Store bought flavors

Homebrew shop essences talk.

Re: Store bought flavors

Postby copperhead road » Sat Apr 15, 2017 8:28 pm

:handgestures-thumbupleft:
Woodsy71 wrote:Spot on Dubj :smile: Thanks.

Stillbilly, I've been making "real" rum for years.

I'm simply recalling where it all began.

In particular, I remember how intimidating it can be when you read what the "boys from the forum" are making and the negative slant placed on HBS products.

At the end of the day, we are all chasing a safe, homemade spirit that we can share with friends and family. Be it through traditional methods, or whatever means we have available ;-)
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby azzman » Sun Apr 16, 2017 7:39 am

the thing i dont like other than essence sweetness i dont want is the cost.

at least $3.50 per 1L spirit for essence on top of the already $3 or $4 to per L to make, and that $3-$4 is with grains to make a wash (i dont use TPW, grains are better IMO for vodka). i would assume rum is cheaper again for those who get it for $20 for 20L.

if you filter which i dont then another $1L. so for at least $8 there is a passable drink. BWKO is cheaper in long run IMO :handgestures-thumbupleft:

saying that i am drinking essence atm but thats only cause i didnt make any whisky and had vodka on hand. Use what you have i say, essence or other but i prefer other and wont use essence again for a long while :handgestures-thumbupleft:
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby Bones7au » Tue Oct 01, 2019 1:01 pm

Prestige Ouzo's great.

Even has the cloudiness.

Only makes 750mls though.
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby nudder12 » Thu Jan 09, 2020 12:54 am

Hi.
Only been dabbling with flavourings so far - using T500 and trying to make some tasty bourbon.
Tried the Still Spirits Bourbon mix recipe. Also Edwards Tennessee Bourbon essence, and using some gobblers bourbon chips. Also tried combining a couple of those together.
My favourite so far though, is the Willards Big Cat Bourbon essence.
For reference....1/....I am clueless about flavours (peat, smoke etc etc) - I just know what I like :) 2/.....I mix my alcohol with cola 3/....my preferred commercial bourbon is Cougar.
Hope this helps someone.
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby RC Al » Thu Jan 09, 2020 11:30 am

So the "tennesee burbon" tastes like a cup of wood to me, are they all similar? dose anything actually taste like a jack daniels for eg?
I mainly do UJ atm and i tried a couple of drops of that essence in with it, waste of UJ :puke-huge:
Last edited by RC Al on Thu Jan 09, 2020 11:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby southern45 » Thu Jan 09, 2020 1:24 pm

nudder12 wrote:- I just know what I like


And that's all that matters! :handgestures-thumbupleft:

I've used Big Cat and Wild Duck flavourings before (into a neutral-ish spirit made from WBAB wash). Tend to only use a half dose of what they recommend and it tastes just fine as a mixer with cola or ginger ale.
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby OldPoss » Sat Feb 08, 2020 5:31 pm

Hi,

I recently tried the SS raspberry vodka flavour - it was ok, but was a bit weak and artificial. Had to use 2 x sachets for 1 x L of neutral.

OP
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby RC Al » Sat Feb 08, 2020 7:10 pm

hehe, back when i was young (I'm still stupid) I would just use straight raspberry cordial concentrate as a mixer for vodka -now there's a a sugar hit and a half
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby dazzerthemighty » Sat Feb 08, 2020 7:31 pm

dame it oldposs

Sutekh would be the only DocWho villain that still gives me the willies every time I see his image x_x
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby OldPoss » Sat Feb 08, 2020 10:15 pm

Yep he was pretty scary, i thought about putting his picture up but just couldn't do it. :scared-eek:

One of great villians and stories

OP
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby OldPoss » Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:52 pm

Hi,

I have just tried the Prestige Ambrosia Scotch Whisky. it's drinkable but seems weak in flavour. Doesn't seem to have any oak taste, bit floral. I won't go there again. Maybe just personal preference. Waited for 2 weeks after mixing before trying.

OP
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby Tesla101 » Wed Feb 12, 2020 8:18 pm

I tried the SS "Classic" American Bourbon that came with the T500 kit. Neutral was distilled through the T500 reflux "Skinny Bitch" from a TPW wash. It's been mixed for almost 2 weeks.

