A few suggestions when using the chemistry equipment. To avoid baking on the concentrate in the boiling flask use an oil bath in the heating mantle and a smaller boiling flask. I use a stainless steel bowl that sits in the heating mantle snugly, filled 1/3 with safflower oil (NOT sunflower), and I submerse the the smaller boiling flask halfway in the oil. This will give you even heating without the higher temperatures of the boiling flask being almost in contact with the heating mantle element. No more baked-on crud inside the boiling flask! I would also strongly suggest using boiling chips (Calcium carbonate chips) in the boiling flask to provide a nucleation point for the water to boil. Finally, if you're using a reflux column between the flask and the condenser, the reflux column should be as vertical as possible to maximize the efficiency. Also I would recommend using a Liebig condenser instead of an Alihn condenser to maximize the amount of concentrate recovered. Personally I would use a 50% ABV of neutral spirit & distilled water to do this extraction, you'll get much better results, especially since the alcohol will dissolve the oils and esters of the botanicals that the water does not pick up efficiently in steam distillation. Also, when cleaning out your lab glassware I use the same stuff you recommended for copper stills, citric acid, Hydrogen Peroxide and really, really hot water. Let it soak for a while (couple of hours) to remove any residues before rinsing. Hope this helps you make better extracts in the future.
HI George, I love the channel you strip it right down and explain everything so clearly. Might I suggest using a magnetic stirring hotplate to prevent the baking of the distillate mash. It also helps with the blending of your mix and slightly increases the strength of the distillate. Loving your work keep them coming.
This video couldn't have came at a better time. Our distillery is going to start making gin for the first time this spring, and I need all the information I can get.👍
I am never deceived by your films you have taught me so much about this art and a lot of things besides each subject THANKYOU And I sincerely hope all is well with you and your family
Somewhere I got the idea that some flavors were best extracted by alcohol. Apparently the ones you used work just fine with water. Are there some you would recommend for alcohol extraction?
Perfect timing. We just picked up both a 5000ml short path glycol chilled vacuumed distillation system and a 4” Gin Basket from Mile High. Getting deep into fine tuning our flavor profiles using both practices. This was awesome.
Howdy. Where did you get your proportions from for the hydrosol? Experimentation? For a regular 1L run of gin, Juniper is usually 20-25g, Coriander is 10g, Orris Root would be like 0.2g along with cardamon. But your ratios are a lot more for Orris and Cardamon but less for Coriander. Wondering how to know what ratios to use if I want to add ginger, lavender, etc
Good day George hallo from South Africa . Just love your videos and you are the best teacher. I need advice on how to flavour my gin with pineapple. It for a pineapple farmer.
Hi George thanks a million you've been most helpful for me now it's time for me to do this. Could you please explain your flask with the double openings and the probe inside?
George, I started to watch this with my morning coffee before I set off to work this morning. It's been on my mid since. I have favoured gin as my go to spirit, as that's what I like and like to share. My issue was repeatability, you may have given me a way forward. After months of getting a preferred recipie that my friends enjoyed, how could I make it again and ? You may have just hit on my solution! This is good for thought and and an approach I had not considered. Thank you. A new avenue to explore.
George, every video is an education delight, thank you for you efforts and time you commit to this activity. 1 Question... you added 400Ml of water and got 75Ml out initially. at the end of that step, what if you wanted to go for the extra 75Ml you say is still available if you push it, could you not just add another 400Ml of Water and extract the 2nd 75Ml batch out? would this have an adverse effect in some way? Hopefully this question makes sense :-).
Just followed this video exactly and the product worked perfectly! Going to try Mercury Gin now as I have it to compare to as my last spirit run..... Thank you George (BTW Mercury Gin in these ratios would be: Juniper 35g, Coriander 17.5g, Angelica Root 3.5g, Cassia 3.5g, Liquorice 3.5g, Bitter Almonds 0.35g, Orange Peel (sweet) 0.35g, Lemon Peel 0.35g and Orris Root 0.35g. Will report the results next week!
Great video, I've been trying to figure out how to make an extract since you first introduced Olive Nation on your channel, mainly because I just can't get their extracts here, and also for a bit of fun.
Another fascinating video George. Why not mix the botanicals with some ethanol and just distill the oils over with that? It seems like the extraction of flavors would be more efficient and you'd wind up with a clear distillate.
This is exactly what I was also thinking. Since the ethanol would act like a solvent with the botanicals, and cuts wouldn't be necessary and then you would already have a high proof oil extraction in the end.
This may be a bit to extreme but you could use a piranha solution (sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide) to clean out your flask of any baked on organics.
I used something similar to clean the flask after I cooked the contents too long. Best practice is to not cook it to a point where it solidifies and sticks to the glass. That is what I learned after a few attempts. Best to just make one draw off the flask as opposed to trying to get multiple ones. With one draw (which will produce plenty) the left over mixture will clean out rather easily.
