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I also agree about stripping down lower. I strip until my distillate averages about 30%. Depends on the run, but that's usually about 8-10% or so as it drips. There's a lot of flavor in there.

SR

ShineRunner wrote:Distillate to water calc?

SR

http://homedistiller.org/calcs/rad14701" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

This is what I am speaking of

TXB

Yea, too any variables. That may be meant for reflux, not sure. Do the pot calc (v2) like I mentioned and you'll be able to figure it out.
SR

Well wasn't finished fermenting so gotta wait till Monday to finish the stripping runs

Ok, so over the last 2 days I have done 2 stripping runs and 1 spirit run.

I have learned that like stripping runs a lot more....

in the end I ended up with 36 pints that I now need to cut, blend, and oak.....

TXB

TxBrewing wrote:I have learned that like stripping runs a lot more....

TXB

But you get to drink the fruits of your labors on the spirit run! The end is near..

And you are going to hate yourself that you didn't collect 72 half pints to do that cutting and blending from .

Thanks for this thread yall. This is right where im at. 15 gal washes - gen 3. Sitting on 6+ gallons of LW soon to be 9+. Getting ready to strip #3 and then do a Spirit. This is my maiden voyage so making cuts is going to be the 1/2 pint approach to be on the safe side. Then the ole smell touch taste burn method to start familiarizing myself. I know, low and slow [WINKING FACE].


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I am not even sure where or how to start the cutting and blending.....
I want to get it into 1/2 gallon jars of 60-65% for raging with oak....gonna toast the oak today or tomorrow
then spend Monday night starting the process

TXB

It's a little overwhelming at first, but you'll get it.

Here's how I do it. I start with the middle hearts, take a little bit and water it down to 30% ish. Taste it, swirl it around, get the mouthfeel and then spit it out. Tastes good, move one way to either heads or tails. I usually skip a few jars at a time and sample down the line. Eat some crackers and drink water in between to cleanse your palate a little. Take breaks throughout as well. You'll start to get an idea of what flavors you don't like in there. Tails taste like different things, but I usually find them to be like wet dog or even stinky feet sometimes. Heads are more chemically and they burn.

I think when I first started I may have also just gone straight to an early jar or late jar to see what the extreme cases were and find out what those nasty flavors are like. Take a break and then come back because those extremes will ruin your taste buds.

Anyways, once I identify what I think my cut point will be, I leave it alone. Walk away and come back later to make sure I still like that cut point. Then I mix everything together starting in the middle and working out. Once I get to within a couple jars of the cut point, I sample the mix to make sure I'm on track. If it's still good, add the next jar and sample again. So on... I sometimes will get close and then try to take a proportionate amount of the last cut jar and add that in to see what it does- before adding the whole jar.

Start out making conservative cuts and see how that ages. Then you can tailor your approach next time. My first UJs were pretty lean cuts and they are good, but definitely nothing complex. My later bourbons had more generous cuts with flavors that age well. You'll figure it out.

Take your time and be patient. If you add too much junk in, you can always throw it back in the still and run it again.

SR

ShineRunner wrote:It's a little overwhelming at first, but you'll get it.

Here's how I do it. I start with the middle hearts, take a little bit and water it down to 30% ish. Taste it, swirl it around, get the mouthfeel and then spit it out. Tastes good, move one way to either heads or tails. I usually skip a few jars at a time and sample down the line. Eat some crackers and drink water in between to cleanse your palate a little. Take breaks throughout as well. You'll start to get an idea of what flavors you don't like in there. Tails taste like different things, but I usually find them to be like wet dog or even stinky feet sometimes. Heads are more chemically and they burn.

I think when I first started I may have also just gone straight to an early jar or late jar to see what the extreme cases were and find out what those nasty flavors are like. Take a break and then come back because those extremes will ruin your taste buds.

Anyways, once I identify what I think my cut point will be, I leave it alone. Walk away and come back later to make sure I still like that cut point. Then I mix everything together starting in the middle and working out. Once I get to within a couple jars of the cut point, I sample the mix to make sure I'm on track. If it's still good, add the next jar and sample again. So on... I sometimes will get close and then try to take a proportionate amount of the last cut jar and add that in to see what it does- before adding the whole jar.

Start out making conservative cuts and see how that ages. Then you can tailor your approach next time. My first UJs were pretty lean cuts and they are good, but definitely nothing complex. My later bourbons had more generous cuts with flavors that age well. You'll figure it out.

Take your time and be patient. If you add too much junk in, you can always throw it back in the still and run it again.

SR

Thanks so much.
I might try the first and last jar to see what the ends are like, then come back to the method you have outlined.

ShineRunner said, "Eat some crackers and drink water in between to cleanse your palate."

A winemaker told me once, Buy wine on apples and sell wine on cheese. So, apples would be the ideal palate cleanser.
Geoff

Cut to 80ish proof and ready for drinking.

Still has a hot "vapour" thing going on, think it might be heads that still need to age out a bit, but other than that I am really happy with this first run.
It is still young, and I have a few more 1/2 gallons still t 125 proof sitting on oak.

TXB

Pour it in a jar and put it in the microwave until it hits 150º d and then put a kid in it loosely and let it cool then try it again.

Yep. Did that. Need to check when I get home and see

jb-texshine wrote:Pour it in a jar and put it in the microwave until it hits 150º d and then put a kid in it loosely and let it cool then try it again.

How old of a kid?

I've done the nuke aging and found I still needed the oak in it for at least 3 months or more then another 3 months without. For me that has given the best flavor, at least for my taste.
When I do my rum, I nuke age and smell every time I do it (usually 4 cycle) then remove the oak. Sweet, caramel, warm sweet butter and lots of vanilla. I then let it sit for however long. It's good from that point on and gets better with some time.

I use med toast oak cubes from the brew shop and have dialed in on a quantity that works perfect for a quart and can be scaled up to what ever size jar/jug I have on hand.
I'd much rather under oak than over!!!

Looks good and keep up the good work, you'll be rewarded from your labor and you'll learn from all mistakes (hopefully) lol

Shine0n

Looks good!

It must be only a month old at this point. IMO- it needs much more than that.. There's a big difference between color and age. I'm sure if you let it age out, it will lose that bite.

keep it up!

SR

It is very young, and I feel that time will work wonders.

This bottle has to be what it is, I still have several on oak. This is for my retirement party and to share with my brother that helped to build the still

TXB

yeah, a month in you are going to pull a lot of spicy tannins out the wood and not much sweetness/vanilla/caramel to temper it. I been working with a rye since January that got wayyy spicy until about two weeks ago when other things started showing up.
the spiciness came across like a headsy burn which is now smoothed out a lot that the other flavours are showing up.

great advise from shinerunner on the cuts. it usually takes me 2 or 3 days to make my selections since getting a taste or two into it...differences are harder to place.
the smells in the first heads is so obvious, I have found looking for the smells in the first jar of heads, as you work down the line makes a head cut easier. (comparing them to the obvious first jar)
Tails are a lot more subjective for me, often find i like a lot of the second or third jar and then maybe skip a few and find some late jars i like to add a splash or two. the first jar of tails is almost always a bad one and is easy to cut.