Tastes reasonable initially, not harsh at all. But leaves a kind of licorice after taste. More like a salted licorice than a sweet licorice.
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby OldPoss » Fri Feb 14, 2020 8:35 pm

I decided to play with the Prestige Ambrosia by adding per 700ml
1ml x liquid peat smoke
2ml x mellow oak
3ml x glycerine
Give it a good shake and will wait for a week before sampling

Will see how it goes

OP :think:
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby Yonder » Sat Feb 15, 2020 4:44 pm

I just don’t get it. Really. I ain’t sayin’ it’s all wrong and I’m not posting to start a row. I thought the object of our craft hobby was to make the best product possible. Hand crafted to one’s personal taste and so much better than store bought you’d never look back. What is the point of makin’ a raw product and squirting in some flavors like you were making soda stream seltzer? You sure aren’t looking for a cheap, easy drunk. Nothing about this hobby is either cheap (as my wife informs me) or easy. Or legal. Am I wrong here? Learn, grow, experiment, fail a few times. When you get it right, you’ll know and the success will be that much sweeter. But, hell, just my 2p and I don’t know nothin’ anyhow. :think:
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby bluc » Sat Feb 15, 2020 4:48 pm

I beg to differ this hobby is very cheap. Try buying 2l rum from a bottlo for $8. I dont know why people faff about with cordial/essences though when.it is so much cheaper to make the real deal, all grain whiskey aside but there are ways to even make that well below cost of cordials..or store bought..
Last edited by bluc on Sat Feb 15, 2020 4:49 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby RC Al » Sat Feb 15, 2020 6:56 pm

As with many hobby's the initial buy in is not cheap, but once you figure out how to avoid most of the HBS products the ongoing costs are not that high

Yonder its a little different over there in the usa, here each 700ml bottle of 37% booze has $24au worth of tax on it, anything not bottom of the plastic barrel is a min of $40 on special

I have no idea now, but when i was over there in 2010 you could buy a 1.5l smirnoff or similar crappy booze for a whole $17 usd, I doubt that has changed much, so what your saying is more spot on for where you live.

Some of the cordials available are quite good as such, but in my experience more in the liqueur areas than bourbons as such, that said i havent tried many of those, happy with UJ mostly at this stage, but i will be getting back to vodka production soon

Much comes down to how much spare time you have vs cash too
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby nudder12 » Sat Feb 15, 2020 10:00 pm

Yonder wrote:I just don’t get it. Really. I ain’t sayin’ it’s all wrong and I’m not posting to start a row. I thought the object of our craft hobby was to make the best product possible. Hand crafted to one’s personal taste and so much better than store bought you’d never look back. What is the point of makin’ a raw product and squirting in some flavors like you were making soda stream seltzer? You sure aren’t looking for a cheap, easy drunk. Nothing about this hobby is either cheap (as my wife informs me) or easy. Or legal. Am I wrong here? Learn, grow, experiment, fail a few times. When you get it right, you’ll know and the success will be that much sweeter. But, hell, just my 2p and I don’t know nothin’ anyhow. :think:


I guess not everyone's object of home distilling is the same. I'm quite happy to create a decent/reasonable product as a substitute for store bought, just to save myself some bucks over the long run. And it's a big saving if you take the initial cost out of it. A few dollars a bottle instead of around $40+ from the shop.
And I don't really have much choice except to use flavours, as I bought a T500 unit - before I knew I should have got a pot still to make bourbons. D'oh!
Maybe it's the T500 compared to other stills, but I find it all pretty easy too really. Not saying I've perfected anything, but the process is simple enough to suit me.
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby Professor Green » Sat Feb 15, 2020 10:10 pm

Everyone is free to make their booze the way they like it even if it means they're drinking whiskey flavoured vodka rather than proper whiskey. Provided the base neutral was properly made, good cuts etc, it's not really hurting anyone.
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby Doubleuj » Sun Feb 16, 2020 7:55 am

Professor Green wrote:Everyone is free to make their booze the way they like it even if it means they're drinking whiskey flavoured vodka rather than proper whiskey. Provided the base neutral was properly made, good cuts etc, it's not really hurting anyone.

:text-+1:
This thread is about store bought flavours and everyone can feel comfortable and welcomed to discuss their method of using essences here.
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Re: Store bought flavors

Postby Yonder » Sun Feb 16, 2020 5:08 pm

Thank you all, and I mean it seriously, for the input. We are, yes in somewhat different worlds, but in the same hobby. I keep finding new things and new ideas in this forum. So different to my own area and that makes it both special and interesting. I liked bourbons but then i made some real corn whiskey. Wow. Now I’m experimenting with some full molasses rums and all grain rye and even back to bourbon style. Its fun. Its interesting. And sometimes, i can drink it after 6 months or a year. :)) Just can’t wrap my tongue around raw gin... :teasing-neener:
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