Some Times it pays to remember to say thank you

[Wellsy]

Short version of a long story is I took a bottle of BWKO out to a local winery to say thanks for an old oak stave they gave me to experiment with. Since been using 5star dominos because they are so much easier and more reliable but that is another story. I took him out a bottle and he seemed genuinely surprised I had bothered to come back much less give home a bottle, so I thought I would double down and told him I had a bottle of NGW for him that I would bring back another day.
Today was the day so I turned up out there only for him to present me with 100 litres of red , this is his top up wine that is used to top up his barrels after the angels take their share so there is nothing wrong with it. He was just going to tip it out but thought I might like to experiment with it.
I am guessing it will produce grappa, or brandy, not sure if there is a difference, but I will keep a bottle or 2 of the original wine for comparison purposes and treat it like I do the WBAB and triple distill it like I do when making the Vodka.
I was looking at trying a corn whiskey just to drink as white dog but I guess I will be trying this first lol
Always say thanks guys it spreads the love and everyone feels better

[The Stig]

Do a slow single run and barrel it as a brandy :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Wellsy]

So are you saying no stripping run ?
I was thinking strip the 100 litres , then a spirit run , with a spirit run of the hearts.
But if I am hearing you correctly best option would be a single spirit run and then onto some Oak for aging.
Have I understood you correctly Stig
Oh and thanks for the tip :)

[Wellsy]

Oh did I mention he has 100 litres of white wine as well that I might be able to get my hands on
This is so much easier than mashing lol

[BigRig]

thank you wellsy.



grappa is made with the skins and seeds. unless you got that you will be making brandy :handgestures-thumbupleft:

good score

[bluc]

Good score :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Sam.]

So are you saying no stripping run ?
I was thinking strip the 100 litres , then a spirit run , with a spirit run of the hearts.
But if I am hearing you correctly best option would be a single spirit run and then onto some Oak for aging.
Have I understood you correctly Stig
Oh and thanks for the tip :)

Would single run through plates but your equipment says pot still. I would definitely strip it first.

Be prepared to do tight cuts and age for a fair while with brandy. It is fucking hideous as a new make spirit but it changes to something incredible with time.

Also difference between grappa and brandy is grappa is essentially a new make spirit that generally has fuck all cuts done :puke-huge:

Brandy is run properly and aged on oak :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Wellsy]

Thanks Sam
Sounds like I Amin for an experience lol
Let’s see if I can pick any differences when trying to do the cuts lol
Thanks again

[tubbsy]

Be prepared to do tight cuts and age for a fair while with brandy. It is fucking hideous as a new make spirit but it changes to something incredible with time.

This :text-+1:

I had a bottle of apple juice about to expire so added some sugar and yeast and fermented it out then added to some sherry I had used to season some oak sticks. Also had a couple bottles of rubbish red wine so chucked them in too. Came to about 6L in total. Did a single slow run through a detuned boka and the results was the worst shit I have ever made. But stuck it in a jar with a couple oak sticks and after 9 months it is now one of the best things I have ever made.

[Wellsy]

Thanks for the time reference tubby, I will make sure I don’t throw it out without first ageing it lol

[RuddyCrazy]

Wellsy should know by now I'm a bit of a Brandy fiend :laughing-rolling: and yes it does a long time for the fruit flavour to come thru. :handgestures-thumbupleft: With my apple it's like 12 months and my Strawberry, Pleach, Apple and a few others a sample every month after 6 months does show promise. Now I don't overload my aging with oak as I do find it takes so long I don't want it over oak it :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Every one has been done in my 2" pot still but with the quince fermenting this will be the first to put over 4 plates as I do have enough volume to do this.

One suggestion go to the health food shop and buy some mulling herbs then mulled the red wine with a fresh sliced navel orange, keep the mulling temp under 70C to stop the alc boiling off then strip and do a spirit run with all the herbs and a fresh navel orange. 12 months on French Oak will make this a top shelf drop.mate. I just use 5 litre red goon casks to make this and as SWMBO says it's one of my finest :laughing-rolling:

Now one thing I do is after stripping if there isn't enough to fill my 5 litre boiler I just chuck some 90% neutral in to get the boiler charge to 40% so I get the best yield and I do find it does tone the in the face taste too, making for nice drop that just slides down the gullet with a nice taste to follow :obscene-drinkingchug:

All my mates that taste my stuff say my stuff is dangerous as it's just so moresum :laughing-rolling: and my reply is well beat my record at the Murray Bridge hospital :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

Above all mate stop considering yourself a newbie :violence-smack: :violence-smack: :violence-smack: as you are now well and truly hooked line and sinker and doing it the right way :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Cheers Bryan

[Wellsy]

Cheers Bryan
I think I will always be a newbie there is so much to learn. As for being hooked I absolutely am, this is such a great hobby.
It is very much a case of the more you learn the more you realise how much there is to know

[B-Man]

I've ran 600L of red wine through as brandy. Single run. Taste delicious... I never ended up getting much on oak :scared-eek:
Run the white through as a vodka and keep the red ad brandy.

It's so much better than mashing and at ~14% you get more from your run :handgestures-thumbupleft: