Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Just wondering about any advantages/disadvantages of using a cheap cask wine as a base for a sacrificial run?

I have acquired a previously experienced stainless steel 2" modular boka with a relatively simple keg boiler. (1 element, no additional fill or drain ports).

I've taken it apart and given it a clean. Soaked the stainless steel scrubbers in some citric acid. There was some copper pipe pieces inserted above the scrubbers and I've given them a soak with citric as well. I grabbed some copper scrubbers to replace some of the stainless ones. They have been given a degrease, a boil in Napisan and are also soaking in citric acid.

I was planning on re assembling the entire unit and running a vinegar run and then a sacrificial spirit run. I have two TPW that are waiting to be run through and I was toying with the idea of running some cheap cask wine through instead of one of the TPW's as the sacrificial so I can use both the TPW's as my first runs on a rather steep learning curve. Are they any major disadvantages of running the cask wine? Does it leave any residues etc in either the boiler or column that I should be considering beforehand? Or should I just run one of my TPW's?
If I were to run the cask wine can I dilute it 50/50 in the boiler? I was thinking about 12 litres wine to 12 of water to run it through.

I guess I am being a bit impatient, but I would like to see if I can get a fairly decent and clean spirit and I thought the more actual TPW I run the sooner I might achieve something that I can drink!!

Thanks for any input.

Natjac.

I can't see any reason you couldn't run the cask wine. It will make your still smell a bit after but that will disappear with a rinse and the heads of the next run. Can't help but think that a tpw would be cheaper than 12ltrs of wine but depends how cheap the wine is I guess.

Tpw is the go about the cheapest wash you can do. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

bluc wrote:Tpw is the go about the cheapest wash you can do. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

:text-+1:

:text-+1: on expense.

12 litres is 3 casks @ $8.99 per 4l cask for the cheapest at DM = $27.

$27 will get you the makings of a fairly decent volume of TPW...

no help to natjac as he is newby but in the past when i have built something copper i soak it in a bucket of dunder overnite then put the dunder in the boiler with my methanol from previous distillations and run it. you get your methanol back you have a clean still. no waste cheap wine or vinegar not needed. this is not rocket science put some dirty copper in dunder see how clean it comes

brewster2 wrote:no help to natjac as he is newby but in the past when i have built something copper i soak it in a bucket of dunder overnite then put the dunder in the boiler with my methanol from previous distillations and run it. you get your methanol back you have a clean still. no waste cheap wine or vinegar not needed. this is not rocket science put some dirty copper in dunder see how clean it comes

I assume you mean methanol being your foreshots from runs?

Hey mate I have 4l worth of rum tails your more then welcome to come grab them and run them through!

Thanks for the replies.

Cost wasn’t my biggest concern, I was just being impatient in wanting to run a ‘useable’ wash of my own!!!

I think I’ll settle with a TPW or ‘tails’ wash.

PM sent Nathan.

Next question, how long do people run their vinegar run?

Cheers,

Natjac

No reason you cant use box wine. 50/50 vinegar water solution steaming for about 30min usually..

Thanks bluc,

I’ve been running a vinegar run for about 90 minutes, so I can try and play around with some water flow and a few other things and then shut it down!.

Cheers,

Natjac.

:handgestures-thumbupleft: