Ok, so if anyone had said that I'd be making my own spirits I'd have told them to "F.O." - even after I decided to have a proper go at this home brewing "lark".
I've just finished bottling my first "batch", using the flavourings of 2 different rums (dark jamaican and dark navy) and "American Bourbon".
I've become more of a wine/spirits drinker over the years - I think that by the time I left the navy (about 11 years ago), I found that beer was giving me a bloated feeling (well more than about 2 or 3 pints anyway).
I've always preferred either rum, brandy or "American" whisky (also partial to a G & T or a VAT when the weathers warm).
With that in mind, I discovered that the various HBS (both online and real) sell "water purifiers" (a still in everything but name, as they can be used for water, "essential" oils and alcohol) and kits that make up the initial "wash" i.e. a specialised, if low grade wine.
The kit is made up of a "turbo" yeast, which also seems to contain the various nutrients that it (the yeast) requires and the activated carbon mixture that seems to be required to make such material safely (the old "moonshiners" of US history and others around the world seem to have found that if the distilled alcohol becomes "Methanol" as opposed to Ethanol, it can be quite dodgy/hazardous).
The recommendations are that the "Triple Distilled" yeast mixture is used as it produces the best quality wash/distillate. The pack is enough to produce 25 litres of "wash" at 14% abv. Which, when run through the "water purifier" is enough to produce 5 litres of distillate at 60% abv. As most "spirits" are produced to 70% "proof" (the "proof" alcohol is 57.1% abv, so "70% proof" is 70% of 57.1% abv i.e 40% abv).
The water purifier is the quickest of machines, as it seems to take about an hour to heat up, and I found another hour and a quarter to actually produce the 800ml's of distillate (a yeild of 20% of the 4 litres that the machine can handle). To reduce the strength of the distillate half it's volume of water is added i.e. 800ml's of distillate plus 400mls of water, gives 1.2 litres of finished "raw" spirit.
The flavourings are liquid, the packets contain 2 sachets, each sachet capable of producing 1.125 litres of finished, flavoured product i.e. 1 complete packet produces enough finished product to fill 3 x 750ml bottles ("standard" bottles).
To have got this far without screwing up has been amazing. When bottling my own wines, I get quite a kick when it's all finished, with the corks in, the labels on and the bottles sealed with either wax or heat shrink seals.
During the mixing of the spirit and the flavouring, I've found it nothing short of incredible. I had less than 100ml's of raw spirit left, after using the 3 different flavourings mentioned above, but I also have 3 bottles of Dark Jamaican Rum, 3 of Dark Navy and 3 of the "American" Bourbon. Whether I just "managed to get it right" or not isn't the point, it seems, to me, that the accuracy of the development of these products has to be bordering on miraculous.
I did have just the tiniest amount of each of the flavoured mixes left over after the bottling. This has, of course, become "cooks perks". The American bourbon isn't quite as good as the major commercial labels, but it's still eminently drinkable (especially if you like it mixed with coke or whatever).
The two rums ? well I can't hold back my amazement. Even an idiot like me could smell and taste the difference. The "Jamaican" being more of a "burnt" taste (albeit a very nice "burnt" taste ) whereas the "Dark Navy", had the distinct taste/aroma of vanilla found in rums produced in Tortolla (where the original supplier of rum to the RN is based). Unbelievable.
The kit ?
Well, the machine is about the £150/300$(US) mark. The kit i.e. yeast mix/carbon mix, sugar and the finings work out about £10/20$(US).
The flavourings are either about £4.50 or £2.50 depending on which range you want (didn't check to see how much they work out in US$'a).
So I'd say that it's a "value for money" experiment to try, even if the initial outlay seems high.
Theres a couple of caveats though. You'd have to check on the legality of distilling for home use in your location, lots of places around the world, it's a complete "no-no". While others are OK about it (you'd definitely have to check your local regs if you wanted to consider doing this kind of thing commercially anyway!).
Also, distillation, particularly of products as flammable as alcohol, should be done with care.
Finally, yes, I know that doing this kind of thing with a "system" like Still Spirits products, may well seem to some like a "cop out". But to me, it's quick, easy, intuitive to those of us who make their own wines and beers, and it removes all of the long term hassle of distilling, with the associated ageing processes that, combined with the relative difficulties of obtaining oak barrels and the incredibly long periods needed to mellow stuff to make a "proper" spirit of whatever kind you happen to like.
For a "marks out of ten" score, it'd give it 9 plus. It's been a very enjoyable experiment to try.
