"Hi all again. I have an update, and a couple of questions.

First, I upgraded myself a little bit and moved from an Air Still to the 5 Liter Super Reflux Still. The Air Still worked fine, and for my needs, I really didn't have to move to anything else. But I guess like any other hobby... You spend more and more the more you get into it.

I have yet to run the S.R. still, and have a question for those of you who have used similar units.

My plans are to go at it as directly stated with the provided instructions for my first runs. It will be a 'molasses wine' to spirit, and solely for the learning experience. I have a problem though, that I'm looking for a plausible solution for.

Cold water is NOT abundant in my area. The outside temperatures where I am can get to be a cool 100 degrees Fahrenheit during the night. My idea for this it basically getting a much longer tube (of similar material as the original: PVC) to run from the faucet. My intentions is to coil the tube to an appropriate diameter, within a bucket, and fill the bucket with ice. I envision multiple coils in this fashion within the bucket.

1. My question in that regard is: If I do the above, will it matter that I am not using copper tubing in the ""ice tank"" ? Copper is way to expensive here, and quite frankly brings about to many unneeded questions.

2. My second question is concerning the raschig rings. I'm a little confused over where exactly the rings are to be placed. The instructions kind of make it seem as if they belong WITHIN the condenser. I was kind of under the impression they belonged within the pot to avoid heating / boiling problems?

3. My last question is concerning Magellan Gin. The process to make that gin results with a flavor and blue colored spirit do to the last part of their distilling process:

From their website: ""... After triple distillation, the head of a small artisinal copper pot still is opened and the juniper berries and fresh botanicals, wrapped in a special cloth, are added to the neutral spirit and immediately redistilled a fourth time. ...""

It turns out that process involves the vapor passing through the 'botanicals' during the fourth distillation. Infusing the flavor and coloring from their choice herbs.

*My thought is: If I were to place the botanicals within the condenser during one of my runs (wrapped and placed within in a safe manner), would I be risking to much with a reflux still? I would like to try infusing 'flavors' with the Magellan process."

"Semi good upgrade. Hard to make good cuts with that size, but doable. Make a stipping run then reflux. As far as the cooling water goes, I would use a container at least as big as the boiler and have 2 l jugs of ice on hand and a good aquarium pump, or else just a constant flow from the hose. Get a really cheap hose and direct it to lawn or garden etc. This is what I do, but I have constant flow spring water that doesn't cost me anything. But if you are in a drought area, you have to water anyhow and this is good way to do it without waste.


#2. Yes, the rashig rings will go into the column, though their efficiency is way less than copper mesh and lower down SS scrubbers. Both are much better. I use rashig rings as boiler chips in the pot. Lets me know by sound how hard the boil or simmer is, and breaks the boil up into small bubbles instead of large ones that can puke into the column

My understanding, there are 4 ways of makeing Gin. One like you say, a bag of herbs suspended above the neutral spirits in the pot. Another is in a gin head above the columnm before vapor take off, another is in a thumper, before final condensor, ant finally a masceration with the herbs with neutral orpartially distilled essential oils. All 5 are commercially done for different gin flavoring and quality.

I would never place the botanicals into the column or condensor, unless it was a special type of thumper. Too much chance of clogging, pressure buildup and explosiion.
I am not a gin maker, just passing on what I have read.


"

"Hi Linkway,
First a stripping run is just to run the wash or whatever you have, as fast as you can collecting everything without cuts. As fast as your condenser can handle. Then you would cut to 40% ABV if neccessary and do a spirit run. In actuality, most do several stripping runs and combine for the spirit run.

Upgrade? Depends on how much you want to drink and or share. Assume you make a 15% ABV wash. Best you'll get is about .64 L in a 5 L boiler. After running and makeing cuts for heads and tails, the most you will get is about a third of a L at best of good clean hearts, and you will have to run it super slow to make the cuts. Then as you progress and want to make a flavored drink like a grain mash, or brandy, and make an 8% run-- well!

For me, time and energy, 25 L is minimum. A 50 L keg run is perfect. 3 stripping runs with that and then a spirit run vs. 40 runs in a 5 L boiler? Plus the cuts are so much better.

However, that 5L outfit will be great for makeing essences and such.

Just my few grains of salt, which you can easily toss over your shoulder.



