Home Distiller

After loads of great advice I have made a 25L batch of Birdwatchers sugar wash.
I think it was about 9-10% but managed to loose the original sg (I know on a hiding to nothing here).
After reading the posts on a previous thread I started I decided to go for a stripping run of 4L. on my 10l Chinese pot still
I was advised to go for distilling 1/4.
After a nightmare of hosing running through the kitchen, flooded floors, gas flames being drowned I started to get some clear liquid dripping into my bottle.
I felt a real sense of succssses ! cloudy pink liquid in clear spirit out.
wanting to clean it quickly and not having many jars (too much home made antipasto!!) I decided to split it into 4 wine bottles of 250ml each.
I got carried away and did 6
they all have different smells but all smell of acetone a sort of sickly smell.
No wet dog or cardboard smell though.

1st bottle 250ml 58%
2nd bottle 300ml 48%
3rd bottle 260ml 32%
4th bottle 270ml 18%
5th bottle 290ml 7%
6th bottle 300ml 5%

I'm kind of happy that I achieved something (and frustrated I cant even risk trying it (not that I would the way it smells)
I now have the bottles airing in the kitchen but would appreciate any advice.

Have fun

stringman wrote:....I now have the bottles airing in the kitchen but would appreciate any advice.

FWIW....shart another ferment.
ss

The numbers look like you had a bit more than 9-10%. Either 11-12% or your alcoholmeter is off. Does it measure 0% with water?
Normally I would toss bottle 5 and 6. Strip the rest of the wash and then do the spirit run. But we cannot judge the taste online, if there is really an acetone smell...
Do you have measured the FG of the wash?
How long did the distillation need from first drop to finish?
Do you have vapor temp measurements?

still_stirrin wrote:

stringman wrote:....I now have the bottles airing in the kitchen but would appreciate any advice.

FWIW....shart another ferment.
ss

????

> I decided to split it into 4 wine bottles of 250ml each.

Since you're still learning you should be collecting in much smaller increments ... 100ml max.

stringman wrote:

still_stirrin wrote:

stringman wrote:....I now have the bottles airing in the kitchen but would appreciate any advice.

FWIW....shart another ferment.
ss

????

START another ferment.

I think it was about 9-10% but managed to loose the original sg (I know on a hiding to nothing here).

????

stringman wrote:
...........they all have different smells but all smell of acetone a sort of sickly smell. .........

I didn't notice in your posts, but to me that "acetone" (Nail polish ?) smell and taste is something I only got when I've used "Turbo" yeast -

Congratulations on your first run - Wet floors are something we get over when we learn to connect our water better.

Well done mate

1- Was this a stripping or sacrificial run?
2- You're running propane indoors??

tp

greggn wrote:> I decided to split it into 4 wine bottles of 250ml each.

Since you're still learning you should be collecting in much smaller increments ... 100ml max.

I will do that on a proper run but as this was a sacrficial run and a first learning curve (and I didn't have many jars) I went for that option