Air Still distillation breakdown

[tasleBHC]

Hi Ted.

I have included a diagram in the first post, which explains that with a 14% wash the each stripping run will yield 1500ml at approximately 30% ABV alcohol. I will amend my description to reflect that.

This is by no means drinkable.

All the cuts are made in the spirit run, it is here we get our decent booze.

The original airstill method, is to do one run collecting everything, including foreshots and heads. This is partly the reason why it tastes so bad (that and the 'turbo' style fermentation process).

By double distilling we are refining and cleaning as we go. There is a reason why good vodka is triple/quadruple distilled.

thats seriously answered a lot of my questions around the airstill... now i think i have he answer to creating a good product of at least 40-50%

[tasleBHC]

Wow, incredible, cheers mate! That's exactly what I needed.

This should be made a sticky thread for other newbies to the airstill and wineworks bending of the truth!(I wouldn't have an airstill or be distilling now if it wasn't for the helpful videos Richard makes, excellent stuff) But without this forum I doubt I'd be very successful at making some spirits. Just hope other Airstill users find this place and learn a whole lot more. Fantastic hobby and great learning from pro's such as yourselves.

Thanks Very Much Mozr!

Think I'll try the vodka star yeast next time hopefully will be less smelly!

id happily +1+2+100 your commment to all the newbs who are the owners of the airstill before the big leap

[tasleBHC]

Norm is dead on. I would NEVER go back to the "recommended" way. I even do real rum, bourbon, etc (NO essences) in the air still. With a good quality wash (none of this turbo shite), you can get an excellent product.


Chuck

if i may ask is what your saying correct? that by running the wash a coupe of times through an airstill gonna give me a good result when put in soak with bourbon chips

without using turbo wash etc i could astill achieve a quality whiskey?

[Mash]

without using turbo wash etc i could astill achieve a quality whiskey?

ESPECIALLY without using a turbo wash.

[Easydrinker]

IMHO you will only achieve a quality whisky/whiskey by pot stilling a grain mash.
And then aging it with Oak.
Shortcuts do not exist.
Sorry.

Robert.

[tasleBHC]

IMHO you will only achieve a quality whisky/whiskey by pot stilling a grain mash.
And then aging it with Oak.
Shortcuts do not exist.
Sorry.

Robert.

hi robert yes after more reading i now know that i will only achieve that by a proper still,, ive got the recipes to make it and think very soon ill invest in the real deal for what i aim for

[Easydrinker]

You seem to have misundersood me.
With the proper mash you could produce a good all grain whisky with an airstill.
But it would be a labour of love, and cheaper to buy in the supermarket.

Robert.

[tasleBHC]

You seem to have misundersood me.
With the proper mash you could produce a good all grain whisky with an airstill.
But it would be a labour of love, and cheaper to buy in the supermarket.

Robert.

i guess i may ahvve misunderstood a few things.. i thought the irstill was only capable of producing raw spirit. im on the understanding that the real flavvours can only be achieved by a dome top still or alembic.. but then someone i seem to recall said that the Airstill is a Pot Still.. maybe i got things confused.. as for what you was saying abot all grain whiskey.. i probs got it confused.. correct me please where you think i got it wrong what you said ..

[Mash]

An airstill is a modern design of pot still. It does produce flavours based on the wash and the operator.

The best way to get a neutral spirit is to start with a neutral wash (imo kale).

Whiskey is made from grain, mashing grain to release the sugar to ferment can be a PITA MUCH harder than just using granulated from the supermarket

[packapoo]

Unless he has one of those BMs or GFs Mashman.....

If you don't tasle there are ways of achieving what is needed which, as Mash points out, can be a PITA. Upside is you'd learn a lot.
Otherwise supermarket graulated would be a good start point - have a look maybe for Odin's Corn Flake Whiskey.

[tasleBHC]

Unless he has one of those BMs or GFs Mashman.....

If you don't tasle there are ways of achieving what is needed which, as Mash points out, can be a PITA. Upside is you'd learn a lot.
Otherwise supermarket granulated would be a good start point - have a look maybe for Odin's Corn Flake Whiskey.

yep i dont have the BM or GF having looked at them both it appears the BM is for brewing the mash and the GF for distilling?? is that correct?

i have looked at the two recipes and the OCFW seems the easiest to follow as a starting recipe before i start trying to find cracked corn... not seen cracked corn anywhere but i have found WHite corn which i read somewhere was the best for producing corn whiskey its whole kernels sealed for freshness so i guess i would just have to crush it a bit ?

anyway im running before i can walk as per usual with most things in my life... so ill try the kale mash next and see how i get on...
that turbo yeast and carbon paste thing with sugar im not sure ill do ever again..

[packapoo]

I think when we get into this craft we all make the mistake of trying to run before we can even crawl...

To that end your game plan of kale is a sound one. Somewhere, probably in the recipe section this site, is something called 'Goog's Goo'.
Mightn't sound pretty but that is the genesis of the kale wash and broadly speaking there are two approaches for the 'how to' - by either fermenting the green stuff suitably chopped or by boiling the leaf and used the water instead. For me this is the way to go. Seems to achieve a faster ferment.
Glad to hear that you may be about to get off the turbo and carbon gig.
(I answered your question about BM and GF in the fermentation thread)

[Mash]

yep i dont have the BM or GF having looked at them both it appears the BM is for brewing the mash and the GF for distilling?? is that correct?

Not quite Tas. Technically they both do the same thing. Mash and boil grain. But one is a super bit of German beer engineering - the other was designed by Heath Robinson and made in china.... and will also distill spirit with some add ones.

[jaffas46]

Hi Guys
Great site and thanks to everyone that posts here, it really helps me in trying to understand the art of distilling.
Now I have just done a stripping run and because of my ineptitude I have 4lts @ 20%abv to do a spirit run with What is the best way to proceed with this? Thanks in advance
Jaffa

[Anavrin]

Hi jaffas

If you've got more wash, do another strip run or two and add it to it, if you dont you could always run it's anyway just to increase the ABV, then dilute to 30% where you can follow the guide again.