Still Smarter

Good reminder chaps.
I am going to put a cachaca on myself.

It is really great for the cocktails and neat with ice, but is very smooth if left to
settle and age a little. I made large amounts about five years ago, aged about 10
litres with USA oak and bottled. It was beautiful my best ever distil. Sadly only
three bottles left so need to get cracking.

Any recipe on the horizon? Or is it buried..........

I have just spent 5 minutes mentally digesting some of that thread. My neuro receptors are watering! You guys have far too much fun!

I am realising most of your fun is 'pre-still as opposed to post-Still' . My enjoyment comes after the distillation process. I think I need to adjust my attitude!!!

I will find some ingredients today. I have over the last 3 weeks rebuilt my spirit stock, necessary as moving house and other matters interrupted normal production, however, now back to 30+ x 750ml of nuetral so I can afford the time to 'tie' up a wash bucket for a few weeks.

So cachaca/rum it is. I will revisit this when I get to the distilling stage, I assume packing out and maybe other changes?

Now and again I oak some voddie if I fancy a brown bit of glug. I'd done two cycles in the microwave and was twiddling my thumbs as it cooled, then I thought I'll put a teaspoonful of bitter orange peel in for the last cycle. The next day I filtered it and gave some to a guinea pig mate who called in . Before he wobbled off he christened it, mellow yellow. I didn't put much peel in, the flavour was subtle but nice. Next time I'll put a bit more in or maybe leave it in for two cycles. I love a bit of sperimentin.

Mmm. I have never tried any 'Oaking'', I will give it a try. I am now going to look up all/any necessary info, then perhaps go and see my friend Brian the woodsman. Hemakes traditional furniture, he must have a nice scrap bit of lumber lying around.

I have enjoyed a nice drop of whisky, bourbon or rye whisky before ni-naps.

I should imagine the combinations of NGS, SS whisky/bourbon essences and wood are endless. I will be back here in 3 months unless your see a post from me sooner.

It will be shorter than 3 months if you microwave it WG, more like 3 hours

I will be acquiring wood this weekend.

Are you telling me NGS in a jar with some shavings, heated up stirred around etc etc, allowed to cool will taste of something? Obviously it will. I will try it then....,,,

What a wonderful,hobby.

Can I make Canadian Club please, ... then.... Heaven can wait.

Does anyone remember the little trick we used to do with JD bbq chips??

This might interest some.
An old favourite.
1 litre jar with lid, I use Kilners, add 90g JD bbq smking wood chips,
top up with neutral spirit and add a desert spoon of Maple S.
Then give it a two minute blast in the microwave screw top on and
give a little shake. Do the same for the next three days then leave
for two more days before filtering and tasting.
If your neutral is good you will have one very nice spirit, enjoy Mash
and I do amongst others.

Dive in.
https://bbqland.co.uk/products/jack-dan ... chips-2-9l

I save all my spent oak, that is to say the toasted oak sticks I've used to flavour booze with. When the mackerel are in I use the spent oak to smoke a few mackerel and then turn them into pate. Waste not want not

So so many ideas above. You boys know how to play.....

Gaza, them there are mighty fine Jack Daniels BBQ Smoking Wood Chips.

These have made some of my best hooch.

Mash, Warn the shirt, read the book, try the spirit aey mate.
If you have a little JD or JD Honey concentrate, even better.

I’m on the ferry home from the Isle of Man ,
Spotted a cheap air still on Facebook market place and for a second I thought .. Maybe

As a comment on above.

Anavrin, you cannot have too much Gin or too many Airstills. Buy as many as you can, get a rectifiers licence and start a Gin school. 12 in a class, £90 a student. And they gat to take a coouple of bottles home. Bless HMCE, they understand and will not fill the prisons to a greater extent.

I am mainly in the the polytunnel today, light weeding, and planting out my toms.

Anavrin wrote: Wed Mar 27, 2024 10:01 am I’m on the ferry home from the Isle of Man ,
Spotted a cheap air still on Facebook market place and for a second I thought .. Maybe

Go on, you know you want to. Get a water distiller so that you can control the power.

No. Buy an SS Airstill, why leave it to chance.......TBH buy as many as you can.

How many have you got then?

One. My son in law has one too, he isn't using it but will not part with it (yet).

I have 2 airstills

Lucky boy, do you ever use both at once?