AL
CHEMIST
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The popular alcoholic drink gin is pure alcohol flavoured with juniper berries and other botanicals. This can
be made by steeping the juniper berries in pure spirit in a process known as bath-tub gin, or it can be made
by vapour infusing the juniper and botanicals flavours into the spirit as it is distilled. This is the method used
by most high quality gin distilleries.
The Still Spirits Botanicals Basket, allows you to vapour infuse any flavours you wish into your spirit’s
vapour as it is being distilled. The different flavours present in the botanicals basket come out at different
stages of the distillation. Because of this the final step with the botanicals basket should not include any cuts.
To make a gin, follow the instructions for distilling a vodka above first. Then continue with the
following:
You will need:
• 5 L (1.3 US Gal) glass carbuoy
• An alcoholmeter that reads from 20% ABV to 100% ABV, a 50 ml (1.7 US fl oz) sample collection tube +
thermometer
• Cooling water supply and sink
• Still Spirits Botanicals Basket or other basket that fits
Measure your stripping run ethanol content, and if necessary dilute the spirit. Dilute the spirit down
to 40% ABV by adding water. Diluting the spirit down to 40% ABV is important for the spirit run to be
effective and gives a fuller boil. Once diluted add the ceramic boil enhancers. It is not necessary to
add distilling conditioner.
PREPARATION
1. Attach the copper condenser arm to the copper dome. Instead of using the nut and o-ring, secure
the condenser arm to the dome top using the head of the Still Spirits Botanicals Basket. Screw this
tight, and ensure the dome top cannot rotate relative to the condenser.
2. Insert the thermometer probe into the hole at the top of the column.
3. Attach the tubing for the water cooling of the condenser. The thin tube is for the outlet water and
connects near the top of the condenser arm and takes the water back to the sink. The thicker tube
connects to the water inlet near the tip of the condenser arm, with the other end connecting to
the tap.
4. Briefly turn on the cooling water supply to ensure there are no leaks in the system. Check again
that the water goes in at the end where the spirit comes out and that the water comes out closest to
the top of the lyne arm (the end near the thermometer probe).
5. Fill the base of the botanicals basket with your chosen botanicals, and screw this into the head of
the botanicals basket.
6. Secure the dome top onto the boiler using the clips present.
SPIRIT RUN
Turn on the boiler and wait for the contents to heat up. Once the temperature probe reaches 40°C
(104°F) turn on the cold water. Adjust the flow through the condenser so that the distillate comes out
around 25°C (77°F), this is usually a rate of above 2.5 L/minute. Since all of the harmful components
have been removed in the last spirit run with this spirit it is not necessary to make any heads or tails
cuts.
Place a large vessel under the output tube and start collecting all of the output in one vessel. Continue
collecting until the spirit is coming out at 20% ABV. Anything after this can be regarded as tails, and
can be discarded or collected with a 1-2 L (1-2 US qt) container and added to a future stripping run to
increase the yield. The tails can be collected down to 10% ABV.
Turn off the cooling water supply. Turn off the boiler and disconnect it from the power source. Wait
for the boiler contents to cool to a safe temperature before discarding the contents. Clean the boiler,
dome top and condenser thoroughly and rinse well.
DISTILLING USING A BOTANICALS BASKET
