Welcome to the forums!

[Old MacDonald]

Hi Capt.,
Thanks for the welcome.

'Drink of choice?' hmmm... depends, but I enjoy a nice scotch or a G&T ...I'd like to be able to make a palatable gin and have been reading a few threads/blogs, but I think I need to be able to produce the initial 'product' first.

Vodka... either an interesting one chilled & neat or a cheap one with a mixer.

I also like anise based spirits ...Ouzo/Pastis, etc. ...and I assume they'll be similar to gin production(?).

Never really been a fan of rum though

Cheers,
Mac

[Capt-Cudellez]

Ah good stuff - I mostly make gin. a pot and column combo covers all the bases.
I use my pot for stripping washes, also when infusing gin or running whisky style washes.

My VM makes neutral (most of which is used for infusions or to be re-run as gin) and I also make a nice white rum with it too.

[Old MacDonald]

Dia duit Aidan,
Yup, I've already downloaded your pdf ...thanks for that. I appreciate your concerns about the slip-joints leaking & the superiority of S/S flanges & tri-clamps. I'll have to do a more thorough search for them in the UK and their costs

The research continues!

All the best,
Mac

[Capt-Cudellez]

he superiority of S/S flanges & tri-clamps. I'll have to do a more thorough search for them in the UK and their costs

The research continues!

Here are 2 good ones to get you started if stainless is your thing

http://www.zx55.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=5&cat=Hygienic+Fittings&tc=N&clr=CLEAR

http://www.valves-online.co.uk/acatalog/Sanitary-Hygienic-Fittings.html

[Old MacDonald]

Hi Capt.,
Many thanks for the links, esp. to ZX55 as they seem pretty reasonable prices and are well within driving distance (I don't like their £10 delivery charge!).

Cheers,
Mac

[wormwood]

Just a short post to say hi.

Long time brewer, recent distiller, into the whole self-sufficiency thing. Looking forward to picking your brains and maybe sharing some of my own wisdom(?) from time to time.

[Capt-Cudellez]

Welcome wormwood - we don't have too many thujone inebriated members here as far as I know - I assume your interested in absinthe, hope you have fun here.


CC

[wormwood]

Thanks for the welcome Capt, although it's probably best not to get me started on the subject of all the myth and misinformation about thujone and absinthe in general - at least not until I've got a few more posts under my belt.

Besides, I'm much more likely to imbibe my wormwood via a glass of purl or gruit. In fact, my last wormwood consumption was as a herbal treatment for a giardia infection - don't drink US tapwater if you don't have health insurance. This was what finally pushed me to get into distillation.

[Normski]

Hi All

My 1st Post. Have been reading and learning for a week or two, Thought I'd introduce myself. Been brewing all grain beer for a few years and distilling for a few weeks. I have a smartstill. Very impresed with the quality of produce so far. I have a load of questions , but I'll keep reading to find as many of the answers as posible. then I'll ask away. Cheers Norm

[mozr]

That can happen when the user you are sending it to has not logged in to receive it yet, or sometimes the skin cache needs resetting by admin.

[bobnot]

I never did introduce myself i just ran in here at full speed asking stupid questions!!
Im bob and im currently just running an air still which seemed the sensible option while i climb this pretty steep learning curve so im just running my second ever wash which compared to my first is a bit of a let down to be honest i think i struck lucky and my first wash done with SS triple and carbon ended up as clear as water and tasted great after distilling.
This time i tried a VS and after the turbo clear it is still decidedly quite murky and after running it has carried over some not unpleasent but not neutral tastes
I will probably water it down and put it through the still again but after all the good things i heard about VS it was a bit of a comedown from the first SS fermentation.
Anyway im rambling again so hi and thanks for not been too hard on a lowly noob

edit: thank you for everyone thats helped me get to this point.

[mozr]

The SS clears very well because of the activated carbon.

I would say it is nowhere near as good as the vodka star, which admittedly does not clear as well but is a much nicer spirit after a double distilling run.

[bobnot]

The SS clears very well because of the activated carbon.

I would say it is nowhere near as good as the vodka star, which admittedly does not clear as well but is a much nicer spirit after a double distilling run.

Yep i will agree with you there mozr after being a bit miffed see it still cloudy it ran just fine.
It certainly tastes different to the SS and not in a bad way i would say that the spirit i have from the VS tastes like vodka whereas the SS was pretty much tasteless and somehow harsher.
On tasting i have to say i prefer the VS plus it produced almost a litre more at 7kg in 25l.
All very interesting and almost no time to decide where to go from here as i have an alcotec 48 absolutely raging away here damn its almost violent the rate its blowing at!! and i have an alcotec 24 ready to start as soon as this is done.
I think im becoming obsessed with this hobby jimmy was right about you lot!!

[Copperhead]

Mornin all,

I have had a t500 for some time but is still in the box. I have done fruit wines and beer/cider/wine kits. I thought the step would be spirits.
I intend using the still in the next couple of months.
Will be asking some q' s over the next while but will be going through all the posts so I don't double ask.
I'll be taking notes as well (anal I know).

Cheers
Phil

[Jimmy]

Ha, quite the opposite - notes are a great thing to do and you'll be grateful of them when you stumble onto something brilliant (or horrible) and want to repeat or avoid it!