StillSmart

just a matter of intrest,i know that you can distill wine thru airstill
does the wine have to be the same % i got a few bottles of red wine over the
years and me and the missis dont drink red wine

also this may sound daft (sorry)

can you mix the alcohol you want to strip ie 3/4 bottle of gin,1/2 bottle of vodka,full bottle of cheep brandy make the mix upto 4 ltr and distill it

As long as it is not over 40% you can distill anything.

What it will taste like and will it be pleasant to drink is a different matter

I've recycled a few commercial bottles after parties and Christmas etc (unwanted pressies, not dreggs)

I found that with the exception of Gin and Black Rum, most commercial spirits and wines can be recycled.

I mix all available bottles and calculate the ABV (you can't use an alcometer for this) I then dilute the ABV to around 20% and run through my Airstill. After second run the output, once filtered, is quite neutral.

I hate waste

AM

i like your way of thinking ..waste not...want not

ok i got a list of the bottles i want to strip

red wine 12.5% 75cl
red wine 14% 75cl
red wine 13.5% 75cl
red wine 11% 75cl
dry red 12% 75cl
mulled wine 10% 75cl
pimms 25% 70cl
stones ginger wine 13% 70cl
cognac 40% 70cl
dry gin 40% 70cl

now when you total the cl up it comes to 8.05ltrs

now do i put it into a fermentin bin and mix it all up,then test it with
spirit hydrometer then water it down to 40%,mixed it up again,then put thru
aistill in two 4ltr runs

is this correct please

As none of it is above 40%, you won't be watering it down to 40%.

As a piece of unsolicited advice I'd run these separate from the rest:

mulled wine 10% 75cl
pimms 25% 70cl
stones ginger wine 13% 70cl
dry gin 40% 70cl

With the gin and the mulled wine (not 100% sure about the others) you are likely to get a lot of carry over flavour that you may not be pleased about. The rest could make an OK brandy/grappa.

Chuck

I ran a few gallon of home made red wine last year,after cuts i ended up with 2.5lt which is sitting on oak i intend too mix it 25%to75%full bodied red wine to make a port.

just bumping my thread as i never got round to doing this

how would i calculate the ABV if i cant use a alcometer.... would a hydrometer
do,or is there another way

aidanmac wrote:I've recycled a few commercial bottles after parties and Christmas etc (unwanted pressies, not dreggs)

I found that with the exception of Gin and Black Rum, most commercial spirits and wines can be recycled.

I mix all available bottles and calculate the ABV (you can't use an alcometer for this) I then dilute the ABV to around 20% and run through my Airstill. After second run the output, once filtered, is quite neutral.

I hate waste

AM

ok i did this i dont know if it true

red wine 12.5% 75cl
red wine 13.5% 75cl
red wine 11% 75cl
dry red 12% 75cl

took 12.5 and 13.5 add both together and should get 13%
took 11 and 12 add both together and should get 11.5%

then used a wine blending calculator

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/blending.asp

in theory il will get 12.25% by addin all the four bottles of red wine
which will be 3ltr,use the calculator again add 12.25% with the cognac brandy 40% which should give me about 26.125 abv ?
will this be correct

i hope someone who understands what i mean

It does not really matter. Dump it all in. Plug it in. Collect until what is coming out is below 20% ABV (what is coming out, not the total of all you collect). Dilute that to 30%. Run it again, discard 75ml (I would allow for more fores from wine, methanol concerns and all that), collect 250ml as heads. Then collect in small (say 100ml amounts) until the chemical artificial candy flavour of heads goes away. Toss those in with the 250ml heads already collected. Then collect a couple more 100ml lots. Collect hearts until the ABV coming out is around 65%. Then collect in small (say 100ml amounts) until the ABV of what is coming out drops to 50% and/or tastes like a wet dog smells. Let it all air out. Then smell, taste, and decide which you want to drink as hearts and the rests goes to heads or tails. Trying to calculate the amounts to collect is a fool's game. You get what you get. It is never the same. Learn to use your senses to tell the good from the bad.

Chuck

Sounds like a plan.

No good getting all anal about these things.

Chuck it in and strip it like Chuck said - it's all good

AM