"I regularly make various fruit wines, primarily blueberry, and occasionally, for various reasons, end up with an undrinkable product. I currently have several gallons of pear wine that fall into that category - it's just too sweet and cloying for my palate. So, after sitting in my cellar for several years, I've decided it's time to turn it into brandy.

I've run a test batch through a table top still which turned out excellent and am now ready to try a larger batch with a PS II. Does anyone have experience distilling aged wines, ie: temps, column packing, additives, single vs double runs, etc?

One recipe I saw for grape brandy recommended a fast first run keeping everything to about 20-25% abv, then a slow second run, discarding the first 150 ml, and collecting to about 30%. Does this sound about right?

Any suggestions are much appreciated.

Salud!"

"I am almost certain my good friend over yonder would recommend a brutally slow single run through the potstill.

Pear flavors are delicate and difficult to get to come across. Twice through would get a crisp alcohol, but the pear would get stripped away I fear.

Or, take your first run and dilute with some pear necter and run to get your pear flavor profile.

Maybe even add a few ounces of pear necter to the bottle."

"Ok, so, I run a potstill. It's a crazy hybrid, but a potstill none the less.

Potstills are the best possible tool for rendering flavored spirits, as potstills are not,,,,,,,,,,(how to say),,,,,,efficiant.

Reflux columns do a much better job of separating the alcohol from the congeners. Therefore reflux columns are more efficiant at rendering (alcohol) purity as such.

So some of us like a little congener or two in our drank (raise your hand).

The trick to flavored spirits is to collect enough of the congeners in the last of the head and beginning of the tails to get the flavours, but not enough to make it undrinkable. Although I usually stir clear of the heads.

By going slow or ""brutally slow"" during one run, you should be able to capture the desirable congeners and get nice proofy distillate as well. This takes practice.
By running twice (with a reflux rig especially), you get a more pure spirit with less (if any) flavor.

ABV is not the only measure of quality for gents running flavored spirits. And lets face it, lots of gents are diluting back down to ???? anyhow.

Sorry I can not comment on temps, as running a potstill does not require that One should be mindful of the temperature. The potstill and ABV within the charge will determine where the temps will be at any given moment during a run.
I am only mindfull of the discharge stream size and that gets controlled through input as such."

"

To be sure.

What I have said BTW is riddled with holes and left out info.

There is a feller over yonder that de-tunes his reflux unit and confidently describes how he runs a light rum (which he prefers) and I am convinced that his light rum would be a nice pleasure to sip.

What I would consider ""brutally slow"", other distillers consider a typical collection rate.

There are so many variables so get some runs under your belt so that you can aquire your own thoughts.

Another method for ensuring a good flavor carry over would be to hold back a quantity of wash. Strip the main body then add back the remaining wash to the spirit run.

I run a thumper, so at times I will charge my thumper with a bit of wash.

There are so many ways to run and layer the complexity of your likker.

And thats why the big boys keep their strategies proprietary.

Did I put the vodka/nuetural crew to sleep yet?"

"Wow, you guys have a wealth of info! Thanks for taking the time to share.

I'm definitely after flavor more than proof and I'll for sure go the potstill route and taste and blend as suggested. No popskull for me, thanks, so I'll cull those heads carefully.

Will aging in charred oak casks vs glass cause a loss of more delicate pear flavors or enhance it? Maybe a comparison of each is in order.

As a long time vintner I'm looking forward to the challenges of the spirit world and I'm sure you'll hear more from me. Rum and gin are on the list to come.

Thanks again and Salud!"

"I rescind after thankin bout this all day.

Recon if you aged at 60 to 65% then diluted with a held back bit of wine or juice,,,,,,you'd get a pretty nice pear outta that brandy.

Maybe Blanikdog could weigh in on this?

Just remember that it doesn't matter what anyone thinks. Let your taste buds tell you what is most excellant."