StillSmart

Quick question and sorry if this is the wrong section but I wasn't quite sure where to put this.

A couple of years ago I made a large batch of 'Country Port' style wine. If you've not come across this before it's about 3Kg of mixed red fruit per gallon and then fermented with a high alcohol wine yeast with regular additions of sugar to get to about 17% alcohol by volume and finished sweet with lots of residual sugar.

Most of the batch is fine but I have a couple of gallons that have oxidised so have a distinct "sherry" taste to them which is not what I wanted.

I could use the result for cooking but I would need to make a lot of casseroles to get through 2 gallons!

Any suggestions? Could I distill these and get anything useful? I'm guessing the major problem is the residual sugar - I could dilute the port 50/50 and introduce a vigorous yeast starter to get rid of the sugar if you think it might be worth the effort.

I know the answer is to try it and see but I was wondering if anyone has done something similar.

Yup. I distill all manner of jollop.

Get some coinage it the bottom of the still. Run as normal. You might find a slight bit of caramelised straining when you have finished. 2 seconds with a stainless steel scrubby will solve.

PS of you don't want to distill your port next time, use more sulphite.

Jollop was one of my father's favourite words when wine making.

Thanks for the suggestion. I probably should have mentioned that I have an Air Still but I think you guessed that. I do have some copper coins that I use although not enough to cover the bottom yet.

So would you suggest a stripping run down to about 30% and then dilute the bulk down to 30% and do normal cuts on the spirit run? Would you add in some of the tails?

I should probably suck it and see.

Thanks again.

I am agreeing with mash on most of his runnning advice.
It seems that you have the to-do list organised.
Throw any old bits of copper in the still.... Mash has his coinage bonnet on most days, but most self builders produce their own copper scraps, and they all work!

Robert.

Easydrinker wrote:I am agreeing with mash on most of his runnning advice.
It seems that you have the to-do list organised.
Throw any old bits of copper in the still.... Mash has his coinage bonnet on most days, but most self builders produce their own copper scraps, and they all work!

Robert.

LOL. Yup - they do all work.


PS..coinage is a bit better though

Say's man that doesn't chop copper!

Robert.

Oh I chop copper - have some of that in there too.

.........but still prefer coinage for the added benefits.

Mash wrote:Oh I chop copper - have some of that in there too.

.........but still prefer coinage for the added benefits.

I have some pre great war pennies, will it age my spirit accordingly?

Yes, I can confirm that your very old pennies will give you very old spirit almost instantly!

I wish that was true, but once you have cleaned them for first use, and who wouldn't, they will have lost the magic power to do so

Some parts of life are pretty awful.

Robert.

There is something mystical about old copper things, I love old French cafe's where all the copper cooking pots hang from the ceiling.

i'm hunting for more old coppers today...

inspector gadget wrote: I love old French cafe's where all the copper cooking pots hang from the ceiling.

If you have seen a cafe with a real "zinc" counter recently, then you are walking in my shoes.

Robert.