StillSmart

Chill. The rings are not as good. They don't work the same way. I have some of both.

So I combined the two batches from the stripping runs and diluted to 30%. They are just finishing through the spirit run now.
I only had 2.8ltr so i have taken off 50ml as fores, then 175ml of heads, 700ml hearts and then 3x 100ml after that.
Heads were @ 78%
Hearts @68%
1st 100ml @ 50%
2nd 100ml @ 40%
3rd 100ml @ 30% and I've stopped there.

Now what am I looking for to tel where the hearts stop and tails begin guys?

That wet dog cum cardboardy smell.. You'll know it when it hits your nostrils!

You can't do it like that. You can't make cuts based solely on volume and it is hard to do based on ABV without lots of experience. Your first tails jar is at 50%. If you wash is anything like mine, that is DEEP into tails. So your hearts are tails contaminated. My guess is that all three of your tails jars will taste similar. That means you missed the cut off point.

I am also pretty sure you missed the heads too, I'd expect closer to 350ml of heads. I pull off a full 500ml of a full still before even started to taste for hearts. So your hearts are probably a mix of late heads, hearts, and early tails. If your hearts burns your tongue, it has heads in it.

My advice: have a taste of each, mix them together, dilute and run it again. Collect in small jars until you know you are in hearts. Then once the output gets down to about 70% ABV, start collecting in small jars until one smells strongly of a wet dog sleeping on cardboard.

Chuck

I think to a degree it depends on your recipe, and I've never run a kale wash yet - it's on my list once I've disposed of the Fast Fermenting Vodka recipe I'm struggling with.

I've run Mash's Wonderful Wheat Wash a couple of dozen times, and it's now predictable to the point where (as long as the ferment goes as expected) I can take my cuts at known volumes - 50ml fores, 250ml heads, 1.2l hearts and 3 x 100ml hearts/tails (almost always tails) and it works for me. I ran several spirit runs into 100ml jars before I got there though.

Know your recipe, I think. But Chill is dead on when you're starting out - cuts, lots of cuts, keep cutting!

Thanks guys. I based the figures on almanacs airstill guide and adjusted the numbers according to my volume.
The wash was a real chimera. A mix of elderflower champagne, commercial red and white wine and a bit of gin. I just wanted to run through a process to see how it all worked before using the kale wash I'm brewing now.
The 'hearts' or my blended 'headheartstails' mix are filtering now and tomorrow I'm going to add an essence and blind taste against two commercial gins I have in the cupboard. It can't be worse than still spirits recommended single run results. I might get the mother in law to test it though. >:D

By the way, none of the collected samples had a wet dog or cardboard smell.

Try sampling it with hot water (1 tsp of distillate, 1 tsp hot water). It did not taste/smell like wet dogs or cardboard to me either at first. But once I learned to recognize it, it sure did!

Magic, chill gave some great advice here.
Equally,even if you made a boo boo,you are right,it will be better than the advocated single run product.
But far better results await you.
You are on a learning curve,and it is really not too difficult.
Welcome to the world of making your own booze.
It really is a nice one to live in.

Robert.

Glad you've tried it magic :-). I mostly blend mine, easy solution. I've tried boiling,juicing, just find blending easiest. Mine always have a big krausen for the first day or so, then it clears up and is very active, the blended bits always remind me of a snow dome lol. The particals will sink when it's finished and the wash will clear up well, have had some that look like water when left sit for around a week. Good luck with it all :-).

MagicH2o wrote: I'm going to add an essence and blind taste against two commercial gins I have in the cupboard. >:D

It would be really good to know the results of this. I couldn't find an essence to compare favourably ... Most too sweet.

@Mash: can you expand on the difference between coins and rings of copper pipe? I only have coins, but would have expected a similar result. The penny has been phased out in Canada so once the ones I have are eroded away, I will need a replacement. A few years away granted.

So the day of the taste test arrived yesterday.

