Carter newbie question

[Rolls912]

I’m running my carter head for the first time for Gin using FSD’s milk can of death. Very excited.

I’ve had a good read.

From what I can work out;
- don’t need to steep
- maserate the ingredients
- get the spirit up to temp as quickly as I want
- let her run for 20 / 30 mins or so, basket free collecting the heads
- drop in the basket
- slow it right down
- cut accordingly

Is there any thing else I should be doing here?

Cheers

[scythe]

Don't start with a fresh wash.
Only use hearts, like hearts of hearts...
Different flavours come out at different stages of the run, rose comes out at 20% i think, which would be in tails of a normal run starting with a wash so would be thrown out.

Also make sure you do a sacrificial/cleaning run if it is the actual first time the carter head has been run.

[Professor Green]

Definitely run it on a pre-prepared neutral, you don't want to be worrying about heads and tails from the wash when juggling botanical baskets.

Maceration and steeping are the same thing and is useful to help slurp out extra oils from the botanicals before distilling however it sounds like you're wanting to run a vapour infusion only. If you do want to put botanicals in the boiler AND vapour infuse at the same time, then you'll need to make sure you keep them away from the elements otherwise they'll scorch.

As scythe said, you'll want to do a cleaning run first just to get the manufacturing smeg off the carter head components.

[Rolls912]

Thanks. Yes ran it on heart of hearts :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Super pleased with how it turned out. Unquestionably the best drink I have ever produced. I made a g&t at 55% and there was no burn at all. So excited... and buggered. Two days of distilling!

Changed the basket halfway through to keep it fresh.

The run lasted for 6 hrs and there was a heap of tails - about 2 hrs worth

A question about the tap at the bottom of the carter head... how often does one realease the alcohol that sits in the bottom section. Interesting that it came out a yellow / green. Very strong juniper flavour and smell.

[j0sh2008]

If you did an all heart's run. Could you take the whole run?
Or need to still do cuts?

[bluc]

that stuff in the carter head, the oils, been wondering if you could tip them into boiler of next run to boost flavour? :-B

[Professor Green]

I think the whole point of the offset carter head is that they don't end up in the boiler!

As I understand it (I've not run my carter head yet), the reservoir collects the oils that were too heavy for the vapour to carry across to the PC so I don't think there would be any advantage to adding it into the boiler.

[bluc]

As I understand it (I've not run my carter head yet), the reservoir collects the oils that were too heavy for the vapour to carry across to the PC so I don't think there would be any advantage to adding it into the boiler.

Rolls said it smells and tastes strongly of juniper? Juniper carries over.. I dont know is new to me. I thought they were made for ease of access to botanical basket on long runs and to stop the oils running all through the column, not so much the boiler, which is why some maccerate but that has its own issued like burning herbs on element....

[Rolls912]

As I understand it (I've not run my carter head yet), the reservoir collects the oils that were too heavy for the vapour to carry across to the PC so I don't think there would be any advantage to adding it into the boiler.

Rolls said it smells and tastes strongly of juniper? Juniper carries over.. I dont know is new to me. I thought they were made for ease of access to botanical basket on long runs and to stop the oils running all through the column, not so much the boiler, which is why some maccerate but that has its own issued like burning herbs on element....

I’m still learning but if I was going to take a punt, I’d say the juni’s out of the packet are very oily and by siphoning off the heavy oils that gather at the bottom, it gives the juniper a more delicate flavour profile.

‘I thought they were made for ease of access to botanical basket on long runs and to stop the oils running all through the column’ my boiler was absolutely immaculate with crystal clear backset which was interesting.

I would be curious to find how often does one syphon this stuff off... when you open the valve heaps of stuff comes out and seems like a waste.

[scythe]

Isn't it meant to act like a thumper and further assist with flavour addition?

Have a read of DBV's (DogBreathVodka's) and Doc's posts, they are the prominent Gin makers/drinkers around these parts that come to mind.

Was it DBV who made their own carterhead from copper?
I seem to recall there being good explanatory stuff in that thread.

[bluc]

Is the way I understood to scythe. It also picks up flavour from passing through the liquid bath of oils...

[RC Al]

viewtopic.php?f=56&t=5027&hilit=carter+head#p84834

Thats how Mac did doc's :eusa-think:

[dogbreath vodka]

The liquid in my offset is pure headache material.
It also smells off. :handgestures-thumbdown:

I use my Carter head as a thumper, works pretty good to. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Anything worth having goes into the vapour.
At least in mine it does.

Dbv