StillSmart

Mash wrote:

Seagull wrote:

Definitely not one for you then Robert. It's very butterscotch-y!!

Are you saying ED is not a sweetie

You trying to get me into trouble Mash? Stutter! Lol!!

Hi there - very new to all this so forgive me if i talk a load of rubbish. we are flavoring OK vodka bought from lidl (we found it to be pretty good!). have a local brew shop but they only stock still spirits and top shelf so i haven't tried any other ranges so far (but the prestige gin range seem to be a must! - although we are pretty keen on the SS classic gin and have no complaints about that one!).

have tried many of the SS and ts essences and in my experience all the 'hard' liquors do need a touch of glycerin to mellow them out. how much depends on on our palettes I'm afraid but we always start with 5ml - test - and add more if needed. the classic Tennessee bourbon took 3 x 5mls to get to where we were okay with it. the ts tequila gold took 1 - 5mls and 7 peppercorns to get just right! so when adding glycerin I'd say ADD - TEST - ADD MORE - TEST........also found that sometime just the smallest amount of a simple sugar syrup can make a HUGE difference! We are not really trying to replicate any of the spirits out these but more find a level/taste that we enjoy

i'm a vodka drinker mainly and in my opinion you just cant beat SS Pure vodka (small blue n white sachet) - add 1 sachet to 1 litres of vodka. this takes my regular okay vodka to something really special and its worth the £2.75!!

Ones we have found to be 'amazing' and worth every penny -

SS Pure vodka
SS classic Premium blue jewel gin
SS classic Jamaican dark rum - luv luv luv this one (trying navy one next time)
SS classic brandy - loved this and i quite like brandy neat
SS Classic spiced gold rum - totally amazing!
Icon liqueurs cafelua kit
icon top up triple sec (bottle type)
TS scotch heather - use by own base mixes - more later)
TS cinnamon whiskey - own base
TS Pimms no 1 - their base
icon liqueurs butterscotch schnapps - amazing
icon top ups (bottle type cherry and apricot brandy
SS classic white rum - needed that glycerin!!
SS classic tennesse bourbon - needed that glycerin!

being a women and a low carber (not allot of sugar going on here?!!) i don't want to use any of the bases in my mixes as they are just sugar to be honest! so i've been experimenting with my erythritol which is a sugar replacement with no calories or carbs. my results are - if they ask for base pack b (250ml of sugar plus 100ml glucose) i use 1 cup of my erythritol and around 10 - 30 drops of liquid stevia - (i build up to the 30 drops testing all the time). Sometime i might add a further 1/3rd cup of erythitol but this has been rare the stevis does the trick i dissolve the erythritol in 100 ml of plain water in the microwave until the erythritol has completely dissolved. i generally use between 700mls - 800 ml alcohol and add the sugar mix to it. gives good results without all those calories - tell your wives they will understand.....so i can now drink my scotch heather whiskey liqueur knowing it has no more calories than regular vodka!! havnt tried doing in with pack A or C just yet but guess i will scale up or down accordingly.

being doing a load of vodka infusions too - Wow this is so easy and i cant think why i havnt done it before. always use frozen fruit, leave for up to 4 weeks, distill through a sieve and a muslin cloth and then add a little sugar syrup to taste. done about 12 and not a bad one yet! http://www.runwiki.org/2015/06/06/sugar ... ple-syrup/ for the recipe i use using erythitol.

sorry for long post but i hope it helps someone out. going to try some prestige now after reading this site so wish me luck! This site has given me a lot of advice and answers so thank you for that x

Hello and welcome.

Thanks for a cracking first post - very informative. Interesting your findings with erythitol have tried that and Stevia, but I prefer Xylotol. Bit more expensive but much better flavour profile. Have you tried it ?

