Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

I've got a couple of batches ready to run today also.
I followed Odin's recipe a bit closer

1lt 45% neutral
14 g/L juniper
4 g/L corriander seeds
Skin of a grapefruit with white removed
The second batch had lemon rind in place of grapefruit

Both have been stewing for a week, smell great and even taste awesome as is. Will run today, and maintain the recommended rest period of 5..........um, hours

Mine has turned out great but there is a little bitterness right at the back of the throat at the end.
I might reduce the myrtle next batch

Everyone seems to say just give it 5 weeks and it will come good..... Just don't think that is an option :obscene-drinkingdrunk:

WhiskeySour wrote:Everyone seems to say just give it 5 weeks and it will come good..... Just don't think that is an option :obscene-drinkingdrunk:

Yea I heard that, but its never going to happen.
But I might just chuck down a good 5L and put that away :laughing-rolling:

Hey guys
I can see Stig used a 25 litre boiler to do his 2 litre batch, and it is probably fair to say he has access to a wider selection of stills than many on here. What size still do most of you use for doing these small batches.

Wellsy wrote:Hey guys
I can see Stig used a 25 litre boiler to do his 2 litre batch, and it is probably fair to say he has access to a wider selection of stills than many on here. What size still do most of you use for doing these small batches.

i did my first 2 OEG batches in my usual 35L boiler, that has concealed elements.
that was ok, no scorching.
i looked around for a small stove top still, but i saw a youtube of visitors to a gin distillery making their own gin using glass chemistry sets.
so santa brought me one of these...
it has a 1L flask and i've added a 5L flask, so i can experiment with small amounts.
FYI the rubber tube has been binned and the separation flask has a PTFE valve, and thermometer is now held in with PTFE tape.
i've just had a couple of runs with some old skanky neutral so far, pretty impressed.
it even came with a Vigreux Distillation Column which provides some reflux, if you want.
i just need to run some of my FFV low wines to get some good base and it's play time :-D

Wellsy wrote:Hey guys
I can see Stig used a 25 litre boiler to do his 2 litre batch, and it is probably fair to say he has access to a wider selection of stills than many on here. What size still do most of you use for doing these small batches.

Working with what you have , you could put a gas ring under the boiler fir small batch .
Just a thought :think:

I have a Pure Distilling 5l boiler that is tops for small gin runs. Actually holds 6l to the max fill mark. 2000w element so heat up time is very quick. Had to do a lot of research to be able to find one. I think they were initially put out for display purposes in HBS for “legal” reasons. They quite often had their leads cut off. I would recommend them if you have a PD pot to fit on top.

Lesgold wrote:I have a Pure Distilling 5l boiler that is tops for small gin runs. Actually holds 6l to the max fill mark. 2000w element so heat up time is very quick. Had to do a lot of research to be able to find one. I think they were initially put out for display purposes in HBS for “legal” reasons. They quite often had their leads cut off. I would recommend them if you have a PD pot to fit on top.

I have one too, agree excellent for small gin runs

Thanks Stig
I don’t think I would ever have the heart to put my shinny 50 litre boiler on a gas ring mate.

I have absolutely no doubt in the workmanship being up to it but I would simply cry when it went black. Hell. Still polish it with paper towel and sofa water to give it that extra sparkle. You got to love us newbies who struggle with product but have super shiney gear lol

If your flame is set right (no yellow), you wont blacken it, the bottom of my keg boiler is just fine in that respect, the bottom chine that glows red (not going to happen unless you have an insane burner like mine), is discoloured, but not from soot. For just doing gin runs you wouldnt want anywhere near that much heat, the 5 star boiler looks like it has a little chine on it, I recon you would be fine though :think:

Its a tool mate, and as pretty as it is, just use it - for an analogy to the car scene, dont make it a trailer queen :teasing-neener:

Buy a keg?

Or just buy a 25-30L turbo boiler and use the parts you have to make a simple pot

For doing macerations runs I just use my 2" pot still which was the first still I made and I made a SS 5 litre boiler. I do find doing stripping runs in it is also a pretty quick process and I just use a 2 burner ring. Have both going for heatup then turn off the outer one for the run, now if I leave both going the still tends to puke :angry-banghead:

For experiments I strip the wash in the 5 litre boiler then use my minime and what ever maceration I'm doing I mix some of the herbs with some 30% 24 hours earlier and put all the herbs from the maceration in the boiler. Now I just use one of those green can burners with the flame set to very low and I find a green can do do a whole run easily.

Cheers Bryan

Thanks guys

I have a 3 ring burner that would easily do the job. I might just have to man up and use the gear I have not just polish it :)

Will be getting a wbab wash going hopefully tomorrow so that will give me the vodka I need to experiment with Odin’s receipe.

Going to make use of the warm weather and do a 200 litre wash :)

I pondered the same thing for a while Wellsy, I ended up building a small 2L boiler (inspired by Bryan's minime) out of some 4in I had originally earmarked for a carter head. Works a treat but only very small runs, like 1 bottle of gin per run, but gives good flexibility for experimentation
Will get around to a seperate build thread at some point

Going to get ready for a fresh run in the next week or 2 .
I think I’ll cut the lemon myrtle back a bit.

The Stig wrote:Going to get ready for a fresh run in the next week or 2 .
I think I’ll cut the lemon myrtle back a bit.

Mate don't forget that licorice root and the Manzano chilli's ( thats if you aint eaten them all :laughing-rolling: ) as they will make a huge difference. :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Figure with the new batch I would join the ranks of the Blue Gin mob.
And this arrived today, any idea how much to chuck into a 5L demi ?

As a starting point I used 30 pea flowers in a 700ml batch.

Thanks Carol