That's extremely interesting George. Can you please provide a link to the still, and the sealing grease? Also, I suppose you take the green outer shell of the cardamom and only use the small seeds which are inside, which are tiny. Do you suggest to crush those as well? (maybe with a manual mortar)
your video and your way of teaching is very interesting for more elaboration if u can pls attach some hard copy and documents for example formulation, steps, and any other materials
Good morning, I would like to make gin botanicals in my air still, the question I have is that the air still only produces about 54 percent alcohol every 800ml, is there any adjustment that can be made to produce your concentrate? Many thanks Grant, find your videos very informative.
Hello George, thank you for this informative video. In addition to juniper berries, Olive Nation also sells a juniper extract. Do you know how their extract compares to yours? Is it just as concentrated as yours, or is it more diluted?
I love seeing people use glass to make liquor. Thats probably an older tradition than the copper still! I think ethanol will emulsify any oils, which allows them to disperse more, and become more apparent. I've mixed lemonene with some apple shine, and it makes the lemon flavor come out more than just pure lemonene, which I've been taking about 10ml of 2 times a day... helps my mood
This is just another way. I am sure the quality is either better or the same but that all depends on the individual and opinion. In my humble opinion this method allows me to have consistency over a larger batch or multiple batches but the quality is the same all things considered.
Hey George. Amazing setup you have there. Just love your videos, an inspiration to all of us chasing the craft of distillation ! At the moment i'm at 188 F° and 146 proof on my first ever bourbon mash :-) Tomorrow I'll run odins gin on my new build 2.4 gal kettle. can't wait. happy distilling you all !
Hi George, I'm going to make a full grain "jenever" and with a soxhlet system make some tinctures from juniper, anisseed, lemonzest, corianderseeds, cardamon, paradise grains etc etc. Do you have any advice about the differences of using tinctures instead of a gin basket? I'm gonna watch the video now, so maybe I'll get my answers will watching ;-)
A soxhlet extraction will be fundamentally different than this hydrosol extraction. It will be far more concentrated, regardless of the solvent used (water or ethanol), than the method in Georges video. A soxhlet extraction is essentially a hot maceration, whereas hydrosol distillation is an actual distillation. In fact, George used a vigreux fractionating column in his setup in this video, and that will also alter the flavour compounds that come over, because it is made to separate fractions in a distillation, just like when you use a packed column in your spirit still to help separate out the ethanol more efficiently into the hearts cut. The choice of solvent will also significantly alter what comes out in the end, ethanol will grab more lipids, since ethanol is semi-polar and not as hydrophobic as water. It would be a great experiment to do hydrosol distillation vs soxhlet vs vapour infusion, and also include water vs ethanol. Then maybe take it a step further and do vacuum versions, for lower temperature extractions, and see what that outputs. If only I were a rich man!
@@StillBehindTheBench Besides the vacuum, I have everything to test this out. I'm a chemical engineer so I understand all the technical differences, but understanding is different than tasting (and that can be only done after trying......). The downside of Soxhlet is that the maceration end product will have a color instead of being transparent. And often the colors are brownish/grayish soapwater type of colors...... So, when I have all parts together (waiting for my 150 ml soxhlet, I have 1000 ml one which is too big) I will try the variations I can make: soxhlet vs water distillation (like George) vs steam distillation vs ethanol vapor distillation.
A soxhlet extraction is a completely different method of extraction, it is based upon solubility and not volatility. The soxhlet will extract everything that is soluble in the alcohol (or what ever solvent you use to run the extraction). It will even extract higher boiling point ingredients that will not be present in the distillation process that George describes.
@@freeaccess5905 the best extraction medium for the polyphenols in junipers is NaOH, then ethanol and then water. I’m going to try water distilling, ethanol distilling, steam distillation, ethanol vapor distilling, soxhlet with water and soxhlet with ethanol.
Hi George! Love your videos! Dose it have to be 95% alcohol to mix? I’m asking because at the minute I have an air still which won’t produce 95% Thank you In advance x
Most likely, however you'd probably want to run it on a power controller so it's a more controlled distillation. Those water distillers run hard and fast (which will also help to bake all the ingredients onto the base of it).
@@Thermoelectric7 Thanks, I have a PID )based on George's design but I do not think I can get a thermometer probe into it. Might have to make up a rheostat controller.
@@davidtetlock9332 Try putting a smaller container in some water inside the water distiller and raised slightly of the bottom, acting little like a bambaree. It'll dilute the output a little but it'll protect the distiller.
Hi George. Great and interesting video. I have been making gin in a gin basket. (This is situated just before the PC so oil does not drip back into the boiler) but this seems to me an easier way to get consistant results. I was wondering instead of your setup. Can you use one of those small stainless steel distillers that they use for essential oil and Alcohol. Thanks
I just received my Mr. distiller stainless steel table top distiller. I’m gonna try this method using this easy Peezy machine. I’m gonna send the video to George and he’s going to post it on his channel. We’re gonna try running this today using his same botanical recipe with the 400 mL of water.
