Filtering Taking Ages

[Pistol_Knight]

Hi all, my first post.... I got an Air Still from Santa and have made a couple of batches, I live in a wine producing area and have access to wine the makers throw out for what ever reason so I still the wine and it is coming out at about 50%, I still around 800ml from 4lts and water down to 40%, takes around 1 day to filter this through my still spirits carbon filter so is this normal or am I doing something wrong?
My still came with the Filter as companion pack and I just made a 10lt batch with the stuff that came with it and from this I got 2.25lt of 40% when watered down, I have been filtering this for 2 days and still going, have changed a filter once so again to me this seems a little slow, is this normal?
Cheers
Paul

[Andy]

hi mate. welcome to the forum hopefully you can make some nice brandy from that wine.

those filters do take a while as far as I know.
alternatively you can buy some carbon and let it sit in the spirit for a few weeks.
patience is important in the still game.

I hope you have read the newbies corner on cuts etc.

the filtering system is carbon. it essentially traps molecules larger than ethanol like the fusel oils. for a non-neutral spirit ie distilled wine you would be wanting to keep these flavours.
if the batch you are referring to is the turbo wash that came with the still- good luck drinking that :puke-huge:

[WTDist]

the filtering system is carbon. it essentially traps molecules larger than ethanol like the fusel oils

really, it stopped fusel oils? might try filter a bunch of neutral tails and then re still it :))

[rumdidlydum]

Welcome buddy. I have moved your topic to the welcome centre as its your first post. Have a good read up on the rules and regulations.
And happy stilling :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[WTDist]

On that note welcome

be careful when distilling wine for methanol. Make sure you do harsh cuts :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Pistol_Knight]

As I am making spirit for adding essence does it really need to be filtered? I have read a bit in the forum and some say not?
I made my first batch from red wine and added a Jim Beam type essence, Copperhead Rd I think, anyhow compared to the beam I had on the bench it wasn't quite bad for my first attempt
I have tried the red wine I scored from winery and bought some cheap cask white wine, the red wine makes 800ml of 50% from 4lts and 4lts of cask white produced 800ml at 40% and the spirit from the red is smoother than the white.
Still have a fair bit of reading yet, I am just an amateur and just making some bourbon for drinking, I have no doubt this will escalate into an out of control hobby :handgestures-thumbupleft: :obscene-drinkingdrunk:

[Nino]

As I am making spirit for adding essence does it really need to be filtered? I have read a bit in the forum and some say not?
I made my first batch from red wine and added a Jim Beam type essence, Copperhead Rd I think, anyhow compared to the beam I had on the bench it wasn't quite bad for my first attempt
I have tried the red wine I scored from winery and bought some cheap cask white wine, the red wine makes 800ml of 50% from 4lts and 4lts of cask white produced 800ml at 40% and the spirit from the red is smoother than the white.
Still have a fair bit of reading yet, I am just an amateur and just making some bourbon for drinking, I have no doubt this will escalate into an out of control hobby :handgestures-thumbupleft: :obscene-drinkingdrunk:

It always does :text-lol: :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Doubleuj]

Welcome mate
Why not just do good cuts and try it without filtering ?
all the tried and proven recipies you'll find here don't need filtering.
Plus getting rid of the plastic filter would be a good health decision :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[rumdidlydum]

Your air still its designed to make neutral, so distilling wine is it abit of a waste, and you probably won't get a good drop from it. You need a pot still detuned reflux or bubbler to carry the flavour over with wine.

Put a tpw down, that with good cuts like DJ mentioned will get you a decent drop :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Andy]

Your air still its designed to make neutral, so distilling wine is it abit of a waste, and you probably won't get a good drop from it. You need a pot still detuned reflux or bubbler to carry the flavour over with wine.

Put a tpw down, that with good cuts like DJ mentioned will get you a decent drop :handgestures-thumbupleft:

an air still is a pot still. instead of water cooled liebig it uses the air to condense.

the filtering system is carbon. it essentially traps molecules larger than ethanol like the fusel oils

really, it stopped fusel oils? might try filter a bunch of neutral tails and then re still it :))

thats why most commercial products use them. you can remove more aldehydes and fusel oils etc opening up the percentage you can keep as hearts and clean up any that have come through in the hearts.
if you were going to try polish only tails I would water it down first. water molecule size, ethanol size and fusels, aldehye size means fusel disolve less and are more easily trapped. if i was doing a tails run i would 100% soak on carbon before and after.

