G'day

[toil]

Thought I'd better stop lurking and introduce myself. Recently 'graduated' from beer making to spirit making. Got a pure distilling reflux still with christmas and have been on to the tomato washes. Have run 2 and third is currently fermenting. Second time around I realized what a difference cuts can make. I did 300ml cuts (probably could go down to 200?). Anyway using the neutral as a mixer mainly and the wife likes fiddling around with fruit based infusions. I would love to be able to make a reasonable triple sec. I've been inspired by this site. Already thinking I can see a pot still in my future - would like to give rum and gin a bit of a go. A chance to learn a few skills along the way by building one.

[Sam.]

Welcome mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Yeah do smaller cuts if you have the jars so you can tell the difference a bit better and save more of your good booze ;-)

[Urrazeb]

Welcome mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Yeah do smaller cuts if you have the jars so you can tell the difference a bit better and save more of your good booze ;-)

:text-+1:

Once you do the same wash a few times and have the cuts down to an art you will be able to take off heads in a larger vessel and going by experience start collecting when nearing the end of heads (or just before)

I was overly happy with the whiskey and rum my little 2in pot used to make, they're a great still :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[toil]

Thanks sam_and_liv. I will try 200ml cuts and just keep the good stuff. I collected 600 ml of what seemed like heads - about 1500ml at 40%. Looking forward to a high yielding feints run!

[Andy]

Anyway using the neutral as a mixer mainly and the wife likes fiddling around with fruit based infusions. I would love to be able to make a reasonable triple sec.

have a go of the strawberry panty dropper :handgestures-thumbupleft:
some good triple sec recipes around on the forum. orange suspension works well. i cant find empytglasses original post but:

WineGlass posted
"Take 1 litre of 40% neutral.
Add and disolve 1 to 1 1/4 cups of sugar.
Place in large jar, suspend 1 orange or 2 mandies above the surface of the sugared neutral. Don't let them contact the fluid as that can cause bitterness.
Come back in 3 months."

[toil]

Thanks Andy. I reckon I'll give the panty dropper a go - my mate's wife's family are strawberry farmer's. I'll have to stop eating those punnets they bring around - a shocking waste.

The triple sec will require me to display a bit more patience then usual - maybe I just need to up the workload so production exceeds consumption. I reckon the later will move up if I raise the former though.