Have you carbon filtered?

There are so many variables that without more information I can only throw guesses at you. What proof was your distillate? What method of carbon filtration did you use, and how quickly did you filter? Was the product diluted prior to filtration? What type of carbon was used? These answers should get us pointed in the right direction at least.

I'm sure others can add a bit but here is my experience. You can not judge when to stop collecting by temperature if you want a completely clean product. Sounds like you have the starting point down pretty good. The worse seems to come from the last part of collecting. I usually notice a smell shortly before the temp actually starts rising and it only takes a little of that smelly part to funk up the rest if it's mixed in with it. I collect a little over a pint at a time and only keep the cleanest smelling jars. I watch the temp but I go more by smell. I only test percentage once in a while to verify things are as they should be. The middle cuts are usually 95 - 96+%. Hope this helps.

Alright, that's fair. Could you elaborate a bit on what you mean by 'a matter of matching the heat and cooling' and what you mentioned about the column packing?

In my system, I was cooling directly with water from my sink ,which is frigid,. It is then split in a T, one of which goes to the column, one to the condenser. Both are valved, but I have run it only with both valves open. The emerging distillate was room temperature or slightly cool. I have many books on the subject, but they are no substitute for good advice from someone who's been doing it for awhile. What do I need to to to obtain optimum 'matching' ,as you put it, of heating and cooling?

Also, my column packing is copper mesh which I have rolled into plugs exactly as instructed.

Basically, if you have too much heat for the amount of cooling, you cannot control all of the vapor that is being sent up the column, reducing your reflux rate and ultimately your purity. Too much cooling for your heat input will force all vapor to be refluxed, and you will produce nothing. I am guessing that if you had colder water, your purity would improve.

Also, many customers find that they have an easier time obtaining higher purity with ceramic Raschig Rings than with copper mesh. This is in part due to the consistency in packing density throughout the entire column, as well as the more defined void space. In addition, the porous rings have a much higher surface area than a similarly sized glass ring, which is what the ratio is generally gauged on. Copper certainly has distinct advantages, but so do ceramic Raschig Rings.

I should have added in my previous post that I first do a stripping run and carbon filter. The filtering if done right really can not be eliminated if you want a very pure and clean tasting product.I even filter my 96% though it is already so clean that it only makes a marginal diferance. For my own drinking I wouldn't bother with filtering as I'm quite happy without but for presentation to friends it's amust and I do love to share. Everything I mentioned though is for a cheap sugar mash. I also brew beer and sometimes make a wonderful DME and specialty grain run that I will not even reflux let alone filter. I can't wait to taste some of it after some years on oak. That is some really good stuff. Same with the brandies from home made wine. I distill my own for quality. Saving money is nice but I'm more about getting a better product than I can even get close to affording to buy. When you can toss back a bunch of your own cheap sugar mash vodka only tasting the chaser or mixer if any and not feel a thing from it the next day then you know you are succesful . I watch the temp closely but smell is my most important guideline and comes into play before I even get to the filtering. As for temps, anything below 78 or above 79 according to my thermometer placement always get thrown back in for another run along with some slightly smelly stuff that come off within that range. I enjoy running my still, It trully is a hobbie and I enjoy the results even more of course. If I were more about quanity and profits from selling which for me do not enter into the equsion then things would certainley be done with less scrutiny and more eficiency. I use an extracter II with 100 watt plate, copper mesh and frozen drink bottle cooled water that I will allow to get up to 70 + degrees before changing bottles to achieve these results. I did add 'elbows' to reduce cooling line kinking and two valves with tees to completley switch all flow from reflux to final condenser only or anywhere in between that I desire. I also employ the use of a fan on low that blow across a coil of garden hose wraped around fence wire that carries the cooling water into the resevoir.The air after that blows lightly but steadily on my column for additional cooling. Probably overkill in design but was cheap easy and works like a dream. As for a difference in taste from 90 to 95%, it is night and day to me and most people I know personally. Then again I live in the south eastern US among many old moonshiners, opinions and hard critics. lol Only one has ever complained about my sugar wash and no one about my grain. The complaint about my sugar wash was it had no flavor. lol Most responses are of amazement butI owe that more to this list, the still design and Tony's? site than to my own creativeness.