COSTING MY CURRENT GIN RUN:

[Toper]

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.

[gaza the instructor]

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.

[Mash]

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.

[H12rpo]

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

[Toper]

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.

[Mash]

that would be some turbo

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

[gaza the instructor]

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

[Toper]

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

[gaza the instructor]

Shame no morrisons near me. Nearest 10 miles away.

[Toper]

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?

[gaza the instructor]

Thats a point will look into that.

[H12rpo]

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

[Easydrinker]

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

Robert.

[Leatherman]

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.

[Mash]

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