StillSmart

I used half of my last wash just doing like the shop said. So with what's left I've done 2 stripping runs and now have 2.4 lts of 50%.
So stop me if I'm wrong, I now add water to what I've got, down to 30% and go for a spirit run.

Anybody got an idea of how much water I'll need?

IF.

1.6ltr mate check here

http://homedistiller.org/calcs/rad14701

1.6 it is, cheers handy calcs to have now bookmarked.

Ok..first spirit run over & done with, and you guys are right all the way, what a difference in the taste. The OH likes it a lot better than what I've been banging out all this time. It's always had a "nail polish" twang to it, but with all the info on here I've turned out a better drink all together.

Don't know if it's our taste buds or what, but there's a very slight almond flavor in there somewhere, you guys have any ideas??

Another question has just come to mind, this may sound daft but how do guys know when the tails start to run??. I've followed the post on here about the foreshots, then got the hearts down to 1oooml. Then I caught the next 2x 100ml, then watched the rest down to 30% which went into a bottle...but what is it that tells you that's tails?

No idea about the almond flavour, but it would make a nice base for a gin Is it a roast almond taste or a taste of the almond essence used for baking? The latter might be heads. Have you carbon filtered it yet?

Tails are detected by taste. If you can taste almonds, you will have no trouble here. It is usually compared to wet cardboard or a damp dog. With my washes in my AirStill, they become very detectable when the output gets down to about 55-50%. Below about 52% I send it directly into my tails jar. Above that, I collect in small 100ml samples, air, and taste. If you want to swallow it, its probably not tails I spit it out pretty darn quick. Below 20-30% on an AirStill you was wasting time and electricity for very little return. Make a new wash instead.


Chuck

Speed_demon666 reported an almond flavour a little while ago.
I have no idea where it comes from.
I'm with chill on the tails,- you sort of know when you reach them,because you really don't want to drink them.
Robert.

According to one thread here, the best way to detect tails is to have a dog in the room. Seems the onset of tails gets them real noisy.