Production of grappa - HELP

[Amir Sarig]

I recently tried making grappa and in order to prepare for the occasion, purchased in advance a commercial bottle to taste.
the commercial grappa has a "greenish" color, mine turned out clear,
does anybody know where the color comes from?.
Another question: is grappa double distilled?. I distilled about 300 litres in a pot still, and ended up with approximetly 50 litres of product.
Another question is, Im using a very rustic French still with no thermometer, any ideas on how to control the process? how to determine the cutting points?.
would love some advice.

[punkin]

The answer to your cutting points question is explained right through the site here in heaps of threads. The only way that's always right is the smell, tatse, feel method. Keep practising that and you'll get it quick.
Just go through and read every thread on the whole forums that has any interest at all to you. You'll probably find y'self reading the lot.
For questions like cuts, just use those terms in a search.
Dunno how they get the storebought to be green, never seen it in a store in Aus. Maybe add white wine?

All the grappa i've seen has been clear, all homemade, all single distilled.

[Usge]

single distilled. Most likely green color comes from oak. Grappa is usually clear.

[Amir Sarig]

Thank you for the reply,
I re-tasted the commercial stuff, its definetly oaked... might be an idea .
Overall turned out fine considering a 1st attempt, sadly no more grapes (season is over) and I have to wait till next august to polish my new amusing skill.
Anothr issue is the final result being slightly bitter, any solutions?
will time tone it down? fining?. I have plenty of experience in wine but this is my first hands-on experience with spirits.

[Usge]

If it's bitter..it could be the way you did your cuts. You "did" use cuts didn't you? (ie..toss the first 50-100ml per 25L) as foreshots (methanol).
heads/middle(hearts)/tails??? You make your cut somewhere at at the end of heads-start of hearts and end cut somewhere at end of hearts-start of tails. That gives you selectivo. Selects. If you collect "everything" it's going to be nasty, smell like a wet dog sleeping on newspaper.

It also could be your pommace too (dont' know). My friend from Venice says...toss a bottle of old wine in with it next time. Not only will it kick things up a notch..it will sweeten it. Or, what the heck, throw some sugar on your pommace.

Yes, as well, if you leave it to air (place a coffee filter over it and let it breathe) it will clear up some. The right oak also mellows it some.