Re: ESSENCIA SUPER EXPRESS
Posted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:08 pmI think I understand where you're coming from now.
My standard practice is to only run ultra clean wash in my 50Lt boiler which now has a 3Kw element. I don't care how long it takes to clear a wash. By not running 'dirty' wash I keep a very clean boiler and pot head and my cleaning routine between runs is very easy.
When I run a strip - I did 2 X 40Lt yesterday - there's no smell and I couldn't tell you what it tastes like because I double distill everything - regardless, so I've never seen the need to sample the low wines
My Pot Still has a Thumper attached which provides an extra element of distillation - estimated to be the equivalent of an extra half distillation. This means that by stripping a wash then putting the low wines through the pot again as a Spirit Run I'm effectively getting a triple distilled spirit and I can tell you that what I produce now is very tasty indeed.
That's where I am now but I do remember the early days, I sound like an old-timer now, when I believed, as I was told, that I could get drinkable spirit from my Airstill from a single run.
The smell was seriously 'homebrew' crap and I quickly discovered that, while the distillate from the Airstill was around 65-70%ABV, when diluted to standard spirit strength it would make you sick the next morning and that's if you could ignore the off smell when drinking it - even with a strong mixer.
That's when I learned the biggest secret of home distilling.
"Don't try to squeeze the most out of your still, just take the best and recycle the rest ".
AM
Way off topic
Sorry, I've put the soap-box away now. 
My standard practice is to only run ultra clean wash in my 50Lt boiler which now has a 3Kw element. I don't care how long it takes to clear a wash. By not running 'dirty' wash I keep a very clean boiler and pot head and my cleaning routine between runs is very easy.
When I run a strip - I did 2 X 40Lt yesterday - there's no smell and I couldn't tell you what it tastes like because I double distill everything - regardless, so I've never seen the need to sample the low wines
My Pot Still has a Thumper attached which provides an extra element of distillation - estimated to be the equivalent of an extra half distillation. This means that by stripping a wash then putting the low wines through the pot again as a Spirit Run I'm effectively getting a triple distilled spirit and I can tell you that what I produce now is very tasty indeed.
That's where I am now but I do remember the early days, I sound like an old-timer now, when I believed, as I was told, that I could get drinkable spirit from my Airstill from a single run.
The smell was seriously 'homebrew' crap and I quickly discovered that, while the distillate from the Airstill was around 65-70%ABV, when diluted to standard spirit strength it would make you sick the next morning and that's if you could ignore the off smell when drinking it - even with a strong mixer.
That's when I learned the biggest secret of home distilling.
"Don't try to squeeze the most out of your still, just take the best and recycle the rest ".
AM
Way off topic
Sorry, I've put the soap-box away now.