StillSmart

Am I right in saying you should dilute alcohol down to a certain % before filtering.

If that's the case would you use tap after to water down to that % before filtering and then dilute down to 40 with good water after filtering, or good water before and after

Thanks

Good before and after. I use water run through a Britta filter.

I buy the 5 litre bottles of spring water from Iceland for £1 and always dilute with that. Works well for me.

And the empty 5 litre bottles are useful for storing my homemade wine (not spirit though)

What do you dilute down to before filtering 50%

I don't usually filter these days. Double distilling with the T500 and making cuts produces an excellent neutral.

When I do decide to filter, I use either the EZ filter or the Essencia and cut back to 45% before filtering.

Having tried both the EZ and the Essencia, the Essencia wins by a country mile if you're considering a filter system if you don't already have one

(I only continue to use the EZ cos I have a few spare cartridges still)

Yes have got essencia although the never used that before either but have used the ez before,
So basically choose cuts, dilute down to 45c filter and then top up to 40% afterwards.

When you say you don't need to if you get your cuts right I understand that but am I wrong in saying surely it's better still to filter to clean it up, or does filtering itself impart flavours ? Or is it more because it's time consuming and not much difference can be told.

Thanks

I'm no expert at all Chris. The reason I don't usually bother now is down to time, expense and because with good cuts I don't think it really makes any noticeable difference. But that's just my limited experience for what it's worth.

Sounds good enough to me, just didn't know if it would leave its own flavour and if you've got a nice clean spirit from cuts you don't want to make it worse if you know what I mean, il run it through and see what it gives me

OK, JMHO here.
Diluting spirit before filtering? Use any water, tap, spring, garden pond or Angels tears.
After filtering, just about any posh water you can get, RO, bottled known source,I live in Scotland and this has just fallen on my head rain, you get my drift.

Robert.

Seagull wrote:I'm no expert at all Chris. The reason I don't usually bother now is down to time, expense and because with good cuts I don't think it really makes any noticeable difference. But that's just my limited experience for what it's worth.

+1 well made unfiltered spirit is imo good enough for me.

As for water... It is about the quality of your tap water. If its good enough to drink and you enjoy in then it is good enough to use... Simples.

My washes, wines and ciders are all made with tap water. For dilution after distillation I use bottled water at roughly £1 a gallon from supermarkets and use the bottles as fermentation vessels.

I also find the empty 5 litre water bottles are great for storing homemade wine. (No good for storing spirit though)

Seagull wrote:I also find the empty 5 litre water bottles are great for storing homemade wine. (No good for storing spirit though)

I use glass jars and glasses for collection from still, glass demijohns for the product of stripping runs and 1.5 litre glass vodka bottles for final product, but the plastic water bottles get used for making turbo ciders (different animal with no connection to turbo yeast) and for racking wash into for easy transport from room to room.

My apartment has limited space and limited temperature differences and I'm pretty much past the lifting 25 litres at a time stage of life (I can do it but do not find it fun).

I use Brita water, all spirit I make is watered down to 40%, and all neutral is Filtered through the Essencia.

I know many people like to frown on filtering as if it's only needed if your neutral isn't clean enough, however I disagree, I feel that filtering with the Essencia is a essential part of making a clean tasteless spirit, the carbon also adds a slight flavour which I like and the Ceramic filter removes any smell.

No matter how clean my neutral or how good I make my cuts, it gets filtered as the final phase before becoming fit for consumption, just my opinion and practice.

Like most of us, I too buy the spring water from the supermarket....when I started off I used the tap water..(which is ok)..but for a £1 a gall I go with that.

I did buy an Essencia filter, in the beginning for the vodka, as I now do rum most of the time...that's one drink that does not want to go through a filter.