Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Up and running at last! Built a SCR to control the power, so can wind it down nice and slow.
Ran my first batch of MacRum through it, got a second one fermenting.
Had to use Tate & Lyle black treacle - couldn't find any agricultural molasses at the right price (GB)
Ran it until 20%, some really nice smells - not used smelling these as I've only used reflux still on neutrals before.
Highest %ABV I got was the first 250ml (inc fores)and that was 78%, gradually getting weaker.
Most jars (late heads/early hearts) were at 64%.
Should I have achieved 80% at all, or is it a limitation of my basic build?

Was it on low wines or wash. On my 2" pot i used to average 75% i often hit 80% but only for a miniute or two at start of fores.. sounds like a good run and good looking still :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Nice still :handgestures-thumbupleft:
Are you using refrigerated coolant?

It was low wines. Ended up with approx 5 litres. Ditched the fores, first 3 x 250ml jars and some of the latter tails as they were a bit cloudy.
In my excitement I didn't leave enough room in second wash for the 10 litres of dunder, as per macs recipe, so only used 5 litres.
Impatiently waiting second ferment to hurry up!

No, its just tap water at 8 C.
Have improved design with the addition of a small pond pump recirculating water.
Estimate to have saved approx 800 litres on a run, so no complaints from Greta Thunberg!

You poms have got it easy , my recirc is at 32 for the near futures

Bloody hell mate. I take colder showers!

bluc - sorry, misunderstood and can't find way to edit. I was running a wash, producing low wines.

The Stig wrote:You poms have got it easy , my recirc is at 32 for the near futures

:text-+1: only downside to running a radiator setup is that temps never get below ambient air temperature. Thankfully my shed is insulated, but it can still get a bit warm.

Hull brew wrote:bluc - sorry, misunderstood and can't find way to edit. I was running a wash, producing low wines.

In that case I wouldnt worry bout abv only at end I used to strip down to 20%..

Hull brew wrote:Bloody hell mate. I take colder showers!

You shower???!!
How times change, must be a millennial social shift in old Blighty. :teasing-tease:

My temps in southern Oz aren’t much higher than yours and make it a PITA over winter.
I’m actually considering the reverse of a cooling system and making a preheat for the cooling water for winter.
I have an almost zero loss recirculating system.

LOL...as the Millenials might say. (Is it still a thing? I don't know!)
Gen X me mate.

Thanks for the reassurance bluc.
There's plenty to learn in this hobby, esp for a late starter