I filtered the spirit overnight and then added a classic Gin Essence. Left it all day and then we did a blind tasting last night.
I have to say I am very pleased with the first effort.
We compared 4 gins,
1. Supermarket own brand gin
2. Gordons
3. Brecon ( An Artisan producer Gin)
4. My Gin

First test was neat and my first pleasant surprise was that although all were different in smell and taste, no one gin seemed massively apart from the others in terms of taste quality.
In the end the wife disagreed on our order of preference I went with what turned out to be Brecon gin as a clear winner as i thought it was a little sweeter and fuller flavoured. Second and split only by a hair from number three was my Gin which was a little lighter in character and a bit fruity. Gordon was third and the supermarket brand last.
The wife went for Gordons first as she was familiar with the taste and liked it. And second, tied with Brecon was my Gin. Supermarket brand last again.

This was totally blind so it was purely on taste and smell. (there is a problem with that i'll mention later)

Secondly we did small measure with a slice of lime, one cube of ice and a double measure of tonic.
This time I still preferred Brecon followed by Gordons and then mine with the supermarket brand last.
The Wife went with Gordons, Brecon and then mine. Again supermarket brand last.

My Gin slipped back one place for both of us for the same reason. The slight fruitiness we had both tasted when it was neat became stronger when it was diluted and rather than a nice fruitiness it was a definite hint of the Elderflower Champagne that much of my wash was made from. It was the same hint of a scent/taste that stopped us drinking the Eldeflower champagne in the first place.
Very interesting how what is quite a nice fruity character when neat becomes a bit less pleasant when diluted with tonic.

It was a good exercise though and I am very pleased considering that the wash was chucked together with all sorts of stuff. It came out pretty good and stood comparison with some decent gin. Gives me great hope for the kale wash that is still chugging away now.
The issue with sense of smell I mentioned before is that i don't really have one! I have suffered from Polyps in the past and had several ops which leaves me with a very selective sense of smell. I couldn't smell any of the Gins last night.
On the positive side my sense of taste is strangely pretty good and I pick up on flavours that my wife misses. my wife is employed as my smeller (gets her on board and onside, great for future investments )
I will have to perfect cuts without relying on smell though so any advice is much appreciated.
Thanks for all your help and encouragement getting this far so quickly. The Airstill was definitely the right place to start, simple and straightforward. Brilliant! Come on Kale, finish!!!!!

chill wrote:@Mash: can you expand on the difference between coins and rings of copper pipe? I only have coins, but would have expected a similar result. The penny has been phased out in Canada so once the ones I have are eroded away, I will need a replacement. A few years away granted.

Make sure the 1p's and 2p's are not magnetic - you want copper ones!

How they work. Tiny little gas bubbles boil in the thin film created between the 1p piece and the boiler surface. These little bubbles then flip or shudder the coin and thus agitate the rest of the boil. Pipe rings are a different and dont do this. This movement stops the liquid superheating. It is superheating that causes pukes & boil overs. Remember the thing about taking a cup of boiled water out of a microwave and stirring it, and then it boils over in your hand. This is what they stop.

I use about half a tumbler full. If your air still comes with a small packet of rings, these will do short-term but seriously, get some currency in there.

Coinage are mandatory, pipe is optional IMO.

The copper content also has an effect on smoothing the alcohol, there is evidence to suggest it reacts with sulphurous compounds. The pipes assist with this for sure, by having a greater surface area.

Two different things. Two different jobs

Firstly, MagicH2o, I am glad that you have had a reasonable result.
It will get even better, give or take the odd hiccup.

Next, And here I feel the need to put on a schoolteacher hat, as chill and mash are not agreeing with each other,or me!
In my experience, and opinion, you need boil pieces in an AirStill.
Some are happy using only ceramic rings.
Pieces of cut off Cu pipe will perform the same anti-surge function as ceramic rings or Cu coins,if you use a decent handful.
Coins have been the simplest for some users.
IMHO, getting copper in contact with your product, in the still or the condenser, is one of the best things that you can do.
Now make sure your homework is on my shelf in the morning.

Robert.