"

"So if i understand what i'm looking at, I'd say that you are reducing the ability of your circulated water to release heat. That hose will act as an insulator and contain heat.

Additionally you are adding more head pressure to your pump with all that extra hose.

Since it is cooling water in the hose and cooling water in the bucket, I'd say you'll get much better thermal transfer by only using enough hose to add discharged coolant back to the bucket.

Even let the discharge water fall from a distance into the bucket to allow for air mixing to help cool return water. A colleague even recommends that a spray or showerhead type return back to the bucket can further aid in displacing heat."

The tubing is a really poor radiator and you won't get much heat transfer. Try getting a used heater core from an old car. Fairly small & having it in the ice water would transfer a bunch of heat. Transmission cooler would work also.

"Linkway,
you do not need cold water as such. If you are running from the faucet, the room temp water is very adaquate.

You do not need to pre-chill if your supply is from the tap.

An ""Ice Bucket"" is used when re-circulating water with a pump. The ice is merely a way to prevent the reserve water from getting to hot.

However, if your condenser is so undersized that it can not keep up with the demand of needed knock down power,,,,,,then your system is prolly very helpful.

Can't you recover the waste water and water the garden,,,,flush the toilet,,,,,wash the dishes?"

"Linkway,

You tosed the fores and compounded the heads, hearts and tails.

Tails contain oils which are dissolved in a high % spirit. When you cut to a lower proof they louche, seperating from the alchohol and forming yoour cloudy product. these will also impart some strong off tastes."

"Only carbon filter the final product, after it has been cut & ready to drink.

As mntwalker2 stated at 92c you are only producing trash.

La Louche - traditionally associated with Absinthe - adding the water frees the oils & creates the traditional cloudy drink."

"Below are the results for a couple more tries I've done. And a question at the bottom. :) This time I fought to keep the temp as close to 78 degrees Celsius. Which I wasn't able to actually attain. I was only able to get as low as 81 degrees Celsius. That did work out way better than the 92 degrees I followed from the instructions. It was much longer in time as well. But I think well worth the wait. There was no 'louching' either when I cut the batches.

Batch # 1
Head: ___ - 50mls
82 Degrees Celsius
1. 82.0% - 200mls
81 Degrees Celsius
2. 81.0% - 200mls
83 Degrees Celsius
3. 78.0% - 200mls
84 - 86 Degrees Celsius
Together: 80.0% - Made 1 liter at 35%


Batch # 2
Head: ___ - 50mls
87 Degrees Celsius
1. 71.0% - 200mls
87 - 89 Degrees Celsius
2. 65.0% - 200mls
91 Degrees Celsius
3. None (Ran out of ice and the temp went to high.)
Together: 67.0% - Made .750 mls at 42%

I tried something with the second batch and some of the left over tails I didn't use. I used some tea I like to 'flavor' them at different points. with the leftover, I didn't cut to a lower alcohol content, and added one tablespoon of the tea. For batch number 2, after cutting to 42%, I added a tablespoon of tea.

The leftover took the tea really quickly, I imagine because it dissolved the oils from the tea pretty easy. So smell and coloring came fast. After tossing the leftover container to container for a little while, I cut to 40% and strained into another container. Of course it still has that harsh, unfiltered, smell. But it is lightly noticeable under the smells of the tea.

Batch 2 has not taken fully to the tea just yet. It has all the smell, but none of the coloring. It never had that unfiltered smell to it. And the tea aroma, though light in comparison to the leftover batch, is very 'pleasing'. I'm waiting to see if it takes some color from the tea before I strain it.

I placed both methods to ask:

Which is a better process - 'flavor' pre-cutting the alcohol, or after cutting?

I know that the oils dissolve much quicker in the purer alcohol. But that doesn't mean experience from you guys hasn't yielded the 'better process'.

Any thoughts or ideas, as always, is greatly appreciated."

"

I'm really not sure. I went with mtnwalker2's post on this thread as the reason why:



I will say that neither of the batches got any louche. I even got some from higher temperature. The 'leftover' I mentioned in my earlier post. I used bottled water and tap water to see how much would be needed to produce the cloud, and no cloud ever showed. That's the reason I used it with the tea, as I was curious how efficient it would remove the oils from the tea. (For flavoring purposes.)

But that also makes me curious as to why no clouding occurred with the leftover, as I thought it to have a lot of oils. It had the strong off tastes / smell. But never any clouding."