Rectifying questions.... gin from vodka

[Magicbean]

Hello,
I'm not sure if this is a good place to ask but there seem to be a lot of knowledgeable people here so....

I'm interested in rectifying vodka to occasionally make gin at home using a small copper alembic 3 to 5L pot still (I'm aware of the requirements for a UK rectifier's license) but I'm having trouble finding the answers to some basic questions.
1) Starting with duty-paid, supermarket vodka, I'm assuming that, because it contains pretty much only ethyl alcohol and water, I'm not in danger of producing any other toxic substances (methyl alcohol, acetone .... etc)?

2) There is a lot of reference to making cuts, heads, hearts, tails etc. on the web and on this forum. Am I right to think that this only relevant when distilling alcohol from scratch (which isn't the plan)? Starting with a commercial vodka, do I only have to worry about stopping the rectification once the alcohol concentration in the distillate starts to drop?

3) If I'm heating gently to evaporate the alcohol and not boil the water, is 'bumping' (?) something I should worry about?

4) Whilst making gin, is it normal to leave the botanicals in or take them out before rectifying (I'm assuming they will have been seeping in the vodka)? Or is that just a personal taste choice?

5) I've read lots of controversy about whether to use a thermometer (not intending to start a new debate about that); I'm planning to use one to help me get the feel of the process. From what I have read, I would expect the temperature at the top of the swan neck to be about the temperature of whatever is boiling: so ~ 80C whilst the ethyl alcohol is coming off and then going up towards about 100C as the water starts to evaporate regardless (almost) of how hard I heat. Is that right?

Just for clarification, I'm sure that whatever equipment I plan to use, there will be lots of folk who suggest I use something better, more efficient, more expensive or complicated. I'm just planning on doing this for fun, on a limited budget and because I'm interested in gins.

(Apologies if this isn't the right place to ask these questions, in which case is there a more appropriate forum?)

Many thanks,
Magicbean.

[Fraser]

Hello! I'm sure you're going to get a lot of advice. There are many ways to make gin, most methods no better or worse than the other. It all depends on what process you find that gives you the end product you enjoy. So feel free to experiment until you find some process that works best for you, and the equipment you're using.

It's probably true that most of the nasties have already been cut out of store bought vodka. But I can tell you from first hand experience that you can still take a heads cut off most store bought vodkas if you run it through a reflux column. So it's still in there, but I wouldn't really worry about it if you're starting with a pre-made vodka. It's not technically necessary unless you're a purist and the vodka you're using is very very poor quality.

As far as the methods used, you cannot go wrong with starting out with Odin's Easy Gin recipe.

viewtopic.php?f=14&t=48594&start=90

That's where I would start as a beginner and then work your way out to more complicated methods.

As far as thermometers, everyone has their own comfort level. I have one on my column and I only use it as a general idea of what's going on. My most useful thermometer is the one that I stick into my parrot to get a digital reading of the condensed spirit temperature to correct my alcohol meter reading. That's just what I do, but others find using a thermometer in their still more useful.

Good luck. Gin is super fun to make and enjoy.

[fizzix]

You won't make toxins.
There is no "evaporating only alcohol and leaving water."
The process of distillation (rectifying, as you call it) incurs a vapor mixture of both alcohol and water, and there is no magic line of separation.
I wish it was that easy to just boil off alcohol from the water, but it sadly doesn't work that way.

I'm with Fraser on Odin's Gin.
Take a look at that recipe and see how easy it truly is.
I've got 6 liters of Odin's Gin infusing right now because there are friends and relatives beating the door down for it.
It's that good. It's that simple.

[pfshine]

If it were me doing this, I would run watered down store bought through the still first and do cuts on it. The big guys don't do cuts as lots of them have continuous stills. Yes they "filter" it through carbon to help remove some of the nasty taste but to me that's like spraying a turd with air freshener when the turd should have been removed in the first place. Not only will this make it taste and smell better but it will keep you from getting hangovers. There is no reason to leave that crap in there when it is so easy to remove. You now have a good base to start with. I'm no purist but I do absolutely hate hangovers and the smell of nasty heads.

[Magicbean]

Thanks all. I'll definitely see if I can do Odin's Gin.

@pfshine - I think I need to start as simply as possible otherwise it seems like a daunting hill to climb. If I take everybody's suggestions all in one go I fear it will be to complicated to even start but I take your point that it would be possible to improve store bought vodka that way. First, though, I actually need to purchase a still and see if I can make it work!

[Expat]

Or build one, its really not that hard.

[The Baker]

pfshine said, ' like spraying a turd with air freshener when the turd should have been removed in the first place.'

Now that certainly grabs the attention!

Geoff

[bitter]

Definitely clean up any store purchased before making it into gin as others have mentioned. You will find the gin is so much nicer to sip on and also easier on your head.

Quality over quanity

[Copperhead road]

pfshine said, ' like spraying a turd with air freshener when the turd should have been removed in the first place.'

Now that certainly grabs the attention!

Geoff

[Magicbean]

Or build one, its really not that hard.

I'm sure you're right but I don't know if I'll even enjoy doing it yet. If I find I do, it's something I could consider in the future when I think I know what I'm doing.
My idea was that starting with a small commercial pot still seems like a good way to find out if I like it enough to make it worth the effort.

[Magicbean]

Definitely clean up any store purchased before making it into gin as others have mentioned. You will find the gin is so much nicer to sip on and also easier on your head.

Quality over quanity

Without making life too complicated to start with, would Odin's gin recipe be a good way to start - i.e. just start with store bought vodka and discard the first 40ml of distillate?

[fizzix]

Sure! You can use it as-is.
But you have to distill Odin's eventually in the recipe, so why not start out distilling the store bought right off the bat and making an even better product?

[Magicbean]

Sure! You can use it as-is.
But you have to distill Odin's eventually in the recipe, so why not start out distilling the store bought right off the bat and making an even better product?

I see your point - but just so I understand correctly, you're suggesting two distillations. 1) distill store bought vodka and collect just a portion of the distillate and 2) adding my botanicals to that and starting from there with a second distillation to generate the gin?

And then still discarding the first 40 ml as per the recipe. Is that right?

If that is correct, can you give a rough indication of which portion of the first distillate I would keep? And if I wanted to keep it as simple as possible, which would be the most important bit to discard? (I'm guessing it's mostly the first stuff out of the condenser - but how much!?).

Presumably I'm going to end up with quite a small bottle of gin from quite a large bottle of vodka...... that's not a criticism, just me trying to understand how this works.