Being the rookie that I am, I decided to start with an easy, cheap, yet proven wash; figuring that the rock-solid track-record of the wash would still produce semi-palatable results, even for a mistake-prone newbie such as myself. I've read enough in this forum to know that turbo yeasts should be avoided like the plague, so I was never tempted to go that route. Seeing as it fit all my criteria, I decided to go with Birdwatcher's wash.
First off, due to my lack of free time and material availability issues, I decided to go with the Turbo 500 still. I'm fully aware of the shortcomings of this mass-produced kit, but at the same time, I figured it's perfect for my current situation as long as I don't harbor any delusions of grandeur concerning the quality of it's end-product. I looked at it from this perspective: strict government regulation of spirits in Finland have created a nightmarish situation for a liquor connoisseur, US ex-pat like me. After years of suffering under this "regime"
, I decided to empower myself and delve into the wonderful world of DIY distillation! Needless to say, allowing the government free reign over local production, import, export, taxation and distribution of spirits has created a stifling environment for the more free- "spirited" (pun intended!) entities residing here. The selection of brands is embarrassingly minute, the availability of spirits is severely limited (you can only buy from "Alko's" set up in select locations chosen by the gov't. No one else is allowed to sell alcoholic beverages above 4.6% abv!!). Not only is the selection of spirits here insultingly limited, the gov't monopoly on spirits has allowed them to dictate the price and this is the most painful aspect. For example, 350ml of regular Jack Daniel's runs you €26 or about $37.70 USD!!!! Whereas in the US, you can purchase a 1l bottle for for about $2 cheaper...you do the math.
Sorry for the side-tracking, but I had to discuss the background/set the tone in describing what drove my personal foray into this challenging, yet rewarding hobby!! Nuff said there!
I broke my cherry with 25l of Birdwatcher's, scaled down proportionally of course from the original recipe and after 2 weeks of slow, but consistent fermentation, I decided to pull the trigger and run ½ of it through my T500. My rookie mistakes at this point were: 1: not allowing it to finish fermenting and 2: siphoning it straight from fermenter to boiler without allowing it to clear.
The results of the 1st run: Great yield&abv. I pulled about 1.25 liters at about 94% after discarding 50ml of foreshots. The problem was that this batch had fruity, yeasty off-tastes and NO discernible tails. I monitored this run from start to finish and sniffed/felt/tasted (bear in mind the rookie senses) the output every 10 minutes or so after discarding the foreshots. The transiition from foreshots&heads to hearts was noticeable, as the smell of the distillate became less "fruity/yeasty" at around 25ml and weakened even more at 50ml. I then started collecting in my hearts jar. Even with the periodic testing of the output, I could never detect a transition between hearts&tails. The same fruity/yeasty off-taste had weakened as compared to the foreshots&heads, but remained until the end of the run. I noted the results and decided to chalk this up as my very first learning experience in this arena. I had already decided what I'd do to improve the 2nd run.
Between the first and second run:
1. I boiled the copper and ceramic saddles in water and vinegar multiple times followed by multiple water-only boilings
2. I "Douched" the column and boiler multiple times with a water/vinegar and finally pure water solution until no pungent odors were detected
The second run (same batch) turned out pretty much the same, even though this time around, I made the following adjustments:
1. Allowed an additional 3 days of fermentation
2. Racked the wash from the lees and let it sit for about 12 hours before adding it to the boiler (it never became even close to being translucent)
3. Filtered the wash through a pillowcase prior to running it (captured a shitload of "debris" consisting of fresh lemon juice and tomato puree solids)
4. Did not add any distiller's conditioner to the wash (was looking for ways to eliminate all potential sources of foul tastes. I knew that puking wouldn't be an issue since I'm running a ½ filled boiler).
5. Left out the boil rings (same logic as above)
Results: The fuity/yeasy smell was slightly less pungent, but was noticeably present.
3rd run:
I'd saved the output of the 2nd run (drank the 1st run output...again, a rookie mistake as a result of impatience), let it sit for about a week and decide to dilute and rerun it
Results:
I started with about 94% abv, diluted down to 40% abv and did a very slow, controlled run. The end result was AMAZING! Nearly all the off tastes from the previous run were removed, resulting on a damn-near neutral spirit at about 94% abv.
The weird part of this run was that even though I collected about 50ml for foreshots/heads (I didn't think it was necessary&in the end it wasn't), I collected very clean hearts AND not only did I have tails this time, the transition from hearts to tails was more than obvious. The wet-cardboard smell hit me like week-old unwashed gym-socks and it was brainless work to identify the transition point.
End result:
The neutrality of the spirits from this round was excellent. There were still some very faint off-tastes, but overall it was a really fine neutral! I'm no expert, but I'm far from a slouch when it comes to my neutrals or spirits in general. I know my Belvedere, Ketel1, and Grey Goose (admittedly, not my favorite) and I can say that I'm not anywhere near that level yet, but there was a definite smoothness and lovely natural warmth without a hint of "gag reflex", when tested at room temperature!! I've never gotten this from any store-bought neutrals except fro the ones listed above (Grey Goose was slightly harsher than the others)
Next time around, I'll let it ferment out and clear completely before running, plus I'll run the entire batch at once. Hopefully, this will create a superior single-run product, eliminating the need for double-distillation.
Bottom Line:
I have rendered (in my mind) an extremely palatable product utilizing a relativley low learning curve and investment, thanks to the knowledge gleaned from these forums. I love the candor and wealth of information presented by various contributors who've (unknowingly) pushed me to the point of even trying this at home! Even just a year ago, I would've never envisioned myself as a "moonshiner". I was too ingrained with the typical gov't brainwashing about the DIY aspect.
This is part science, part art and I'm truly addicted to the self-exploration which comes with attempting to master this realm!
Thank you all!