StillSmart

After the slight trauma of the split bucket of LME had a go this weekend
I mashed (fairly successfully) 4kg of home ground peaty malted barley (boy takes some grinding too !) in about 10 litre of filtered water then added about 2kg of LME which when topped off with more clean water gave me a starting OG for about 12% ABV just what I was looking for
Pitched in some Alcotec whisky yeast and when we got back from our locals beerfest last night it was,and still is going like a train
I'll let you know how I get on
First thoughts are to improve mashing with better kit cos boy did it get messy just as well shmbo was out

Nice one - my recent disaster with corn has led me to get hold of a big 100qrt coolbox. I've added a grain filter and almost good to go as my new mash tun.

I don't have a boiler big enough to provide all the hot water (acting as a hot liquor tank) to do a big batch - I don't want to use the keg as it never really gets rid of the tails stank - if you boiled up some water in it, I really wouldn't want to drink it.

The T500 boiler is great as you can give it a good scrub after using but its only 30L. I think I'm going to have bite the bullet and get a 70l stock pot and put some gas under it.

I'm sure your first batch will be tasty, but for a truly exceptional drink I'm starting to believe you need to have a methodology to making your product, continually reusing the feints with each run.
The Scotch guys have been reusing feints for ever, its not surprising their product has a depth that is hard to replicate at home.

Watching with interest......

Hi Guys,
I'm not doing Peated Whisky but I am going all grain and I've just finished my new 60lt mash tun c/w tap and grain strainer. On the boiler side I got hold of another keg and stuck a 3kw element in and got the top cut off to make a big opening for cleaning etc.

I'm planning to follow The Doctor's lead and do my wort in smaller, more manageable batches - about 30lt, boil it to pasteurise and store in cubes till I have enough to fill two 50lt ferments.

Can't get LME over here except in 1.5kg tins and very pricey.

In re-using the feints what ABV are we talking about? I have to get my head around all that area over the next few weeks.

AM

aidanmac wrote:In re-using the feints what ABV are we talking about? I have to get my head around all that area over the next few weeks.

That is the question. Every Scotch distillery I have visited has been different, most collect hearts from high 70's to low to mid 60's, with everything else being recycled. Now the percentages of what the spirit run still is charged with, in regards to % strip and % feints I have never managed to find out on any tour. I don't think its a big secret, I just think the folks doing the tours are often not involved in the hands on distilling side of things. I've seen some hobby posts stating it might be 40% feints to 60% low wines, but who knows.

You are right C'ptn as regards distillery tours the guides are trained but have no idea about the stuff we do or want to find out. I like to try and grab one of the lads without appearing too rude to the guide.
High 70s to 60 % seems to be the norm for hearts
Still love visiting them though everyone is different. was particularly impressed with the new stillroom at glenmorangie quite stunning

I'm wondering about initial high alcohol stressing the yeast before the lag phase and preventing yeast growth. Perhaps this is overcome by pitching a larger quantity of yeast than might otherwise be used.

I wish I knew a bit more about this before I go poking around in the dark

AM

Well it fermented down to 1005 bit higher than I would have liked need to watch temp a bit better but still around 10% ABV
Racked off about 24 litres from a lot of sediment much of it grain flour, so need to up the game on mashing too, but a wee bit of sparkloid and a degas clearing nicely

Oh and the smell >:( >:( peaty smoky mmmm

May well strip tonight or tomorrow then play on Saturday

My sherry cask awaits ; >:D

Do you have a storage container for your feints to keep them separate and let you reuse them on future runs? Don't be surprised if you have to have a good few runs under your belt before you start getting the flavours you want, that's the way it is with my rum any way.

I've been reusing my feints for over 12 months, and its normally about 4-5L of feints into a 30l spirit run. This is the left overs from hundreds and hundreds of litres of wash.

Aye big fella i'l be putting those aside, plenty to go at with another 20 plus kg of PM to play with at least at my scale of production

Got myself another wee barrel from the place I mentioned , some port in there, see how that goes

The stripping run has been fun first the wash cleared better than any sugar wash I've had, clear as a bell and smelling grand

Stripping run well let's say just pleased I built a power controller ! Major initial column puke at the start ! Nee wonder the pro's have got sight glasses in the low wine stills!

Still going well, yield a bit under what I hoped but what the hell this is fun

As YHB said ignore the senior or whatever distiller tag I've only been doing this for a year but it's the best hobby I've picked up in manta a year and this site plus research and experience Well it just gets better

Enjoy ll >:D

I love to see a man having fun playing with his hobby

AM

Did the spirit run tonight added some vm heads and tails just to lift ABV

Added about 10 litres of clean water to make it worthwhile to run next time i'l run 2 stripped runs to give me the volume just couldn't wait this time

First thoughts pulled only about 250ml of heads no sign of methanol ran about 3.7 L of hearts down to 55% ABV. noticed much more smoke flavour in tails so added some plus clean water for about 4L into wee cask

No doubt the tails ie feints into next run will enhance things as the C'ptn thought methinks

Good laugh this

Mashed and set away 2 more peated washes this weekend one with 4.5kg other with 5 kg of hand ground peated malted barley plus some LME
Got my mashing technique a bit better so 2 nice bubbling bins going the intention being to strip on consecutive days then a full spirit run double charge with fore shots and feints
The first lot in the wee barrel is starting to change already
All looking good
And to think I though 25kg of peated malt was too much

Getting the mash technique seems to be the key. I have a new 60lt mash tun I just completed testing.

I'm going to run a load of malted barley, corn and roasted rye malt as the first mash tomorrow.

Glad yours is working out for you. Sounds like you're on the right road.

25Kg - what were you thinking that won't last pissing time

AM

Run the new batch. stripping /low wines run well twas lively again
Wasn't half some crud in the boiler after
This batch about 10.5% ABV next a wee bit more but this seems to be where the yeast is at
Double charge plus feints and fore shots looking good next weekend

Oh and btw the first lot in the barrel. Tried a wee sample without blowing my
Own trombone god it's good

Did the spirit run yesterday with double charge of low wines plus heads and feints so had a nice volume of about 25 litres
Compressed heads for 45 mins then started drawing spirit, little sign of methanol collected about 300ml of heads then 5.75 litres of hearts from 78 to 59%
another 3 litres of feints down to 10%
hearts had good flavour plus plenty of smoke in feints for next time
Cut to just over 50% topped off the sherry cask and filled the port one leaving a bit left over for topping up or next barrel
Definitely worked a bit better and flavours really starting to develop
I feel another mashing session coming on !