"hi all- I am hoping someone can help. We have been having a problem with our last few runs- bad smell and taste (very yeasty and doughy). We are using copper and charcoal. We are making two runs at one time to save time and energy. The temp is holding pretty steady between 78-79. Water temp seem to also stay cool enough. We have noticed that the alcohol content is not as high as it used to be either. We are using 24HR Turbo.

Any ideas? I don't want this next batch to turn out like the last. I have had to refilter a second time. Are we asking too much from one batch of charcoal?

Thanks Sunni"

Put into a glass carbouy with lots of carbon. Let air with a coffee filter, and then check in a few weeks. Will make a dramtiic diff.

"Hello everyone. I have been busy with runs most of this week, and have been happy with my setup. The mash has fermented in proper time, and smells good at .000 final gravity, with a crisp, dry taste. My brewhaus column still is running smoothly, and I am becoming more in-tune with that acrid, chemical fruitiness of the heads and the stale, cardboardy smell of the tails coming on. My temp, at low (5-6%) abv's, is around the mid 180's to low 190's for hearts. Seems a little high, but it runs well and stays consistent.

However, although my hearts runs (on whisky and rum at around 130 proof)) have smelled palatable enough, I find that the taste has a sort of metallic, rubbery quality to it. The first run of whisky had it, and it has softened with aging, but I wanted to ask if this is a somewhat common profile of the taste of fresh distillation, or if it is something I need to fix.

I considered
A) that the rubber bung seal (from brewhaus) at the column top was creating a distinct rubberiness. I can smell it fairly strongly at the column top after a distillation, but then again my nose is right against it! My last run I covered it in foil, and it seemed to help a bit.

B) the loose packed copper mesh bought fom brewhaus was a factor. Towards the base, it comes out a gunmetal colored mixed wit the copper orange.

I know it's difficult to assess such a subjective thing, but I am hesitant to do another run without at least running it by you professionals.

My best explanation of the taste is (drinking whiskey at 80 proof) one of a good starting flavor, with a slightly lingering middle taste of rubber and paper, similar to when you drink water that has been sitting for a while in a paper cup. The finish is fruitier and cleaner, but there is that unpalatable taste right there in the middle.

I am fairly picky about my cuts (although not so experienced yet) especially with tails. I toss even a hint of tails in with the feints. I don't like that stale smoked smell.

Does this ring a bell to anyone?
I would greatly appreciate any feedback on this issue, as I am afraid to go on with another run for fear of wasting my precious ingredients!

Thank you"

"Sounds like you are getting your column pucked in or foam comeing up. Especially rums are bad for this. Some vegetable oil, butter or anti foam agent helps with this. If that happens you can get all kinds of bad tastes and smells.

But if you are running whiskey and rums why are you not pot stilling? No packing and just the top half of the column. Although I do use one coil at the very top to react to any sulfer. Also, best to do several stripping runs and then a combined spirit run. Some whiskeys like Irish are even tripple distilled.

Never noticed a rubbery tast or smell form mine, and I never tried smelling the bung close up while hot.

Back flushing the column with a gal of boiling water will remove most of the bad smells of tails. Add a cup of vinegar to the water and boil it if you want. Generally the foreshots and heads from the next run will clean it out also."

"Another issue, the smaller the batch being run the harder to make good quality cuts, esp. running a pot still. I get much better results running 50L in a keg, then I do running 25L in the 7.5 gal pot. 17 or 18 L runs are going to be tough for you. Defininetly do stripping runs and combine several for a good spirit run. Then if still not the quality you want, do a third run.

PS. When doing rum runs (not sure this would work for a small run) when you hit the tails, at whatever point you want to toss to feints, keep running till lower down ABV feints. There is an acid that comes over that if added to the rum greatly increases flavor and quality. Same acid I believe, that the mountaineers used to collect as yellow jacket bee piss. OAM, so can't remember the name of the acid. They used it to make confectionaries and also to rub on arthritic joints for relief. Simple to collect in the fall of the year.

Cheers!



"

:)I never get any rubbery smell from those bungs--they have beem perfected for years:)

"[PHP]Let it clear very well after it ferments.
Strip run. Dilute to 35-40% and spirit run.
Collect in small jars.
[/PHP]

I see part of my question about adding water to my post-strip distillate was already pointed out.

My mistake!

Thanks"

"Sounds like either your vineometer or alchometer is off. If you are running 18 quarts of a 6% wash, you only have 1.08 qts of potential alchohol to capture and you are leaveing a lot behind cutting off the tails at 50%.

Harvesting a full qt at 135 proof sounds like you are getting a good bit of heads in there.

Strip a good few runs, then dilute and run slow with tight cuts. Save the feints for a later run when you have enough. The more you dilute, the less flavor your final whiskey will have though.


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