Home Distiller

So I ran my first wineos sugar wash, and got a decent amount of 94% spirit using a slant plate column with 40" of scrubbers. While it tastes Ok, it has a bit of a sweetness and flavor like brandy (tasting after reducing to 40%). Definatly not "neutral" like a vodka. My guess is that:
#1 I didn't let if finish fermenting all the way, cut it short
#2 because of #1, didin't let it clear all the way
Don't have SG readings. So my question is, Are these flavors normal or are they due to #1 and #2? I don't have any experiance with home distilled spirits so I don't have a base line for flavor.
Have a Gerber rice wash going and will let that go till it stops for sure this time.

sweetness could be foreshots/ heads.

Yeah, I might add that I did the
-Toss the first 50ml
-remove the next 100 ml, and last 100ml
The thing is I collected in 200ml pulls through the entire run and they all tased/smelled very similar. There was no defined change and it all came out at 93-94%.

You probably did not remove enough heads and tails. 100 ml is not much. I easily remove easily a few hundred ml of each.

Did you dilute the samples to below 40% before making the cuts? It is quite difficult to discern the different smells at very high proof.

sugar washes can be a bitch to get totally neutral, especially if not dry and clear. I will usually run even the best sugar washes through 2 spirit runs. so that is, a stripping run, a good spirt run, air it for a week and run again the next weekend. that is how i get the best results. If you think about it, even the lower shelf vodkas are triple distilled, grey goose 5 times.
Funny story, I was in alaska this summer (where everything is super expensive) I bought a bottle of Monarch vodka. Its label said " distilled 1 time, BUT! triple carbon filtered." I payed $29 for a 1.75L. Oh yeah, and it tasted like shit. Like foreshots and heads dragged through the whole run, and gave you a monster hangover. My stuff tasted better without making any cuts!

Well, at least it is drinkable.
Next run I think I am just going to have to take a little more time in the Ferment/clearing, and when making the cuts. I was happy with the still performance though

2nd wash ever just finished up after 7 days. 5 gal Gerber rice wash is nothing like the 1st wineos batch. I have concluded that the first was not done fermenting and that is why I got the sweetness taste.
This wash definatly has that dry wine taste where the last one did not. Only problem is I caught a unidentified floater (probably pine needle) when racking to the clearing carboy. Should be cold enough outside (40F) not to cause issues till sunday...... I hope.

Maynard, your wash should be fine as long as it isn't in direct sunlight and remains covered to keep additional nasties out... I keep mine at room temperature for weeks or longer at times without issues... Glad to hear that the Gerber fermented to dry...

Gerber was was ran yesterday and is airing out now. Yeided about 1 L of 93-94% after making cuts. There is still a difinite aroma and taste, though this time it is WAY less than the first batch of winoes recipe. The gerber was racked and rested 3 days in the cool weather and was a very clear yellow color before charging.

So, still not flavorless (though I think a lot of the "flavors" are actuall coming from the smelling when drinking). Should I "air it out", or dilute it and run it again? Will running it again remove more flavors even if I got 94% ABV out on the first run?

Congrats.

Maynard wrote:So, still not flavorless (though I think a lot of the "flavors" are actuall coming from the smelling when drinking). Should I "air it out", or dilute it and run it again? Will running it again remove more flavors even if I got 94% ABV out on the first run?

Are you happy with the result? If not dilute it and run it again, and you will lose more flavour. If you are happy with it, then drink and be merry.

Did a real tasting tonight. 7 175ml pulls after the inital heads and tails were taken out.
turns out that #2-5 are quite neutral when tasted properly. #5 is where the tails start showing up, and to me the tails are quite horrid even in small quantities. If I recall the middle of the run was where i started getting temp spike due to my water getting too hot and spiked even more when I tried to change it out. My guess is that I started drawing tails up in the column early. I ended up with over 500ml tainted with tails which seems like too much if I was driving the rig consistantly.
Gonna do the Gerber again this week and run after Tgiving.
I think I am getting it.

Maynard wrote: ... take a little more time in the Ferment/clearing, and when making the cuts. I was happy with the still performance though

That's the answer, Maynard. Practice and getting to know your still. All stills perform differently, you will soon learn your stills best performance.

blanik