Do you always have to use a carbon filter?

[canadjian]

Do you need to use a carbon filter if you are getting more than 90% alcohol out of the still?

[junkyard dawg]

The carbon is used to take out funky flavors. If you don't have any smelly funk then you don't need carbon. If you used turbo yeast then you probably want carbon. There are lots of recipes on here that will make better distillate that don't need carbon, but they take longer than a turbo. The percentage is not really relevant.

[Rocky_Creek]

Never used carbon.

[vinifera]

It doesn't matter if you get 90% or 96.5%, there can be congeners in the destillate anyway. I run a still from (stripped) 14% turbo mash which gives pure 95.6% alcohol. The trick is to make your column tall enough and fill it with the right material, copper mesh in my case. And you have to take it real slow, with lots of reflux and make appropriate cuts for heads and tails. Stripping the mash is also good.

[Uncle Jesse]

actually the carbon is used to remove funky smells. it cant remove the hangovers but it can mask a cheap product.