StillSmart

and it's really beginning to brass me off.

OK, here it is. I use the wonderful Kale wash, a cracking neutral once through the T500. What I tend then to do is a standard Gin recipie through the Airstill with 12 gm of Juniper, 6 Coriander seed, then 3gm each of Angelica Root, Liquirce stick, Orris, Cardomon, Wild Cumin seeds and Dried Clementine peel and a dash of Valencian Orange extract. This is with a litre of 30% so for a full charge x everything by 4.

I usually soak the botanicals for a day prior to charging up the pot with the Sputnik just about the water line, or touching it

Do my usual cuts, leave to play with the Angels overnight and choose what goes in with hearts or not the following day. I normally allow for one 200ml jar of heads/hearts and maybe one where tails are just starting but that's it. When this lot is knocked back to 40% i'd say it's a very nice subtle tasting Gin.

Now, I do usually run it through some carbon as I use the tap water here which is quite hard. Anyhow, like I said what I do have is a very nice subtle Gin but I would not say it's a Gin that smacks the palate with a hard Ginny taste or even aroma, the aroma along with a mildly juniper hit does oddly enough has a slight vanilla smell about it. What I would say is that I have probably what I would call a classic old school Old Tom, which is great and folks who have tasted it like it, well they say they do but that could be because it's free booze

What I would like to get though is a proper ginny tasting gin. For this should I be looking at grain for the wash? I'm sure my botanical envelope is about right.

Advice needed and general mugging off accepted

If I am honest I think you are chucking everything at it and missing the point.

Do 1 litre 40-50% & 1 litre water.
No soak.
Bugger the angels
Double the Corriander.
JUST a pinch of orris and angie.
In a Mortor & pestle crush everything.
Lob everything in the sputty.
STOP collecting when you have 1 bottle.

Standing (sealed) for one day will improve it, but hanging your head under the still will not disappoint.

Liquorice stick, Wild Cumin will cause confusion to the flavour. Leave them out initially. Make a good basic gin - make yourself grin - then one at a time change things about.

Dried Clementine peel or fresh is pipless, pithless and pointless. Use dried bitter orange - hard to find, BUT REALLY worth the trouble. Ditto Valencian Orange.

Hard water is your friend.

Keep me posted. Will does work.

1 + 1 seems quite strong, that'll be around 40%, is that right? OK, no soak and buggar the angels

I'll try the botanicals as you suggested. Thinking about it it may well be the liquorice that's giving it the smooth/vanillary hint.

You say dried Clem and the Valencian extract are pointless. What does dried bitter orange bring to the table that these would not? Intensity of flavour? I will see if I can get hold of some anyhow.

I already crush everything in a lovely old Mortar & Pestle.

I'll give it a go Sunday and report back, thanks Mash.

I hope I miss understood this comment.

You only run it through carbon BEFORE flavouring with botanicals I hope. There is no general reason to carbon filter it afterwards.

It might be worth you doing a few runs with just 1 botanical at a time. Then you can start blending those products in small amounts to get the flavour profile that you like.

Once you know what you like then you can scale it up and do a run with all the botanicals at once.

Missread my calculator, 1 + 1 at roughly 40% is about 21-22% yes? Doh!

Myles wrote:I hope I miss understood this comment.

You only run it through carbon BEFORE flavouring with botanicals I hope. There is no general reason to carbon filter it afterwards.

It might be worth you doing a few runs with just 1 botanical at a time. Then you can start blending those products in small amounts to get the flavour profile that you like.

Once you know what you like then you can scale it up and do a run with all the botanicals at once.

Good points Myles, something else for me to consider as I've always filtered at the end. Could be stripping out some of that lovely Ginnyness too I suppose

Klunk wrote:Missread my calculator, 1 + 1 at roughly 40% is about 21-22% yes? Doh!

Nope. A bottle will be about 40-50%

You will finish with 1litre+ left in the still.

Good points Myles, something else for me to consider as I've always filtered at the end. Could be stripping out some of that lovely Ginnyness too I suppose

VERY GOOD point Myles well spotted.

It will strip the 80-90% flavour. I lose carbon to clean up gin trials that I didn't like.

Bitter orange is the stuff the user in marmalade. V strong v good. Sweet oranges just don't cut it.

I am coming in late here, Myles and mash seem to have said it.
Don't carbon filter steeped or macerated spirits, or after a second flavoured distillation.
Carbon filtering is there to remove taste above all,

Robert.

Mash wrote:Bitter orange is the stuff the user in marmalade. V strong v good. Sweet oranges just don't cut it.

Seville oranges. Makes good marmalade. I used kumquats once, they make a nice marmalade - surprisingly perfumed when cooked so they might add a nice note to a gin.

Best marmalade I ever made though was made with Calamondin oranges from an ornamental orange tree. They were fantastic - not sure if you can buy them though. Definitely on the list for a greenhouse plant.

*Strokes Beard* I can see them on Amazon for £25. Might make a nice valentines gift for the missus

How many do you get for £25?

LOL. That is for a small plant.I meant buy a box of oranges.

Ok Guys....been gone awhile but I'm back....
Water flow regulator purchased, keeps the house happy when t500 is running.
Now then the point in hand....
Seen the botanical basket for t500...would i need to use this with copper dome and condensor.
How much goes in boiler and how much bots in basket...
recipes needed....
I'll plod on with the air still and sputnik for now.

Cheers Paul