30 litre airstill-first spirit run

[Easydrinker]

For anyone interested,here are the results from the first spirit run using my silly still.
My usual half pack of Turbo yeast and sugar wash.
The first strip results were posted in the build section.Result 7.25 Lt @ 45%.
I ran another strip,the mash, fermented cool for over 3 weeks, finished @ .086,24 Lt @ 15%,Result 9 Lt @ 44%.(switched off at 8%,and none went down the drain!).
Combined the two and watered down to around 24 litres @ 30% .
At full power 35 minutes to boil.
Power down to 900 watts.
Collected 250ml as fores.
Collected 2 x 400ml, + 1 x 200ml as heads @ 80% at 10 (and the last ,5)minute intervals.
I then powered up to 1050 watts.
Kept up the 400ml bottle change for the rest, the tails didn't seem to start when expected,and I thought the lateness of the hour had affected my senses.
The abv of each bottle follows
80,80,79,78,77,76,75,75,74,73,71,69,66,65,60,57,54,47,39,33,25,18,12,12,10.
Inlet air at 21°C,outlet air around 34°C,distillate at 21°C,these figures never varied by much more than 1°C the whole way through.
At this point it was 0238 hours,I switched off and went to bed.
The still had been on for 7.5 hours,and the collection intervals had stretched to 18-20 minutes.
All were left to air for 36 hours,-the angels and I have a good working relationship.
Sometime ago,with the Smart still,I gave up on carbon in favour of very clean washes,vicious cuts and longtime airing,it works for me,-I lose some alcohol,but also some nasties.
I have even been known to air the strip,-I know,I'm bonkers!

I have to say this is the cleanest spirit I have ever made,rather like vodka,but not.
I cannot detect that certain something that lets you know it was a turbo sugar wash,as I was used to with the Smart still,even after cutting down on the amount of yeast.
I think the large handful of copper pieces that went into the boiler clean and came out tarnished helped.but then I do this with the Smart still,(I've never understood how people use dunder to clean copper,my copper always comes out dirtier than it went in!)so must conclude it is the larger size and the amount of copper the distillate passes through,quite a journey with my condenser.
That and a fairly slow and steady run,starting at 2.5 Lt/hour and ending at 1.6.
That may also explain the problem I had with tails,because I've tried and I've tried,I can't find them until I get to the bottle taken off at 33% (which is now @ 32%,all bottles are down a little on volume and percentage,so the angels are happy),In fact the bottle taken off @ 39% and the 200 ml one taken as heads,diluted to 40% taste pretty much the same,there is no blending to be done,it is the same thing,at different strengths,from heads to tails,no uncertainties.
I shall nuke some later,and try it,but this is not really the product that I want,nice as it is.
I've just made the equivalent of 13 litres @ 40%.
I'm delighted to have come this far.
I now have four 25 litre corn based sugarheads bubbling away,even trying bakers yeast,got to keep busy!
Robert.

[FullySilenced]

Sounds like your on your way... you may want to try a few duplicate washes to see if you can get equal results from the same types of washes... ... a learning experience

Congrats again...

FS

[Easydrinker]

So,evening number three of sampling the product.
Nuked,with some barrel staves,- a pleasant drink.
Un-remarkable.
It fogs the mind without the pleasure of a taste journey to get you there:I think it could sit in sherry barrels for 10 years and taste little better.
It makes a reasonable gin with an essence,tastes ok with tonic.I might get some juniper berries and experiment.
I might have to cheer myself up tomorrow and make Advocaat,any old spirit seems to work well with that.

A different wash, with more complexity of flavour is needed,and I already fear the simple/ample corn sugarheads currently fermenting will not have it.
Today I cursed myself for not including LME,the next ones will have.

By xmas I expect I will be on all grain mashes,of some peculiar devising of my own,-but hey,you only live the once.
I am keeping up the odd turbo/sugar,as this one was,-it has it's use in cordials/liquors etc.
But I have reached the stage,as I am sure many others here did,in accepting that you cannot make a fine whisky-type drink from a neutral wash.
It doesn't matter how you treat/age the distillate,you cannot extract or taste something which was never there,simples.
Robert.

[chill]

you cannot make a fine whisky-type drink from a neutral wash.
It doesn't matter how you treat/age the distillate,you cannot extract or taste something which was never there,simple

Truth in that! Sugar washes are cheap and simple, but will never have the complexity of flavour that using real ingredients will produce. I use sugar washes just for gin, sort of vodka, and macerations of fruit. Oh, OK, and some cheap and cheerful bourbon resembling drinks when I am out of something better.


Chuck