StillSmart

I thought you had retired, you could not have worked as hard as this when you were working, but there again the rewards were not as good.

The quantity of this batch was impressive were you just as pleased with the taste?

Smoother than anything I've produced before. In fact I don't believe this product needs filtering but I'm going to filter it anyway and see if it makes any noticeable difference. As I said earlier I could have collected more as there was no sign of Tails when I stopped. I'm going for much cleaner now that I'm getting this kind of volume.

It is lots of work but in small bursts and whenever I feel like going at it. I love the fact that you can put everything away and leave it at almost any stage without losing anything and pick it up again when it's convenient.

I won't be running this still as frequently as I had to with the Airstill so I'm looking forward to more brewing experiments and working on aging and maturing my spirits and I'm currently trying to get some SS Cornielius Kegs to use as Whiskey aging vessels with American White Oak - can't do that in DJs.

AM

I am jealous of your Kilner Jars and would love some SS kegs but my budget will not run to them.

I bought 24 (560ml) bottles of vinegar from Sainsbury's at 13p a bottle. Tipped the vinegar into spare 5 litre plastic watter bottles and kept it for cleaning runs. I now have 24 matching containers that will hold 12 liters of cuts for £3.12

One of my neighbours regularly puts out large screw capped pickle jars for recycling - they hold over two litres and will be my aging barrels.

I got most of the Kilners I have as a present and when I went out to buy another 9 to make up the number I need for the new still my daughter jumped in a bought them for me too.

There's a beer brewers site over here where a few of the members got together and imported recycled Cornelius Kegs from Germany. They bought over 200 kegs between them at a final cost of 20Euros per keg. I have my name down for the next run which should be around the end of August. New, those Cornelius Kegs would cost 190Euros over here.

I did use vinegar to do the initial cleaning of the entire still before commencing operations but I use mostly Citric Acid solution, Milton and a steam cleaner now.

AM

Just finished bedding down 15lt of spirit on JD Bourbon Chunks. I've another 5lt of neutral at 40% but no containers to put it on Oak too other than the 1lt jars I use for collecting during spirit runs.

Presently using 2 & 3lt Kilner Jars but for storage and aging they're turning out to be a little impractical with the bigger volume from my pot still. I'll have to get some SS Cornielius Kegs for the purpose.

AM

Theres a few of those cornelius kegs on eBay but they're quite dear

I'm just using gallon DJs but starting to run short of these too

Hmmm to buy more kit.

Just got confirmation that I'm on the list for a group buy of Cornie Kegs from Germany. Unfortunately the order is only going to be about 60 kegs so we'll have to pay about 40 Euros per but that's still a huge bargain.

AM

That's a good price for them but still quite a dear way to store mind it will take up less room I guess

Just managed to find 5DJs on EBay for 15 quid and just down the road

That'll do for now.

That's a good deal alright. I tried and tried to get similar but gave up in the end. I have 15 DJs at present. 12 are in storage but are about to come home as the friend who was storing them in his wineshop cellar is closing the business at the end of the month so I have to repatriate my DJs to the garage. Space is about to become a real problem!

I suppose I could start into drinking...ehh!...sampling the contents to reduce the volume

Most of it will be bottled and crated and I have most of the Christmas presents sorted out - I don't care what they normally drink

AM

Love it AM some of mine might be going as 'corporate gifts' LOL

Just done second run of the triple distill trial on the pothead
First was a pair of pure 16 % strips with just foreshots discarded
Second was the double charge watered to 30% about 26+ Litres total run time from switch on 5&half hours at full power took half litre of heads off at 85% then ran to 20ish% and collected 1.5L tails
Left me when watered down to 50%, 15 L
This will go into the reflux Column for final run again watered to 30ish% where final heads and tails cuts will be made
very happy with YHB's pothead

Nice going AT, although I'm trying to figure out why the double strip if you're going to finish it in the reflux column?

I'm going to be running up my VM column this coming weekend and I have a VS wash finished and ready to go into it after the shakedown. She looks a bit odd with the Copper head on the Stainless column but it will be covered up when the insulation is put on.

I'll post some pics later this evening.

AM

I've had to defer my VM run after tha 60lt barrel of finished and sparklingly clear VS wash was knocked over - accidentally - and I'll have to wait a couple of days for it to clear again. It's a good thing it was standing on the floor when it happened. (6'6" son tripped over one of the dogs and decided to use the barrel to break his fall but the barrel had other ideas.)

Fortunately the type of barrels I'm using, have a locking/sealing metal ring securing the lid, and managed to withstand being knocked over and not a drop was lost.

The son survived without a scratch, the dog got a kick up the Khyber and I'm left with a 50lt VS with it's sediment well mixed up.

Probably won't get to that 'till next weekend now.

AM

God I bet that was some sight if he knocked a hundredweight barrel over drink didn't have owt to do with it did it.

Second run just an experiment sort of half strip half spirit ie wondering if the triple distil with our kit makes any difference such as the blurb vodka and Irish whiskey says

It was all the stupid mutts fault. He knows not to come into the garage and usually that's no problem but he loses the run of himself when he's with my youngest son.

It was like watching something in slow motion - I was sure the contents were going to be all over the place! That's my quota of good luck used up for this year, I'd better be careful in future.

AM

aidanmac wrote:Just got confirmation that I'm on the list for a group buy of Cornie Kegs from Germany. Unfortunately the order is only going to be about 60 kegs so we'll have to pay about 40 Euros per but that's still a huge bargain.

AM

at time of posting this guy has 5 left at a good price - looks to have had the valve welded over - no problem if using for storage.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160841755138?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649#ht_500wt_1156