Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Didn't know where to put this thread because I'm using a reflux with two different washes.
Just ran a spirit run yesterday on the t500 with approx 50/50 tpw and NGW strips.
The whole run took a good 7 hrs inc heat up time, ran it real slow, heaps of reflux at the start and ran about 46 degrees all through heads and hearts. 200ml of fores
When I got to jar 16 or so (mason 400ml jars) I assumed I'm in tails as usual so cranked it up to 52 degrees and ran out to jar 20.
Now that they've aired overnight I've come to sample/blend them and can't detect tails?
I've got a good amount of heads, jar 5 or so is probably the limit but tasting jar 20, no huge difference.
There is a slight smell to it and a slight taste difference but not much.
My method of selecting jars is to take a control from the middle, and mark it c on the shot glass, 1 tsp from control jar and 1 tsp of water.
I then grab the last and first jars, mix with water the same way, and this refreshes my taste buds and nose to the taste/smell of heads and tails.
The tails have always had a really strong aftertaste which is my tell tail.
Not this time however.
I took the control hearts and the jar 20 sample to swmbo ( has a nose like a hawk, if that's a saying) and she could only say it had a slight difference, but that it wasn't bad.
The only difference I've made in the process is to use NGW and tpw plus changing the ceramic saddles for stainless scrubbers.
Scrubbers weren't packed too tight.
So, question is, who stole my tails?? Come on fess up.

Possibly it was the ceramic saddles tainting your distillate, meaning that maybe they werent cleaning the spirit as much as your new stainless scrubbers.

I reckon it seems cleaner because of not using the ceramics, I found they retain an odour even when the are cleaned :think:
They seem a bit pourus too which can trap crud then that gets carried over with the tails. Just a thought :D
What he said 8-}

Yeah, I'm thinking that too, it's the only rational answer. Maybe it was the ceramic saddles that had the aftertaste and not the tails, or maybe the ceramic brought out the flavour of the tails more. Or maybe not having the scrubbers packed tight enough meant I got smearing all through the run and the tails are just mixed.
All in all it's smooth and nice, and going to be essences anyway. But I'm still curious as to the reason

I reckon I got the bastards mate!! I am gunna have to rerun an entire batch as neutral due to strong stinky tails all the way through it!!lol

Did you recover most of the alcohol from the run UJ?

You may have not hit tails :-B

Sam. wrote:Did you recover most of the alcohol from the run UJ?

You may have not hit tails :-B

:think: hmmm maybe Sam, I just ran it as normal, assuming it would behave pretty much the same as before.
I did run it slow, very slow. So maybe the tails were nicely compressed and I didn't even reach them, or much of them.
Btw, who's the UJ you mention? :doh: if anything I'd be UUJ, but that'd be too much to type. I'll stick with WJ. :laughing-rolling: oh and benny, if you want some heads too I'd be happy to share :laughing-rolling:

ceramic dont have much surface area in my opinion and SS scrubbers have more so reflux should be better and compression. the ceramics also have a pong and smell they taint the spirit with also

Think you're right WTD, plus maybe I didn't run my strip runs out fully, therefore not collecting full tails originally.
Amyways, it drinks nice so cheers :handgestures-thumbupleft: :text-thankyoublue:

WTDist wrote:ceramic dont have much surface area in my opinion

I think the idea behind the ceramic saddles is that they are "porous" or an "imperfect finish" as in not a flat surface so you can't just look at the surface as the naked eye sees it, the alcohol will find more.

Having said that I wouldn't waste my money on it as it is ridiculously expensive and I have only heard bad reviews.