StillSmart

Hi everyone, first post, so be gentle!

Just got my licence and making a few tentative gins using a low pressure glass system, macerating with shop vodka overnight then distilling at 1/2 atmos. Only little test batches at the moment, 500ml in - 200ml at 80% out then diluting back to 44% for drinkies! Would love any advice on tried and tested recipes and also thoughts on cuts. First 20 ml is often a bit 'party' and current recipes are carrying a slightly unpleasant earthy taste so going to try the recipe below today for a simple gin to get back to basics.

What do you do with the heads and tails? Hoping to scale up once I've got a recipe I'm happy with and can't afford to waste money when I buy my first batch of NGS!

Any advice gratefully received!

RECIPE - by Bob Emmons, The Book of Gin & Vodka

22.5g Juniper
11.5g corriander
2.5g cassia bark
2.5g angelica root
0.25g lemon peel
0.25g green cardamom

lightly squashed in mortar & pestle then macerated in 37.5% pure with stirring rod for 12-24 hrs

Will let you know what it tastes like!

Hi WreckingCoast

Welcome aboard, I'm no big Gin drinker or Gin maker for the same reason, there's a few guys on here who do make Gin so I'm sure someone will be along soon, especially if anyone's thinking of how to get going, setting up a small Home Gin Business.

How have you setup? I take it you've applied for a Rectifiers Licence, then you can buy in neutral for making Gin, I've oftern wondered how easy/difficult the process of getting a licence is, I guess it's a logical step if you want to eventually a Distillers Licence, the whole process seen daunting to me.

Hi Anarvin, it's all a bit daunting indeed! Getting the rectifier's license took a while with a fair few hoops to jump through but not as impossible as some would have you believe! We've got a couple of NGS suppliers happy to work with us, obviously the small volume required initially is a challenge. Going duty paid at this early stage - expensive but less complicated!

We've set up a rotovac bench testing system at the moment, great fun playing with shop vodka and masses of botanicals, vey complex on the flavour balance but a fascinating journey!

Looking forward to a gin I'm happy with!

There should not be much of heads, just the few ml that you mentioned. You might want to consider a few drips of this in the final product. Gin "tails" to my taste are the "earthy" taste you mention, so you might be collecting too much as the "keeper" part. I have been assuming that the Orris Root and Angelica are largely responsible for this. I save up the tail end, carbon filter it, and re-distill it for use in a future gin. The result is not very satisfactory as I have a pot still. A proper fractionating column should be able to clean it up for re-use.

If you have not seen it, there is some good Gin information on http://www.artisan-distiller.net/

Chuck

Another point to mention is to be careful how much power your using, too much and the higher alcohol (higher atomic number and so heavier) componants, will come through the still to early, smearing the product with tails.

I'm not too familiar with the setup your using but I imagine it will work in a similar way to any other, in that if you use too much power, you'll push tails though into you collection.

Just out of intrest, Do you pay duty on the neutral you buy in? Or on the product you make?