Running a still fast or slow

[Roddersvb]

Hi all,
I’ve got 2x 23L fermenters with dextrose wash nearly finished fermenting and planning the distill to create a clear spirit to make gin.
My gear is a T-500 with both column and pot head, my question is, do I do a stripping run with the pot or use the reflux?
Then if I use the pot how do I run it fast?

[bluc]

Use the pot run as hard as you can without steam escaping from condenser. Then re run in reflux column slow...real slow..drip drip drip drip..

[Roddersvb]

Thanks bluc,
Next question, I’ve read here to aim for 55- 58 degrees water outlet temp but I can’t go much over 50 without steaming the condenser, is this normal? Also the last 3lt of strip went a bit cloudy is this ok?

[RC Al]

Cloudy strip is fine, quite normal at the end

The water outlet temp on a t500 is out of my experience, but I dare say your suffering the same winter blues I get with any condenser, the input water is too cold to hit the usual sweet spots, I can't even strip without huffing issues atm (I can break anything, 9 tube shotty huffing lols)

[Roddersvb]

Cheers RC AI,
The tails taste like tails, and apporox alc 25% just look ordinary compared to the first 3lt which were clear and 50+%
Look forward to the spirit run.

[howard]

Cheers RC AI,
The tails taste like tails, and apporox alc 25% just look ordinary compared to the first 3lt which were clear and 50+%
Look forward to the spirit run.

the ambient temp can also affect the cloudiness of tails in the jar, a bit of warmth can make it dissapear.
but it isn't anything to worry about.
as for stripping runs, mine starts about 60% and i run it hard down to about 15% at the spout.
this makes the whole collection about 40% with no need to dilute for the spirit run.(your rig may differ slightly)