StillSmart

Hi Guys

I wanted to start a forum thread all about Whisky, the type without an “e” in it!

I’m just venturing down this path for the first time, it might be a while until I have anything noteworthy to drink but I thought this might be a good place to document my progress and get advice from the more experienced Whisky Distillers on here.

So far I’ve mashed a full sack of malted Barley in 4 batches and fermented it all in two 40 litre batches, to each 40litre wash I added 2kg of sugar! I’m still torn as to if this was the right thing to do, but it’s done now I guess.

Today I’ve stripped one wash down to 10% on the alcometer / 99.5°c measured on the column,

It looks a little murky because it puked at one point, it was foaming like mad throughout the hole process, in the end I had to use only half the power I normally use during stripping, just to keep the foam away from rising up my column.

I also thought at one point my heating element had failed, because my boiler was so quiet during stripping.

So that’s where I’m at, I have another wash to strip to 10%

Does this sound normal so far? Is foaming normally an issue?

Also what percentage would you use to charge the boiler for the spirit run? I’m assuming 30% but if anyone has any better ideas, my ears are open.

Just an addition to above, I don’t expect to get any Whisky from this first batch but intend to collect all the heads / tails from the spirit run so I have some feints to add next time.

I’d be interested to know if anyone has any suggested cut points, in terms of either percentages or column temperatures for the spirit run.

I can’t decide if I should pot still it and try a determine my own cuts, with some assistance hopefully

or

Similar to the American bourbon method run it through maybe 4 plates, and only product below 80% going into hearts, but then I don’t know where to switch to tails.

It’ll be a lot of trial and error I think

From a purist point of view you didn't need the sugar by it is only a small amount so it will just boost your yield a bit.
Foaming is definitely normal and is why the wash still typically has a large headspace or smaller boiler charge.

If it on a pot still there are good reasons for keeping the boiler charge below 30% for the spirit run.

There are a couple of conventional methods.

Basic Blended Spirit Run (Pot still)
Charge with 60% Low Wines & 40% Feints
Discard - to 77 % as Foreshots
Heads - collect to 75% ABV
Hearts – collect to either 65% ABV or 55% ABV (1/5th and 1/3rd cuts)
Tails – collect to vapour temp of 98 C


SPIRIT Run on Column still in CM Mode (with max power 6kW)
Re calibrate for your power levels.
Warm up with full dephleg coolant flow. Column alarm at 76°C. Dephleg temp @ 20°C. Max power available.

Heads. Dephleg temp @ 35°C. Collect Heads @ 94% to 95% ABV. About 1.3 kW to 1.6 kW (20% to 25% power)
Drain Parrot

Hearts. Dephleg temp @ 55°C and re-stabilise column.
Hearts. Collect with Dephleg temp @ about 60°C. Hearts @ about 80% ABV or as required for flavour profile. About 3 kW to 3.6 kW (50% to 75% power)
Recommended hearts is with a dephleg temp of 60°C to 77°C with 68°C optimum for fruit bandies

Seconds (if required) reduce power to 2.3 kW to 3 kW. Seconds - late hearts - are collected for recycling with brandy and some whisky styles. This equates to the 1/3 and 1/5th whisky cuts. The easy method is to blend seconds back into the low wines for subsequent spirit runs.

Tails - measured ABV will decrease, flow rate will decrease. Turn off Dephleg coolant and increase power to maximum.

Feints are collected either to blend back into next run, or to keep for a feints only spirit run.

Thanks Myles

I always like to see numbers, helps a lot when understanding the process, I remember that traditional brandy printout from a while ago but I cant find my copy anymore, I remember reading it at the time and I’m sure it mentioned 1/3rd and1/5th hearts cuts, and thinking this could also be applied to Whisky one day.

The 1/3rd and 1/5th are traditionally used for whisky. Very similar principles are used for brandy.

The wider the hearts cut the stronger the flavour.

Today I found a book on my seldom used iPad that I forgot I had, it’s from the American institute of distillers, or something similar, very informative, and helpfully all about grain whisky, not bourbon whiskey, I will try and upload it here sometime soon.

Go on then

Please respect copyright.
Sometimes links are allowed, sometimes not.
Somewhere like dropbox may be the place not to sully our waters?
Forum Police back on duty!
It's a dirty job, but someone's gotta do it.

Robert.

I quite agree with Robert.

So can you PM me a copy then.
Lets call it a backup ! Then I would need to back it up with someone....

Mash wrote:I quite agree with Robert.

So can you PM me a copy then.
Lets call it a backup ! Then I would need to back it up with someone....

You can always email me a "back up" copy.......

Good idea. Who would you back up yours with?

Mash wrote:Good idea. Who would you back up yours with?

Anyone with storage capacity

Or just a dvd

It’s on an old iPad, I’m going to have to try and get it off first, maybe if I sync it with iTunes I can get it off.

Spirit run time

Having stripped my two washes, I had an almost full cornie keg, so I decided I had 18.5 litres and it measured 40%

I went for a plated setup in the end, my hand was forced a little down this route as I had filled my boiler before realising if I Pot stilled it, the liquid level would probably get below the heating element, I had just over 26 litres at 30% in there and I didn’t want to dilute it anymore, so a plated run was needed.




Here’s my run notes I made on my phone, the number on the right is an estimate of how much Alcohol is left in the boiler, always good to know

Whisky Run 11/04/2018

Recipe
25KG sack of marris otter, mashed at 64°c
Fermented in two 40litre batches with 2kg sugar added to each.
Allinsons Bread Yeast

Strip 18.5litres at 40%

Boiler Charge 24.6 litres at 30%
Power 3.5kw 4 Plates
7.4 litres total alc to collect
7.400
Jar 0 250ml at 90% Foreshots. 7.175
Jar 1 450ml at 90% Heads. 6.770
Jar 2 450ml at 89% Heads. 6.369.5
Dropped power to 3kw and closed deflag valve to half a turn open
Jar 3 450ml at 88% Heads. 5.973.5
Jar 4 450ml at 88% Heads. 5.775.5
Dropped power to 2.5kw, deflag closed to quarter turn open
Jar 5 450ml at 89% Hearts? 5.375
Jar 6 450ml at 88% Hearts? 4.979
Upped power to 3kw
Jar 7 450ml at 87% Hearts. 4.587.5
Jar 8 450ml at 87% Hearts. 4.196
Jar 9 1000ml at 87% Hearts. 3.326
Jar 10 1000ml at 87% Hearts. 2.456
Jar 11 450ml at 86% Hearts? 2.069
Upped power to 3.5 kw
Jar 12 450ml at 85% Tails. 1.686
Jar 13 450ml at 83% Tails. 1.313
Jar 14 450ml at 80% Tails. 0.953
Jar 15 450ml at 75% Tails. 0.615.5
Jar 16 450ml at 67% Tails. 0.314
Jar 17 300ml stopped at 60%. 0.134

Total run time including heat up 3 hours 50mins