What you really need to do is get all that sugar fermented and then make you own vodka Surely an Air still must be on your Christmas list ?

my own still.......well wouldn't that be nice but i wouldn't have a clue what to do with it!! also i dont think its legal in the UK which is a shame especially as making your own beer/wines/ciders etc is. Just made a batch of coconut rum by infusing a bottle of white rum (made with vodka and SS classic white rum) with 2 small coconuts and one small pineapple. Sweetened with my sugar syrup to taste. hope its ready for xmas......

we both like SS classic white rum but can any members recommend another white rum thats maybe even better in another brand - i was looking at prestige but i cant make up my mind whether to buy or not - any tips would be useful - thanks x

Mash - i have tried Xylotol but keep going back to erythritol - i use it in baking too and its pretty bloomin good

"own still.......well wouldn't that be nice"

Not a expensive as you might think.... And all the information you need to fly out is here at your fingertips

Often on ebay for about £60 ish..

Look at this on eBay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272467573155

will keep it in mind - cheers for the link. enjoying trying out my own creations atm as well as using the top shelf essences. would like to venture out and buy another brand (order online) but bit skeptical.....trying out the SS classic vsop i made. - i really want that Courvoisier hit - any suggestions please for other brands would be great. this ones good but not quite there. do these SS essences 'get better' with age?? that puzzles me..…

In my experience they get better with age but only for a while.

I have ended up putting my older ones and a few less pleasant ones back in the still. That way you can start again.

Do you like gin?

love gin - the SS classic one is divine. ordered the prestige bombay one today to try out - be nice to turn a pretty duff vodka into a really decent gin!! been buying cheaper vodka for my infusions and to be honest havnt noticed any difference in taste. very tempted by the essecia gin will have to get that one ordered. been reading loads of the posts - they are so informative.....where would i stand by UK law if i got a still to use for personal use only? i think i could actually make a go of it with the help of all the posts but i'm really worried bout breaking the law and getting carted off down the nick!! so cheap vodka from asda it is for me atm - but i might venture into gin infusions - bit of cucumber gin might go down very nicely!! also one query - you all talk very openly about owning stills and producing your own spirits using a still - do you not worry that this might come back to bite you at some point (i.e the law!). getting loads of info from the site so thanks for that x

Under UK law it’s an offence, but I have been around since the 60s and know of no one distilling for personal use, or presents to friends being busted.

The word on the streets is, don’t flog it, keep it low key, enjoy.

well ive fond the absinthe ss clasic great for taste in comparison to the polish absinthe i was buying.. mxing my hearts just right and cutting to 45% give a good bite to the chest just like the real stuff.. i found the second half ltre bottle with added simple syrup is spot on..

the SS single malt sachet i found nothing like a scotch whiskey.. Islay , auchentoshen or ballimores it is not..
the top shelf bourbon is nothing like the real bourbons ive ever tried so guess its closer to a smokeyearthy scotch

i mixed the ss single malt and the top shelf bourbon together and have found ive got a neat tasting scotch whiskey with most of the complexities you would expect from a top brand scotch.. however this test was conducted on a tablespoon and using a pipette,, drop by drop adjustments until my taste was met.. scaling this up could be slightly harder

even toyed with the smoked peat essence and its too powerful if over added but get it in minutest quantities and add some of the early hearts at 78% and it comes through on the palette quiet close to an authentic scotch of the best quality..

You have been rather busy?....

Robert.

tasleBHC wrote:..

i mixed the ss single malt and the top shelf bourbon together and have found ive got a neat tasting scotch whiskey with most of the complexities you would expect from a top brand scotch.. however this test was conducted on a tablespoon and using a pipette,, drop by drop adjustments until my taste was met.. scaling this up could be slightly harder
..

Accurate blending is easiest with syringes. I have a 1,5, 10 and even a 100ml. I come back to these everytime instead of the lab gear.

I also have a pipette drips to ml table somewhere.

Wishing you well with the essences.
Some are OK, some are not.
Maybe mixing them up is the way to go?

Robert.

currently drinking the essencia carribean rum gloop in a base of half a pack of vodka star to 6 bags of sugar and can't taste anything from the flavouring at all.

Ha! Try the Prestige range of Rums, they blow my head off!

Robert.