Alembic Post Still for gin

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Alembic Post Still for gin

Postby Ned » Sun Dec 17, 2017 1:00 pm

I have done an all grain single malt whisky and that was quite successful.
I hope you can help. 1st time doing a gin on the alembic with the botanical basket 50 litres of TPW. I naturally will have to do 2 stripping runs taking out the 1st 120ml on each run.(boiler only holds 25 litres) Question am I correct in the fact that I might have to do another stripping run (Also Dilute this stripping run to 40% before stripping it ) to get a good neutral spirit ? Also taking out 120ml.?. I will than do a Spirit Run with the botanicals basket doing no cuts and collect all spirit until 20%. The instructions say use a minimum amount of 6 litres of 40% neutral spirit and put this in the boiler and top up to 25 litres and run through the botanical basket than water down to 40%.
In closing its confusing as it say in the alembic pot still book follow the instructions for distilling a vodka then continue making a gin and it goes into the stripping run and spirit run with no cuts.
Not sure how you distill a vodka, is it just stripping runs, until you get a good clean spirit.
Ned
 
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Re: Alembic Post Still for gin

Postby Professor Green » Sun Dec 17, 2017 7:28 pm

Hi Ned,

For gin, you will want to start off with an already cleanly distilled neutral that's been diluted down to 40% for safety. That way you won't waste any of the yummy gin flavours on any possibly remaining heads/tails as you will have already removed them from the equation.

A pot still is not the most efficient way of making said nice clean neutral base for your vodka and gin. You would need to re-distil the results of each run a number of times in order to achieve any sort of neutrality. That's not to say it's impossible, just a fair amount of work. On your 25 litre boiler, I think getting yourself a boka would the simplest the way to go for neutral/vodka as they perform that duty extremely well. You can quickly strip your wash into low wines using your pot as you originally planned, then run the results of a couple of strips through in one spirit run with the boka to clean it up.

You should also have a bit of a read up on making cuts here

Cheers,
Prof. Green.
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Re: Alembic Post Still for gin

Postby Ned » Mon Dec 18, 2017 7:06 pm

Thank you for your input.
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Re: Alembic Post Still for gin

Postby Manchestershine » Sun Dec 31, 2017 10:37 am

I'm also new to distilling, I bought a T500 Reflux in October. I fermented out 50ltr TPW then did a strip, watered down to 30%. I tried various methods for producing a Bombay style gin, I made a gin basket out of a chocolate cappuccino shaker mounted upside-down under the column. This didn't work, it started well but the main issue is I can't control the power on the element so the boiler overheated and started to puke out too much product. So in an attempt to reduce the restricted flow I then put my botanics into muslin and wired directly under the column. A slight improvement but after 250ml of product it started puking again.
I ended up dropping the muslin bag directly into the wash and running it as London dry (the bag floated). I made cuts on the gin (should have cut the vodka prior) but the gin is fantastic. I left all the SS and copper saddles in the reflux and still got a great gin flavour out. I had to strip them out when finished and scrub it clean but I'm happy with the result.
I have a power reducer coming so I can turn down the element and will try again with the gin basket. I'll also try disconnecting the reflux, removing the saddles and just run the condenser using the power reducer to control flow rates, more like a pot still. This should help me get stripping runs done faster. I'm really happy with the gin, however my new year looks like rum experiments coming up.
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Re: Alembic Post Still for gin

Postby Ned » Sat Jan 06, 2018 9:01 am

Thanks Professor Green for you input.
I now have purchased a T500 and of course I have the Alembic pot still
In response to your reply is this the correct method for doing a TPW for a neutral spirit for Vodka for making Gin

1 :- Do the stripping runs on the alembic. (2 runs of 25 litres) for low wines and reduce to 40% for the spirit run on the T500
2 :- Then do the spirit run on the T500 with the results from the stripping run, Making cuts. (I think I will only use hearts) Dilute to 40% for the Gin run.
3 :- Then run the hearts through the Alembic pot still with the botanical basket making no cuts. Run till 20%
4 :- Instructions for the Botanical in the Alembic pot still are :- 6 litres of 40% neutral spirit and top up boiler to 25 litres and distill to 20% and dilute result to 40%. ?

Just off the subject in the still spirits book it states :- if distilling a neutral spirit from a sugar wash it states you do :-
Stripping Run
Spirit Run, but the cuts are only :- Foreshots - Hearts - Tails. No Heads ??
I though all spirit you needed to to Heads, not just spirit from grain ?

I really appreciate your help on this.

Cheers
Ned
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Re: Alembic Post Still for gin

Postby bluc » Sat Jan 06, 2018 12:37 pm

Different people use different terminology same say foreshots/heads/hearts/tails others say heads/hearts/tails others say foreshots/hearts/tails. but yes all is the same. The reason for the separate foreshots cut is it is really nasty shit ditch this without a second thought so it does not touch your mouth(some keep it for cleaning personally I don't take the risk of accumulating and storing it as, especially from a pot, it still has the smell of the spirit it came from and may accidentally be drunk by someone, I realise properly stored and labelled it shouldn't happen but....) I also do a fores cut on stripping run that way if some dickhead gets hold of my low wines worst it will do is give them a wicked hangover.. :handgestures-thumbupleft: hope this helps.

the rest sounds right, have fun :clap:
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Re: Alembic Post Still for gin

Postby Professor Green » Sat Jan 06, 2018 1:28 pm

:text-+1: on what blue said.

I usually take a small amount of fores from the stripping run as well as from the spirit run.
I consider fores to be the obviously acetoney stuff at the very start of the run as opposed to heads which are more methanoly.

Cheers,
Prof. Green.
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Re: Alembic Post Still for gin

Postby Ned » Sat Jan 06, 2018 2:53 pm

Thanks Guys.
Good to know I am on the right track.
I have been taking foreshots from my stripping runs.
Just need to get my head around the cuts on the T500.
I have been using a proofing parrot (with a drain tap to prevent smearing) on the Alembic
This definately helps me as beginner making small cuts of 150 ml and gives me a good indication of smell and taste of the Heads - Hearts and Tails.
I also have a GF power controller which does also helps, bearing in mind that I need to keep the spirit wash boiling.

Cheers

Ned
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