Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

gidday all, been hanging around yuor forum for a bit , thought I'd better say hello. Ive been brewing all grain beer for years and about 6 months ago I thought I'd like to try making a single malt whiskey. i bought a still off ebay and a 36lt stainless boiler and rigged the two together using a stainless bowl as a dome. All fun and games. Anyway have been so happy with my whiskey - truley impressed with how tastey it was. I've had a few runs that didn't work so well but all part of the learning. Ive decided that oats make a fantastic whiskey .. I'm raving on now. :smile: :greetings-waveyellow:

Welcome mate, like the idea of oats :think: what sort of flavours does it give?

Welcome mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:
How have you sealed the bowl :think:

- thanks for the welcome... I'm really not sure what flavour is contributed by oats - others will have had more experience than me on that I'm sure. I know in brewing I have used oats to give a smooth and slick mouthfeel to stouts and ales they have a lot of protein and add body to beer. The whiskey I made was around 2.5 kg rolled oat to 2 kg maris otter barley in a 24 lt brew - I used amylase to convert the oats then the barley to convert to glucose, I included 1kg sugar, then lowans bread yeast. I ran is slowly twice through my still and 'aged' for a month on very charred french oak chips . the finished product was light malt flavour with, oaky vanilla and really smooth in the glass which I imagine may have been the oaty proteins. I'd be interested to know if that smooth effect in beer from oats caries into the distillate ...

As for the still build I used brass pan head screws to fix the dome to the saucepan lid and a fine smear of silicon. I figured the silicon i used is all over my roof and guttering which collects my rain water ..so must be relatively inert, right ?.any thoughts ?? :pray:

chaos wrote:-

As for the still build I used brass pan head screws to fix the dome to the saucepan lid and a fine smear of silicon. I figured the silicon i used is all over my roof and guttering which collects my rain water ..so must be relatively inert, right ?.any thoughts ?? :pray:

some silicons will dissolve in ethanol you have to get one compatable with solvents not sure which one cause I have never used it and welcome btw :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Have a read up on brass and alcohol, there's plenty of info here about it. Even better replace the screws with stainless steel.
With the seal, your call on the sealant but I wouldn't risk crap going into my product.
Just a couple of things for you to ponder about :think:

- good points - I will get some stainless fittings, easy fixed. The sealant doesn't bother me too much but I would prefer not to be just crossing my fingers; what are the options ?
many thanks

What sort of boiler is it a water urn style like a t500 boiler? or a stock pot?

..36lt stock pot fired with gas

chaos wrote:The sealant doesn't bother me too much but I would prefer not to be just crossing my fingers; what are the options ?
many thanks

Would you drink a shot of the sealant? Ethanol will leach that sealant into your drink.

Would you then serve that to your friends and family?

..hmm maybe Sam..although I don't have too many friends left..seems to be lots of fatal tummy troubles round these parts. Family all dead too..
Sounds like the sealant isn't the best idea.
thanks

try a silicon baking sheet cut to size for your sealer.....

hi by the way... from just up the road

:handgestures-thumbupleft:

brilliant - thanks Redux :smile:

Hello chaos,
I will reply to your private message when I have enough posts here to be able to read it.
I am at the top of the Mountains.Would be great to catch up with you.
Regards
gap