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Achieving clean and odourless neutral

Hi there distillers,

I'm recently new to the game and i am trying to achieve a clean and odourless neutral from my essencia super express 3000. I have done a stripping run but just wondering when i distill it a second time will this help me to achieve my goal. I have charged my boiler to 40% ABV and started my spirit run and the ABV% is higher that the stripping run but the smell is still present but not as bad.

Thoughts on this???

Comments

  • Dilute the boiler charge to 30% or less for cleaner separation.
    Sorry but I don't know what a "essencia super express 3000" is. Can you post pictures of it?

  • Thanks Lloyd i will post a picture for you shortly. I have already started my spirit run at 40% will this be a problem? And if I dilute the product again to 30% and do a third run will this be of more help to me?

  • A third run diluted to 30% or less should get you a lot closer to a more neutral neutral. If you made good heads cuts on your first two runs, there probably aren't much heads left to cut in the third run.

    What are you using for your wash? A good wash goes a long way to producing a neutral neutral. Two wash recipes that are popular for their neutralness are Wineo's Plain Ole Sugar Wash (WPOSW) and Tomato Paste Wash (TPW).

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  • @Lloyd said: Sorry but I don't know what a "essencia super express 3000" is. Can you post pictures of it?

    Super Express Still - 27L 3000W (Available in New Zealand Only): The dual element boiler gets a 25L wash up to temperature in only 45 minutes. Produces distillate at a rate of over 3 litres per hour! Not only is it taggeringly fast, it can produce distillate at over 90% ABV. Processing a 25L wash only takes around 2 1/4 hrs from switch-on to switch-off. All Parts of the still are easily replaceable, including the elements. 27 litre stainless steel boiler, 2 x 1500W elements.

    image

    super_express_3000.jpg
    126 x 238 - 4K
  • Thanks Kapea

    At the moment i just had a normal sugar and water wash, i have tried the tomato wash once before but wasn't trying to achieve a neutral neutral but i will put down TPW to try. Cheers

  • Definitely. The more times through the still with fresh water replacing the nasty stuff that's left in the boiler the better. For me its two trips through to get to the really clean stuff. Three times would be super-premium.

    Smell and taste the stillage (the offensive stench that is left in the boiler after a run) and you'll see why its so good to get rid of that nastiness from a neutral spirit. Its damn hard to do it on one pass if going for a neutral unless you have A Lot of plates.

  • TPW seems to be popular with the guys down under, WPOSW is popular with the guys in the states... Out here on the far side of BFE I use a modified Uncle Jessie's Simple Sour Mash (UJSM). The mod being half, or so, of the grain bill is replaced with malted barley. With the modified UJSM the grains act as yeast nutrient, and add a nice hint of flavor to the neutral.

    I'm more like I am now than I was before.

  • If I make neutral on my column it is derived from feints. So it has already been through a pot still two times (once on a strip run and once on a spirit run) before it gets loaded into the column boiler. I usually run that twice through the column as well.

    So my routine for neutral is to Pot still x 2, and to reflux x 2.

    For vodka to drink, at the moment it is produced on the pot still.

  • edited February 2015

    You'll have a hard time ever producing really good neutral on that still. It's a long way from 90% to 95+% and that's just not going to reach it.

    Things that will help:

    • Good neutral wash
    • Strip run
    • Power controller for your boiler so you can reduce the speed of collection and therefore slow the smearing
    • Learning about proper cuts by reading Kiwi's Guide to Cuts
    • Second spirit run with cuts on both spirit runs

    StillDragon Australia & New Zealand - Your StillDragon® Distributor for Australia & New Zealand

  • all i can say is im in the process of moving from the usual HBS bought still to a ace of hearts what i am hopefully going to experience is a little higher % in alcohol and a lot more in quality.Someone told me these(HBS) type of stills are fine for producing alcohol that will keep its homemade flavour but to get the "True" quality flavour buy a plated still

  • @brisvalleymoonshiner said: all i can say is im in the process of moving from the usual HBS bought still to a ace of hearts what i am hopefully going to experience is a little higher % in alcohol and a lot more in quality.Someone told me these(HBS) type of stills are fine for producing alcohol that will keep its homemade flavour but to get the "True" quality flavour buy a plated still

    Concentrate equally on your fermentation.

    Do not under estimate the impact of aging.

    StillDragon North America - Your StillDragon® Distributor for North America

  • edited February 2015

    +1 on what @Smaug says.

    You can make shitty tasting spirits from a good wash, but you cannot make good tasting spirits from a shitty wash.

    I'm more like I am now than I was before.

  • @Smaug I'm not up with this forum lingo do you agree with my comment or just adding to it :)

  • Speaking for @Smaug he was both agreeing and adding his 2 bits.
    Its well known that a great neutral comes from a good, clean wash (or mash).
    Happy, stress free yeasts and all that.

    And that aging a neutral (vodka) spirit is not the norm but one of the very finest vodkas that I've ever had was aged 8 years.

    The magic vodka that I produce has a shelf life of at most 2 months. I know its magic because it disappears.

  • :D thanks @Smaug this whole forum has turned my distilling and forum knowledge on its head

  • @Lloyd cheers for the info on how to make copperfield vodka :))

  • Haven't had a bottle of it get dusty yet! :\">

  • @brisvalleymoonshiner there is a whole new world out there as you say it has turned my distilling and forum knowledge on its head as well but i am keen to learn as much as i can on here for when i get my ace of hearts.

  • Thanks everyone for your input and advice it has helped heaps

  • @Lloyd said: The magic vodka that I produce has a shelf life of at most 2 months. I know its magic because it disappears.

    :)) I must be making the same vodka without realizing it, that keeps disappearing... :-O

    Of all the beautiful things in the world, only man can invent boredom

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  • Talk about magic. I must be an alchemist (alcomist?). I am trying to turn vodka into gin.

    My Carter head is in the air!

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