need some clarification Thanks in advance.

barrelcreator · Post by **barrelcreator** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 10:00 pm

I distiller down some extra 15% alc. zinfandel wine I had threw my ministill. I refluxed to approx 50 to 75% reflux ratio. Approx. 2 to 3 drips a second. The spirits ended up at 83% alc, 164 proof. My question is, why did it still have a slight wine odor to it? I thought if you refluxed you shouldnt get any flavor or odor. It was flavorless but the odor was unexpected. Any help or clarification would be great.

Thanks.

Post by **bourbonbob** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 10:26 pm

you will need to run it off at higher proof.......92% or better

barrelcreator · Post by **barrelcreator** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 10:37 pm

stupid question but Im new so please bare with me. How do I control the alc. % with the reflux ratio? should I shut the valve down a little more and watch the hydrometer to get at that level. Thanks in advance.

Post by **HookLine** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 10:46 pm

Higher reflux ratio (more spirit going back into the column) = higher strength and purity alcohol. Try running a reflux ratio of about 5:1 and see what you get.

What size is your column, and how much heat you putting into it?

barrelcreator · Post by **barrelcreator** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 10:52 pm

the still is a reflux ministill, 1 1/4 inch think column, three feet high. Small compared to most. Temp at 170 to 175 for most of the run but dipped to 180 to 185 twords tails, never let it get over 190. I set the valve so I was getting about 2 or so drops per second. It took a little bit over 4 hours to get about 2000ml of drinkable run.

Post by **HookLine** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:00 pm

And how much heat you putting up the column?

To answer your original question: At that percentage (83%) you will get a slight taste and/or smell coming over. Like BourbonBob said, the higher you go, the less taste/smell you will get.

barrelcreator · Post by **barrelcreator** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:13 pm

Thanks for the help, I'll increase the ratio on the next run and get to 92 for neutral. Those temps were from the column temp gauge.

Post by **HookLine** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:28 pm

I suspect you are mistaking temperature with the amount of heat you are putting up the column. The distinction is important.

The vapour temperature is not determined by the amount of heat you use (above the amount of heat needed to keep the wash at a very gentle simmer). The vapour temp is determined by both its strength, ie the amount of alcohol in it, and by the mixture of different types of alcohol in it. The higher its strength, and the purer it is (for ethanol), the lower the temp (with a minimum of about 78.3C, depending on atmospheric conditions).

The amount of heat you put up the column determines the the vapour speed through the column. If the vapour speed is too fast (above about 20" a second, with an ideal about 12-16"/s), then it will not re-distill enough times on the packing to give you good separation and a clean, high strength product.

A 1.5" column only needs about 400-500 w of heat going into it, maybe even less.

barrelcreator · Post by **barrelcreator** » Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:47 pm

mash temp was approx. 190 to 195. column was 175. Thanks again for the great advise. I use a turkey fryer to heat the batch. Could this be corrected a bit to get a higher alc%.

Thanks in advance.

Post by **HookLine** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 12:40 am

barrelcreator wrote:I use a turkey fryer to heat the batch. Could this be corrected a bit to get a higher alc%. Thanks in advance.

Don't know anything about turkey fryers. Never used one.

alice · Post by **alice** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 1:36 am

Do you have any scrubbers or mesh in the column?

Ricky · Post by **Ricky** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 4:57 am

hookline asked 3 times how much heat and you never even vaguely answered. he even explained vapor speed being related to the heat input. i know it is hard to tell how many btu you are using when cooking with gas but you could give a description of the flame such as "as low as it will go without going out." the more in detail you describe your setup the more people can help you. nothing is to trivial.

barrelcreator · Post by **barrelcreator** » Mon Dec 24, 2007 6:45 am

Ricky, Thanks for the advise. Im new at this so its hard to pin point the exact info needed to be given for a question to be answered. Now that you put it that way heres what I can say. The flame, like you said was maybe turned up ever so slightly above where it would be blown out if a gust of wind cam eby. Not at the lowest setting it would run but really close to it. Just to add. I could hear the reflux flowing back into the column sometimes but not all the time. Hope that helps. Thanks again.