StillSmart

Something another member mentioned has me pondering.

Distillation does not create anything.

Most of us double distill and make cuts after the second distillation.

What (if any) are the advantages of distilling again after cuts have been made?

(this primarily applies to a pot still without bubblers/thumper etc, I assume?)

If you screw your cuts up you could redistil again, also I guess if you wanted to increase the ABV or wasn't happy with the cleaness of the hearts cut from a pot still you could also run it again.

IMHO, if you make good cuts after a second distillation, you will gain nothing from a further distillation, if chasing a neutral spirit.
I think Anavrin said the same thing using different words.

Robert.

Thanks. This concurs with my own thoughts. Just wanted to check I wasn't missing anything.

I once had a cunning plan that I would make more neutral than I needed, and after each new batch, keep all my leftover good drinking Neutral from my last batch and save it up in a cornie keg, then once it was full I was going to run it though my reflux still again, make cuts again and filter it again, to make a super pure premium version.

Unfortunately such a surplus has never existed, maybe one day.

You cannae improve upon perfection laddie!

Robert.

I kinda found an odd answer to this after I posted.

Navy rum used to be made in wooden stills (really!) and bacardi is oaked after distillation then filtered at least, so there's a lot of room for re-pot distilling rums later in their development.

Not so sure on the last 14 words here, not disputing the comments before them.

Robert.

I really don't know.

Navy rum was 57%+? and produced in wooden stills?

Bacardi is a rum that is matured and then filtered back to clear/white (and most of us can replicate to a degree without long aging)

It was your comment about re-pot distilling is where I was coming from.
Not disputing what came before.

Robert.

I started the topic full of cynical scepticism, but am now thinking about it as a layer of blending, especially after microwave oven type acceleration of traditional processes.

?

Robert.