StillSmart

I started 4 x 23 litres sugar washes, using Kale as a nutrient.

Costs: Sugar 3 x 2kg@ .88p per 2kg
Kale x 1 Bag @ £1.00 each
Bakers Yeast @ 50p each

Total per wash = £4.14 x 4 = £16.56

Used part of bottle of Distilling Conditioner on Strip Runs

Cost approximately £1.86

After Spirit Runs, all was diluted down to 40% abv and run through Botanicals in an Air Still.

Cost of Botanicals:

1. 12 g Juniper Berries (Grind) 22p
2. 4 g Coriander Seeds (Grind) 03p
3. .50 g Ground Cassia Bark 02p
4. 2g Caraway Seeds 03p
5. .25g Ground Nutmeg 01p
6. 1g Angelica Root (Grind) 03p
7. .50g Oris Root 03p
8 . .40 g Dried Kaffir Lime Leaves 03p
9 . 5g Dried Bitter Orange (Grind) 12p
10. 1g Liquorice Root 03p

Costs of botanicals per 3 litre charge = .58p x 10 charges = £5.80

Accumulated Gin @ 40% abv = 18.3 litres = just over 24 75cl bottles.

Total Cost of ingredients used = £24.22 or £1.00 per bottle.

Total saving probably something in excess of £200.00


I'll drink to that!


This of course excludes fuel costs which I haven't yet been able to calculate.

Nice one Toper and the satisfaction that you cant
buy that brand of Gin in a shop.
The Kale sure does make good neutral, its very clean
tasting, good Vodka. I have 3 on the go ATM.

Stunning good value. You have to do this every so often... Helps you justify a new bit of kit.

I enjoy a beer too & £80 worth for less than a tenner per batch soon paid for the BM.

Just 3 bags of sugar per 25 litre wash
I've seen 4 and 5 bags in different recipes so I use 4 and a half 2 kilo bags

I reckon you would increase your yield if you use an extra bag and a half. Also 88p is expensive for sugar. Aldis and lidles and Home bargains and Wilkos all seem around 60p at the moment

Three bags @ 2kg each amounts to 6kg per wash. This I think is quite enough for a neutral flavour wash.

I think .88p for 2kg (.44p per kg) is remarkably cheap.

I doubt if your suggested 9kg of sugar would be manageable without a turbo yeast, thereby obviating the attempt at a flavourless kale fed sugar wash.
(We are talking kilos not pounds here?)

If you go down that path do let me know how it goes.

that would be some turbo

Sure would increase the yield, sadly I think it's a mis-read.

Your spot on Toper I only use 5kg in my
Kale washes dont want that sugar bite or harshness
so happy to do an extra wash.
Where do you get sugar at that price

Morrisons currently have 2kg bags of 'Silver Spoon' granulated sugar @ .88p each. It's a 'beet sugar but does the job fine.

Shame no morrisons near me. Nearest 10 miles away.

A shame. Mine is three miles away. A free bus ride.

An on line order might be cheaper and easier than a twenty mile round trip if you intend to buy in any significant quantity?

Thats a point will look into that.

Sorry I read 2 kilo bag of sugar as 1 kilo bags of sugar
What a knob
Off to Morrisons tomorrow:-)

Total respect to anyone owning up to being a knob here.
I do it often, some just make excuses.

Robert.

I was once buying 12kg of sugar in morison. Lady at the till comented "thats a lot of sugar, what are going to do with all that" I got a bit confused and answered "cup of tea". then it was minute of silence and I left.

LOL. With a straight face that works a treat. Jam is always my answer, which now seems quite dull.