you've hit that point the earthy flavours from things like Cassia bark will begin to dominate.

[NZChris]

4: Offset basket, e.g. Carter Head.

[howie]

That's about the size of it Shady, none of those , or combinations of all are wrong.
As for when to stop on the gin run, with the recipe I use, you collect in small jars, as soon as you see a cloudy jar stop, I never keep that jar.
Once you've hit that point the earthy flavours from things like Cassia bark will begin to dominate.

correct SB.
the more astringent flavours come through round about the 'odin mark', at 400ml per litre.
i pay close attention when the collection reaches the odin mark.
yesterdays collection was 1650mls from a 4L charge, before it started to go all cassia on me.
i also have the advantage of watching a glass liebig and the condensation rings that form.
on most gins i do the early rings are usually very defined and uniformly spaced, then about two thirds through the run, the lines get blurred and look 'oily'
it depends on the botanicals, i have one gin that is 'oily' early on in the run (i think it's the Rooibos gin?)

[Saltbush Bill]

i think it's the Rooibos gin?)

Not sure I'm familiar with that one howie, got a link?

[howie]

i think it's the Rooibos gin?)

Not sure I'm familiar with that one howie, got a link?

it's one of my own.
i'm pretty sure i was experimenting doing a Jaisalmer Gin, which uses green tea.
it wasn't too bad, but a swapped out the green tea for rooibos tea.
rooibos tea has very low tannins.