I'm so struggling (cuts & blending)

[Crazyk]

I've run a UJSSM but cand do cuts and blends.

I so struggled to do my cuts, I mean I had 15 jars ranging from 80% down to 50% and could taste the spirity start and flavour end but how the hell do you do blends!

I just ended up mixing the middle three then the two either side of that but seriously I'm not sure what to expect.

I just don't know how you guys do it.

[dogbreath vodka]

How many runs have you done with your pot still?

As it is a pot - you will have a lot of smearing through your jars.
So you're best off chucking the really nasty heads in the first few jars.

Do this with three runs and then run the good stuff you've collected through the pot still again.

This may make it easier to smell the difference between the heads, hearts and tails.

Worry about the blending later.

Just my take on using a pot still.


DBV

[Sam.]

I just don't know how you guys do it.

Practice :handgestures-thumbupleft:

How long have you aired your jars for?

How are you testing each jar? :think:

[Zak Griffin]

Gday mate. I've just moved this to the Beginners Section for now :handgestures-thumbupleft:

As for cuts and blending, it's probably the most important and difficult process in the entire hobby... One wrong jar added to the final spirit can mean either a cracking hangover, or just bad taste...

If you''re just learning/starting, you probably want to be making pretty tight cuts... You might waste some spirit, but you'll enjoy the process a lot more! It's also a matter of personal taste... some guys like some of the flavours the tails offer, and some guys don't mind a bit of the 'bite' that some heads can give...

Also... what these guys ^ have said.

[Crazyk]

No worries Zac.

Yes a pot still. Oh I've run many runs through it. I ran 3 stripping runs and this was my spirit run. Ended up using about 600mm jars so I would consider that small enough. As far as airing, I left them for 3 days. I can def smell the bite and flavour of the tails but not sure how it should taste.

Got it on some light oak so will check it in a few months.

[Zak Griffin]

A few months on oak will hide a lot, mate, so you should be right.

I would probably stick to 300-400ml cuts... Empty stubbies are perfect :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Crazyk]

Crap I'm a can Man. Gets colder!

And I've only Oaked at approx 7g/L after much reading

[Zak Griffin]

7g/L is about right... That's about what I do anyway.

EDIT; The only beer cans worth worrying about are those 50L stainless ones :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[dogbreath vodka]

As far as airing, I left them for 3 days.(Bit long for mine..... overnight - to a day is plenty)

I can def smell the bite and flavour of the tails but not sure how it should taste.

Got it on some light oak so will check it in a few months.

Takes time to get the flavours you like. UJ is a great place to start. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Pot stills keep a lot of flavour, so perhaps blending isn't really needed at this stage.
You will naturally progress as you do more runs and get a feel for what you like.
Take your time and enjoy the ride, it's what most of us have done. :handgestures-thumbupleft: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

DBV

[baysidebogan]

Crazyk, I make my cuts every 300ml. Leaving the cuts air overnight will be enough, no need to leave them longer. Blending will always be a personal taste thing. Early tails still contain some great flavour. It will come to you with practise as you do more runs. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Urrazeb]

Hey mate, after reading your post I went though my old pot still notes.

Goes like this..
40L low wines
300ml cuts


300ml fores

1-84%
9-80%
16-77%
24-76.5%
33-72%
37-68%

According to my notes I cut from jar 12-25

I hope this sheds some light on the cuts for you. Best way to do it (im my own words) is to select the very center of cut jars, smell it. Then the first, then the last, from that you should differentiate between heads hearts and tails.

Now go from the center again and work out either way, smelling each jar, go back to whatever end your trying to pick for a refresher of the scent to avoid.

The way I learnt was the hard way.. I thought "just this one cut jar will give me an extra two bottles of drinking strength" how wrong I was, it ruined the batch and all got re ran into neutral with my current still :crying-blue:

I hope you can pick cuts and never experience the headache I did from being greedy.. but thats the thing you never never know if you never never go

[Crazyk]

Thanks heaps guys I think you've given me more than I expected from this post, definitely plenty to consider.

That was some great info Urrazeb

[kiwikeg]

are you diluting the samples your tasting with a little water?, tails jars are easy to find if you mix a little sample 50/50 in a glass with water.

[Urrazeb]

are you diluting the samples your tasting with a little water?, tails jars are easy to find if you mix a little sample 50/50 in a glass with water.

Obviously can't speak for the OP but I never found any value in this method.. I'm not at all dismissing it as a way to pick cuts, just never worked for me is all.

Worth a shot if you're having trouble getting it :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[MacStill]

I'm a smoker and the 50/50 method definitely worked for me, but now I know my cuts without sampling & can just go by the jars and a sniff.

Been a long time since I had a hangover, but do have some very old headsy rum from early days I cant bring myself to redistill as it'd be nearly 4yo now..... might come good in another 4 hopefully :-B

[Crazyk]

Damn I'm not getting notification of replies. Sorry guys.

Yes I watered my tasting samples down to approx 40% and only swirled and spat it out.

[woodduck]

Cuts are somthing that does take a bit of practice, I know I'm still learning and I learned the hard way on the weekend, GOD I thought I was gonna die sat morning but thought nah I just drank too much well sunday after another night on it (no I'm not an alco just a big event) I think I was dead. I hadn't had a hangover like that since I was a kid :handgestures- thumbdown: way too many heads in that one :laughing-rolling:

[Yummyrum]

I'm a smoker and the 50/50 method definitely worked for me, but now I know my cuts without sampling & can just go by the jars and a sniff.

Been a long time since I had a hangover, but do have some very old headsy rum from early days I cant bring myself to redistill as it'd be nearly 4yo now..... might come good in another 4 hopefully :-B

Mmmm......got yourself some Bundy Mac :D :laughing-rolling:

[Crazyk]

Lmao duck. A lesson in that for us all.