[WTDist]

good point andy. i have a bumch waiting for me to do a feints run so maybe i should water down the tails a lil bit more and filter before i run :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Pistol_Knight]

Thanks for replies
I think I over tightened the carbon cartridge in filter, anyhow loosened it a bit and seems to be working ok.
Rum, I will sure try a TPW but the red wine is fine through the air still, I'm not trying to keep the flavor of the wine actually quite the opposite I want clean spirit to flavor with essence, from the red I get 800ml at just over 50%, i will try tipping the first 50ml to see if I can get a perfect taste, I have made 1lt peach vodka from red wine and it isn't too bad.
I know this will escalate out of control eventually but for now I am happy enough trying to perfect what I have, I know many here won't be in favor of air stills but I will stick with it until I'm ready for the next stage.
Is there a benefit in using rain water for the wash, I know in Beer making you need to use water hardener if you use rain water so does anyone have feedback on this? Cheers

[WTDist]

Ive been using tap water for years with all my washes. CFW WBW TPW and so on. i eve make up a wsh if i haent got the ingredients now. it surprising what you can ferment in your pantry :))

[WalterWhite]

from the red I get 800ml at just over 50%, i will try tipping the first 50ml to see if I can get a perfect taste,

Mate I am finding some of this a little concerning. If you are fermenting wine and not discarding fores EVERY time then what you are making is straight up dangerous and should not be consumed!
Please go and have a good read of the newbies corner. There is an excellent diagram somewhere on double distilling and making cuts that is designed for use with the air still.
Safety first .... No amount of filtering is going to make your foreshots safe to drink.

[Nino]

from the red I get 800ml at just over 50%, i will try tipping the first 50ml to see if I can get a perfect taste,

Mate I am finding some of this a little concerning. If you are fermenting wine and not discarding fores EVERY time then what you are making is straight up dangerous and should not be consumed!
Please go and have a good read of the newbies corner. There is an excellent diagram somewhere on double distilling and making cuts that is designed for use with the air still.
Safety first .... No amount of filtering is going to make your foreshots safe to drink.

:text-+1:

[WTDist]

from the red I get 800ml at just over 50%, i will try tipping the first 50ml to see if I can get a perfect taste,

Mate I am finding some of this a little concerning. If you are fermenting wine and not discarding fores EVERY time then what you are making is straight up dangerous and should not be consumed!
Please go and have a good read of the newbies corner. There is an excellent diagram somewhere on double distilling and making cuts that is designed for use with the air still.
Safety first .... No amount of filtering is going to make your foreshots safe to drink.

:text-+1:

me too. 800ml at 50% is not neutral and there will need to be massive cuts taken from wine so you dont drink it.

there is much reading in front of you if you want to stay alive

[Pistol_Knight]

Stuffed if I know then LOL, must be the great quality of Margaret River wine, just did another 4lt batch and threw away first 60ml then run off 600ml that came out 50%, watered down with 150ml rainwater to 40% and it's ok, compared with the Skyy vodka the missus has it's almost the same so I guess this means Skyy Vodka is Shit :D I certainly don't have a brandy taste.
As comparison the distilled red wine is much better than the turbo wash that came with the still. If you google Distilling Wine there is a couple of video's on the subject and one guy drinks as it comes out of the still, most seem to say the amount of Methanol in wine is minimal, a few reckon white wine comes out cleaner, I tried doing some Coolabah flat white (can't believe people drink this stuff) and got 700ml at 40% which tasted reasonable, i didn't tip the first 50ml so I will redo it some time.
The bulk wine I have came in a blue barrel and whilst red it would be a mix of all sorts, the wine came from bottling plant and is stuff from first pours etc the stuff that doesn't make the grade, (when I siphoned it out of the blue barrel I reckon it tasted better than the Coolabah :laughing-rolling: )
I guess I have to try some proper stilled stuff to know the difference, I am happy so far with results but know it will improve, we off to Bali next week so I will put a TPW in and compare. may end up ditching 80lts of wine,

[WTDist]

Trust advice and experience here :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Ive seen some shonky how to videos on tje web. dont trust everything you see. you always need to make cuts as methanol and ethanol is NOT the only chemical produced by the yeast. there is a bunch of other unwanted poisons you dont want. might not kill you right away but over time it will

Read up on and do cuts. always do cuts

Blue barrel? As in plastic blue barrel?