StillSmart

I've started playing with my Sputnik in anger - all sorts of small volume experiments going on. Tea last week - been fiddling with spices this.

One problem I seem to have consistently is louching - pretty much most of my output will louche when tonic is added - the latest (which I diluted to 40% from 55) even has a cloudiness in the bottle. I'm not too worried about this one for,other reasons - far far too much cumin in it!!

I assume I'm running too long and bringing over too many oils towards the end? Or am I thinking wrong?

Cheers

Hampk

It's most likely oils that come over at the very beginning of the output.

I run 1 gallon batches, 1 gal DJ of 64% cut neutral goes in with 10l of water. And I collect 1gal at about 60% for cutting down to drinking strength, so I'm collecting most of the alcohol.
I take off the first 40-50 mls and don't include them in the end produce as it causes the issue you spoke about.

Yes indeed.

I also upped the % and that seems to make a difference too.

Is it something to do with the saturation point?

Someone said oils from the friut
element in the 1st 15mls.
I think Mash said to keep above
40% to avoid louching .

If its any help I shut off at 45%.

I upped it to 50% and that 'seemed' to cure it.

I think the oils in the first bit is key - but I don't like the idea of removing that flavour....and the original heads had been removed in the spirit run.

After all these experiments, I found cleaning up the spirit again a challenge. Carbon filtering gets say 3/4 of the botanicals flavours out, but back to neutral no way. I am going to test diluting it to 20% and then freezing it out.

Thanks for the suggestions. I do chuck the first 10ml, but shape try upping this a bit to see if that improves things.

Let me know how your freeze-cleanup experiment goes, Mash, though I suspect ther is no easy way to clean the stuff back up again. Definitely less cumin next time - much less!

Cheers

Hampk

I think it might work. Dilute it down and see if the water will hold a bit of the flavour.
2 litre pop bottle I think.
Invert when frozen. Redistill.

If not, is gin scented screen was soo bad
"No officer it's the screen wash."

These oils are they coming from the
fruit content or the berries.
The only reason I say this it doesn't
happen with tea gin, no fruit in that

That's a good observation. Whats your tea gin recipe?

My tea gin experiments have so far revolved around the three basic gin staples (juniper, coriander and angelica root) and varying quantities of different types of tea extracted from tea bags! I still get louching though, so I think my issues probably stem from the juniper.

Mash, I tried freeze-jacking the stuff I made over the weekend. I diluted it right down to about 20%, froze it for 24 hours, and inverted as you suggested. The resultant liquid (roughly 500ml) looks even more louched than before, although I had to leave things to get to work, so couldn't measure ABV etc.

I suspect that I have actually concentrated the oils in the alcohol, rather than stripped them out, although without knowing what ABV I've got out, that's only a theory.

Cheers

Hampk

I was trying to establish if they are from Juniper or the citrus. I think we have the answer.

The idea was to freeze hard, invert and then re-distill the drainings ... but it sounds like thats not gonna work either.

So are we back to gin scented washer fluid (or buy a column)

That's a great justification for buying a column! Sadly I've only contaminated 1 litre of neutral, so SWMBO is't going to sign off on it I fear.

I'm going to try discarding a little more than the 10ml I was slinging at the start of the run, and cut off sooner as well. And I'm also going to leave out anything that might add extra oils (citrus etc) until I have the juniper under control!

Cheers

Hampk

Mash my tea gin recipe

10g Juniper
4g coriander seed
1 only Cardamon pod
3 only cuberb peppers
pinch Orris root
Lrg pinch Angelica
1/4 tsp Almond Extract
1 opened teabag.

Lightly crush all seeds
1.5 ltrs 45% neutral
1 ltr tap water
Use Sputnik & discard 1st 15ml
Collect down to 45%
Dilute to 45% with good bottled water
Drink !!!
Haven't suffered from louching so far.

Will post this and a favorite
of mine(Plymouth) on the recipe
page.