RC Al wrote:Sounds reasonable, I had only one spirit run on my still in a different configuration - seems like 78% wasnt right for mine, how it's set up now, the 70% is more like what everyone else is getting :wtf:
When organising cut jars, I generally allow 20% as bulk heads with the next 10% as small transition jars, 30-35% as "should be" hearts jars and then more transition jars - I haven't gone too far into to adding the "after cardboard" jars as yet myself, so i generally just collect tails in bigger jars for a later feints run. I get caught out with that system occasionally, but as it's all getting run again, I dont stress too much.
600ml fores is probably too much if your recycling feints, 50-100ml is fine, have a search for stacking heads to see why
How fast were you running?
I collect at 1L per hour speed, any faster and I hear this hissing, huffing noise from the output pipe. So with my still is all ok if there is drip drip dribble coming out. At dribble, dribble, drip is too fast and the huffing noise appears no matter how much fresh cold water for the condenser. I found a ballance between cooling water and heat for the boiler that I get drip, drip dribble and the alcohol comes out at below 20 degrees celsius.
As I said, I am a complete newbie in whisky making. Probably I took a big jump instead of starting the traditional way.
Probably 600ml fores is too much. I had 3 x 27L MacWhisky washes which I split in 4 because my boiler is only 26L. On the stripping run I discarded 150ml of each run, so it works out to 200ml per 27L wash. On the spirit run on 16l low wines I discarded other 600ml as fores. Please tell me what would have been a reasonable volume to be discarded as fores in my case. Should I remove fores only on the spirit run?
I have a lot of experience in fruit brandy done in the traditional Eastern and central European way. They call the plum brandy Slivovitz. That is easy to make for me and oly fores are removed ald everithing collected to 20% alcohol percentage. The specific flavour and taste comes only after aging for at least 3 years in mulberry barrels. Probably I will share my experience in a separate post.
I had 5 x 27 MacWhisky washes and I finally distilled the last one yesterday. All I can say is that it is very boring ant it takes ages to do it with my settings.
I am contemplating to get a 4" or 3" bubbler, did not make up my mind yet. Here in South Africa prices are crazy, between 4000 and 6000 Aussie dollars for a 4" 4 plates bubbler. Parts are also hard to find and very expensive. And if I want to import it, it myght get stuck in customs unless I supply a distillation licence, not to mention the huge shipping costs.