StillSmart

Hi Capt.,
Thanks for the welcome.

'Drink of choice?' hmmm... depends, but I enjoy a nice scotch or a G&T ...I'd like to be able to make a palatable gin and have been reading a few threads/blogs, but I think I need to be able to produce the initial 'product' first.

Vodka... either an interesting one chilled & neat or a cheap one with a mixer.

I also like anise based spirits ...Ouzo/Pastis, etc. ...and I assume they'll be similar to gin production(?).

Never really been a fan of rum though

Cheers,
Mac

Ah good stuff - I mostly make gin. a pot and column combo covers all the bases.
I use my pot for stripping washes, also when infusing gin or running whisky style washes.

My VM makes neutral (most of which is used for infusions or to be re-run as gin) and I also make a nice white rum with it too.

Dia duit Aidan,
Yup, I've already downloaded your pdf ...thanks for that. I appreciate your concerns about the slip-joints leaking & the superiority of S/S flanges & tri-clamps. I'll have to do a more thorough search for them in the UK and their costs

The research continues!

All the best,
Mac

Old MacDonald wrote:he superiority of S/S flanges & tri-clamps. I'll have to do a more thorough search for them in the UK and their costs

The research continues!

Here are 2 good ones to get you started if stainless is your thing

http://www.zx55.com/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=5&cat=Hygienic+Fittings&tc=N&clr=CLEAR

http://www.valves-online.co.uk/acatalog/Sanitary-Hygienic-Fittings.html

Hi Capt.,
Many thanks for the links, esp. to ZX55 as they seem pretty reasonable prices and are well within driving distance (I don't like their £10 delivery charge!).

Cheers,
Mac

Just a short post to say hi.

Long time brewer, recent distiller, into the whole self-sufficiency thing. Looking forward to picking your brains and maybe sharing some of my own wisdom(?) from time to time.

Welcome wormwood - we don't have too many thujone inebriated members here as far as I know - I assume your interested in absinthe, hope you have fun here.


CC

Thanks for the welcome Capt, although it's probably best not to get me started on the subject of all the myth and misinformation about thujone and absinthe in general - at least not until I've got a few more posts under my belt.

Besides, I'm much more likely to imbibe my wormwood via a glass of purl or gruit. In fact, my last wormwood consumption was as a herbal treatment for a giardia infection - don't drink US tapwater if you don't have health insurance. This was what finally pushed me to get into distillation.

Hi All

My 1st Post. Have been reading and learning for a week or two, Thought I'd introduce myself. Been brewing all grain beer for a few years and distilling for a few weeks. I have a smartstill. Very impresed with the quality of produce so far. I have a load of questions , but I'll keep reading to find as many of the answers as posible. then I'll ask away. Cheers Norm

That can happen when the user you are sending it to has not logged in to receive it yet, or sometimes the skin cache needs resetting by admin.

I never did introduce myself i just ran in here at full speed asking stupid questions!!
Im bob and im currently just running an air still which seemed the sensible option while i climb this pretty steep learning curve so im just running my second ever wash which compared to my first is a bit of a let down to be honest i think i struck lucky and my first wash done with SS triple and carbon ended up as clear as water and tasted great after distilling.
This time i tried a VS and after the turbo clear it is still decidedly quite murky and after running it has carried over some not unpleasent but not neutral tastes
I will probably water it down and put it through the still again but after all the good things i heard about VS it was a bit of a comedown from the first SS fermentation.
Anyway im rambling again so hi and thanks for not been too hard on a lowly noob

edit: thank you for everyone thats helped me get to this point.

The SS clears very well because of the activated carbon.

I would say it is nowhere near as good as the vodka star, which admittedly does not clear as well but is a much nicer spirit after a double distilling run.

mozr wrote:The SS clears very well because of the activated carbon.

I would say it is nowhere near as good as the vodka star, which admittedly does not clear as well but is a much nicer spirit after a double distilling run.

Yep i will agree with you there mozr after being a bit miffed see it still cloudy it ran just fine.
It certainly tastes different to the SS and not in a bad way i would say that the spirit i have from the VS tastes like vodka whereas the SS was pretty much tasteless and somehow harsher.
On tasting i have to say i prefer the VS plus it produced almost a litre more at 7kg in 25l.
All very interesting and almost no time to decide where to go from here as i have an alcotec 48 absolutely raging away here damn its almost violent the rate its blowing at!! and i have an alcotec 24 ready to start as soon as this is done.
I think im becoming obsessed with this hobby jimmy was right about you lot!!

Mornin all,

I have had a t500 for some time but is still in the box. I have done fruit wines and beer/cider/wine kits. I thought the step would be spirits.
I intend using the still in the next couple of months.
Will be asking some q' s over the next while but will be going through all the posts so I don't double ask.
I'll be taking notes as well (anal I know).

Cheers
Phil

Ha, quite the opposite - notes are a great thing to do and you'll be grateful of them when you stumble onto something brilliant (or horrible) and want to repeat or avoid it!