StillSmart

Cheers robert, it is a big learning curve and many questions need to be asked so a newbie like myself gets off on the right track. Great forum with so much knowledge. Going to have a go at soaking some botanicals in the wash before my final spirit run on the pot still and next time try and rig up something so that the vapors pass through the botanicals.

Easydrinker wrote: I struggled to follow.

Me too.

Are we saying here that the botanicals go in the alcohol produced by the strip run then?

I normally produce finished ready to drink neutral spirit which is then matured.

Only then do I go on to make gin with it, by doing a third run with botanicals.

East drinker if I have read it correct says no strips are done in the whole process, this is mine.

1. Strip run through the alembic pot still.
2. slow run through the T500 columnn.
3.soak with botanicals and then last run through the alembic pot still.

no cuts anywhere in the process

You make your cuts on your slow spirit run

Cheers, so just take cuts on the last spirit run

As Anavrin said,
You make cuts on the second run, the spirit run.
And then you flavour for Gin, and re distill.
It is this run where I stated that cuts, as such, were not needed
Apologies if you misunderstood me.

Robert.

Easydrinker wrote:As Anavrin said,
You make cuts on the second run, the spirit run.
And then you flavour for Gin, and re distill.
It is this run where I stated that cuts, as such, were not needed
Apologies if you misunderstood me.

Robert.

I might sound thick but I need to get this right as I read it above.
1, strip
2 second run, the spirit run with cuts.
3 and then you flavor flavor for gin and re still again, a 2nd distill with no cuts

So after all the advice it is for gin

1. Strip run with alembic post still
2.1st spirit run with T500 making cuts
3 2nd spirit run just using hearts from 1st spirit run in alembic pot still with botanicals with no cuts.

after reading through all the posts that seems the answer.

Number one, Strip is a Distillation,NO cuts.
Number two, spirit run is a distillation, With cuts.
Number three after a maceration, is a distillation that merely requires the first few ml thrown away.
Then taking the distillate from this run, Having run it to as low by ABV as you wish.
Adjust to 40-45%
age a few weeks
Enjoy!

HTH

Robert.

got it , thanks.
So with the second distillation WITH CUTS, do we use only the hearts in the final distillation ?

Yes.
You may want to save the heads and tails from the second run, the T500 run, for a future heads and tails run.
Do store them in glass if doing so.

Robert.

cheers mate.