Cheers all.
fatbloke
p.s. sorry if this seems a bit "rambling", but 3 shots of "cooks perks" on an empty stomach has given me slight numbing of the tongue and a noticeable fuziness of the "barnet"
I've just finished bottling my first "batch", using the flavourings of 2 different rums (dark jamaican and dark navy) and "American Bourbon".
I've become more of a wine/spirits drinker over the years - I think that by the time I left the navy (about 11 years ago), I found that beer was giving me a bloated feeling (well more than about 2 or 3 pints anyway).
I've always preferred either rum, brandy or "American" whisky (also partial to a G & T or a VAT when the weathers warm).
With that in mind, I discovered that the various HBS (both online and real) sell "water purifiers" (a still in everything but name, as they can be used for water, "essential" oils and alcohol) and kits that make up the initial "wash" i.e. a specialised, if low grade wine.
The kit is made up of a "turbo" yeast, which also seems to contain the various nutrients that it (the yeast) requires and the activated carbon mixture that seems to be required to make such material safely (the old "moonshiners" of US history and others around the world seem to have found that if the distilled alcohol becomes "Methanol" as opposed to Ethanol, it can be quite dodgy/hazardous).
The recommendations are that the "Triple Distilled" yeast mixture is used as it produces the best quality wash/distillate. The pack is enough to produce 25 litres of "wash" at 14% abv. Which, when run through the "water purifier" is enough to produce 5 litres of distillate at 60% abv. As most "spirits" are produced to 70% "proof" (the "proof" alcohol is 57.1% abv, so "70% proof" is 70% of 57.1% abv i.e 40% abv).
The water purifier is the quickest of machines, as it seems to take about an hour to heat up, and I found another hour and a quarter to actually produce the 800ml's of distillate (a yeild of 20% of the 4 litres that the machine can handle). To reduce the strength of the distillate half it's volume of water is added i.e. 800ml's of distillate plus 400mls of water, gives 1.2 litres of finished "raw" spirit.
The flavourings are liquid, the packets contain 2 sachets, each sachet capable of producing 1.125 litres of finished, flavoured product i.e. 1 complete packet produces enough finished product to fill 3 x 750ml bottles ("standard" bottles).
To have got this far without screwing up has been amazing. When bottling my own wines, I get quite a kick when it's all finished, with the corks in, the labels on and the bottles sealed with either wax or heat shrink seals.
During the mixing of the spirit and the flavouring, I've found it nothing short of incredible. I had less than 100ml's of raw spirit left, after using the 3 different flavourings mentioned above, but I also have 3 bottles of Dark Jamaican Rum, 3 of Dark Navy and 3 of the "American" Bourbon. Whether I just "managed to get it right" or not isn't the point, it seems, to me, that the accuracy of the development of these products has to be bordering on miraculous.
I did have just the tiniest amount of each of the flavoured mixes left over after the bottling. This has, of course, become "cooks perks". The American bourbon isn't quite as good as the major commercial labels, but it's still eminently drinkable (especially if you like it mixed with coke or whatever).
The two rums ? well I can't hold back my amazement. Even an idiot like me could smell and taste the difference. The "Jamaican" being more of a "burnt" taste (albeit a very nice "burnt" taste ) whereas the "Dark Navy", had the distinct taste/aroma of vanilla found in rums produced in Tortolla (where the original supplier of rum to the RN is based). Unbelievable.
The kit ?
Well, the machine is about the £150/300$(US) mark. The kit i.e. yeast mix/carbon mix, sugar and the finings work out about £10/20$(US).
The flavourings are either about £4.50 or £2.50 depending on which range you want (didn't check to see how much they work out in US$'a).
So I'd say that it's a "value for money" experiment to try, even if the initial outlay seems high.
Theres a couple of caveats though. You'd have to check on the legality of distilling for home use in your location, lots of places around the world, it's a complete "no-no". While others are OK about it (you'd definitely have to check your local regs if you wanted to consider doing this kind of thing commercially anyway!).
Also, distillation, particularly of products as flammable as alcohol, should be done with care.
Finally, yes, I know that doing this kind of thing with a "system" like Still Spirits products, may well seem to some like a "cop out". But to me, it's quick, easy, intuitive to those of us who make their own wines and beers, and it removes all of the long term hassle of distilling, with the associated ageing processes that, combined with the relative difficulties of obtaining oak barrels and the incredibly long periods needed to mellow stuff to make a "proper" spirit of whatever kind you happen to like.
For a "marks out of ten" score, it'd give it 9 plus. It's been a very enjoyable experiment to try.
Cheers all.
fatbloke
p.s. sorry if this seems a bit "rambling", but 3 shots of "cooks perks" on an empty stomach has given me slight numbing of the tongue and a noticeable fuziness of the "barnet"
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