WoodyD40 from Melbourne

[WoodyD40]

Good morning all.
A friend sent me a link for the all bran / wheet bix sugar wash for me to use - and that got me started in checking out the forum.
2 days later I joined. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I was lucky enough to phone 5 star that same day and spoke to Andrew for some time and learned a lot in that very first contact.

So, it appears like many people I've started with an air still and thought the first batch of turbo yeast run through the still was pretty good.
UNTIL
The next weekend I went to a friends house that has a beautiful 7 plate still, and I tasted the difference between my first batch and what the air still was able to produce.

One week later I've bought myself a 65 litre pot with a reflux head (its what I could afford at the time) and have set up two 60 litre all bran fermentations going (and a 30 litre with the last of the turbo yeast - but no carbon). That was last weekend.
I now need to be patient and let it all sit for two weeks until I have a 3 day weekend to run the first test run with the turbo wash - learn how the still works (check for any leaks) prior to running the real All Bran/wheet bix fermentations through the still. :-B

For the moment, I'm happy to get neutral spirits that I can add essences to for a variety of drinks (mostly Gin).
As I become confident, I would love to get into the Fine Scot Whisky that is in this forum. Problem will be sourcing the Barley and Malt etc. I will probably ask a lot of questions when that time comes.

With the wife's blessing, I have converted a nice little corner of the garage into a distillation room, and had a sparky friend install a 15 amp outlet for the 65 litre boiler on a separate circuit from the switch board. I have the 2 x 60 litre fermenters on a raised bench, wrapped in beach towels, heating rope on temp controllers.

[The Stig]

Onwards and upwards Woody :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[WoodyD40]

Thanks :dance:

[Professor Green]

Welcome Woody.

Cheers,
Prof. Green.

[Wellsy]

Welcome woody
Lots of great recipes on here plus lots of great ppl.
Enjoy the journey

[WoodyD40]

Thanks Wellsy

[WoodyD40]

h Folks.

I turned on the 65 litre still for the first time yesterday.

I started with a 25 litre of water (including about 4 litre of white vinegar to help clean the inside). Using the 3 elements, it got upto temperature quickly and then the thermometer at the top of the column also hit 100 degrees.
After about 12 minutes, one of the water fittings at the top sprung a leak and water started spurting everywhere which caused a real quick shut down of all power, then my rushing back out to front yard to turn off all the water to the column.
i thought it was the hose fitting, so i took it off the still, played with it, then put it back together. Went outside and turned the tap on again only to hear it spurting everyone.
It ended up being the base fitting was slightly loose, so i swapped over the water supply (which is under pressure) and the discharge (no pressure), tested it all again - and no issue.

I then shut it all down, and emptied the pot and rinsed everything out.
Gently tightened the offending fitting (still warm so did not want to overdo it).


I had about 7 litres of low wines from my stripping runs last weekend (done in air still). i watered that done to make up a nearly 25 litre wash (ended up with about 5% ABV in the pot.
Turned water on - then turned still on (all 3 elements again) and it got up to temperature in only about 15 minutes.
The temp in the pot only got upto 93 degrees when the thermometer started climbing quickly, then stablished at about 97 or 98 degrees at to of column.
After 10 minutes i carefully opened the tap at the top to start letting the distillate come out the collection tube. (not sure if terminology is correct, bare with me - i'm a newbie).

This is basically a second stripping run so i can test the whole unit and learn how it functions. It was a very exciting and successful test run.

I collected the first 500ml (approx) and discarded - as is was likely to have some left over flavors from the vinegar.
I kept the next 800ml (which was approx 92% ABV)
I collected the next 500 ml just in case i want to add to a future distillation (and labelled it for future reference)

As the original batch of wash was done using turbo yeast (including carbon and clearing agents) there was still a bit of that coming through the second distillation process. Once diluted down to my preferred ABV of 28% I ended up with approx 1.8 litre. Keeping a small amount in reserve for future wash comparisons, I decided using Ouzo flavoring to cover over the taste/smell was the appropriate course of action, so I made up two bottles.

My wife and I had a quick sample of that last night, and realized we should wait for a couple of days and sample again.

Overall, i'm very happy with the first test run, and cant wait for the 2 x 60 litre fermenters to be ready with the all-bran/weet bix recipe to be ready to put through the still (which will be next week Friday).

[The Stig]

Congratulations.
Here’s your first lesson , we did talk about this I think .
A pot is a still not a boiler , what your calling a pot is a boiler . Please :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[WoodyD40]

Oops. :o
Sorry stig.

[The Stig]

You’ll get there grasshopper :music-deathmetal:

[Wellsy]

When you can snatch the pebble from my hand it will be time for you to upgrade

[WoodyD40]

You’ll get there grasshopper :music-deathmetal:

:handgestures-thumbupleft:

[WoodyD40]

I managed to get rid of the last of the turbo yeast as a second practise run yesterday.

I put 25 litres into the ''Boiler" and the also threw in one of my first bottles of Gin (saphhire blue) that I made using the Air Still.

Approx 6 hours later, I had enough product to make up 9 bottles of Gin at approx 38% ABV. Which i have placed in cupboard for the wife to access.

Happy result - but long day.

[WoodyD40]

When you can snatch the pebble from my hand it will be time for you to upgrade

There is a handbrake stopping me from snatching the pebble :teasing-tease: ... this grasshopper will need to learn patience first. :laughing-rolling:

[Wellsy]

We have all been there woody, some of us still are as we struggle with the whole patience idea

[WoodyD40]

Well I had fun yesterday - managed to get a day to WFH (an excuse to find time to run a spirits run of WBAB).

I was a wonderful 12 hour day playing with my new reflux - but that is a lot less than estimated 30 + hours if i tried that amount of wash through the air still.
Wow, a huge difference in taste from the turbo spirits. I'm sold on WBAB.

Q. should i try doing a Tomatoe past wash? or just stick with WBAB ?

yes Stig - you did tell me that my 2" reflux still would still require a large investment in time, compared to a 4" stack. :teasing-tease:

[The Stig]

Try them all if you want, Im not a fan the TPW, I can still taste that little funk from the tomatoes no matter what i did to it.

[BigRig]

Adding to what stig has said, with the tpw, it would depend on what you are using it for. As a sipper, or a base for something mild, i would not bother.

I use it for limoncello and it is awesome. The lemon peel and sugar syrup overpower it so you dont really taste it.

[WoodyD40]

Try them all if you want, Im not a fan the TPW, I can still taste that little funk from the tomatoes no matter what i did to it.

if it tastes better than turbo wash - then its already a winner :laughing-rolling:

But in all seriousness - I am thinking that it would be good to experiment with all the tried and true recipes on this forum, so i can make my own value judgements on cost/v/taste etc.
I greatly appreciate everyone's opinions, sometimes it pays to 'have a go' and also have fun doing it.

[WoodyD40]

Adding to what stig has said, with the tpw, it would depend on what you are using it for. As a sipper, or a base for something mild, i would not bother.

I use it for limoncello and it is awesome. The lemon peel and sugar syrup overpower it so you don't really taste it.

I was gifted a bottle of home made Lemoncello - and it was awesome - so a full batch of TPW turned into Lemoncello is certainly a possibility. Good thing is the neighbor has a tree full of lemons almost all year around.

Thanks for your thoughts BigRig.