George, Gin and tonic was the cornerstone of the British empire, the Gin to make the exile bearable and the tonic to provide the quinine to fight the malaria, however with this process you have shared looks like the gin problem is solved now to find the tonic. Another great video, im off to get my chemistry set out. Toodle Pip.....
G;day George, what was that probe in the side connection for?, I noticed the mantel has it's own heat controller so the k type probe has got me perplexed. Great vid and very helpful. Happy distilling.
GEORGE WHERE do you get the 120v to12vDc transformer for your PID amazing doesn't seem to have the one you have in your list of parts. Keep up the good job.
@@allenperry1823 have a look in your drawer of old power supplies. 12vdc is very common and there's a very good chance there's one floating around your house you can use.
I dare say that thermocouple is to get a more accurate temperature of the reaction vessel. Say you set the mantle to 100 degrees, it'll maintain that temp at the mantle however the mixture in the vessel will take a very long time to get to temp. However you put a probe in the vessel itself and the heating mantle can see the temperature of the liquid itself and maintain that much better.
I'm a little confused by the addition of 75mL of 95% alcohol to the 75mL of extract. You do this first, and the alcohol just "cleans" the extracts? which 95% alcohol do you use?
Hello George. 1st time gin distiller here. I was think of buying a mill on Amazon 3 gallon for $100. Don't have a recipe or know where to put the botanicals in the mill at.
Doesn't really matter what you add. Tap water will end up as distilled water after its run through this setup. Using distilled water may just reduce deposits in the boiling flask from hard water etc, however not necessary.
Your ratio would vary if you use 60%. Using 95% allows the end product to be concentrated, allowing less in the end product. Should still work, just adjust to suit your tastes!
Hi George. I notice the amount of botanicals you use is equivalent to what a "normal" recipe would propose per liter of gin. Using 1ml per 100ml of 80 proof spirits would yield 15L of gin from the extract you made. This method is thus 15 times more efficient than regular vapor infusion or am I missing something?
How many people have that chemistry set in their house? It is as useful as when Still-It shows me a $15000 still. Still love ya and I have learned sooo much fro you .
can someone please help me find the one where he says "don't take cooking advice from a skinny man, and don't take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time" i need that clip
I would like to know why no publisher has approached George and stated George your a legend with a wealth of knowledge on brewing with a beautiful sense of humour...why dont you write a book with us so future generation will know the wonder that is George. Honest mate dont have a still due to regs but still enjoy dreaming of it and watching your videos.
i make prety much nothing but gin and orange gin, and i use a reflux still with a gin basket after the reflux condenser. i don't really get why you say its hard to be consistent using this method, all temperatures and data-points are part of the process as are the weights, and grind sizes of all the botanicals botanicals used....So why would this be any less accurate than the essential oils route? True, it means you can just run base spirit and flavour it at will with stored essential oils, but it means another piece of kit, and another process.
It all depends on the constancy of your ingredients and the ability of the vapors to access the same amount of essential oils every time. This method releases all of the oils immediately in the water and they distill all at once. In the basket method the alcohol and water/alcohol azeotrope gradually release the oils over time. The concentration of these oils will vary as the distillation takes place.
@@kimmole1096 That will make that batch consistent with itself. Using a basket just adds more variables that need to be controlled to keep it consistent from batch to batch. Obviously, to achieve the same flavor between batches you need the same concentrations of all of the essential oils. There is really nothing wrong with your process if you are happy with it, it just takes more care to keep it consistent.
George, have you experienced with distilling the ingredients separately, to them blend to you taste? If you have thoughts on why that's not the best approach I'd love to hear them. Thank you. Great video!
BTW, inspired by your great video I've ordered a glass distillation apparatus and will be following your lead. Will also see if a similar approach might work for Ouzo, which we like.
A few suggestions when using the chemistry equipment. To avoid baking on the concentrate in the boiling flask use an oil bath in the heating mantle and a smaller boiling flask. I use a stainless steel bowl that sits in the heating mantle snugly, filled 1/3 with safflower oil (NOT sunflower), and I submerse the the smaller boiling flask halfway in the oil. This will give you even heating without the higher temperatures of the boiling flask being almost in contact with the heating mantle element. No more baked-on crud inside the boiling flask! I would also strongly suggest using boiling chips (Calcium carbonate chips) in the boiling flask to provide a nucleation point for the water to boil. Finally, if you're using a reflux column between the flask and the condenser, the reflux column should be as vertical as possible to maximize the efficiency. Also I would recommend using a Liebig condenser instead of an Alihn condenser to maximize the amount of concentrate recovered. Personally I would use a 50% ABV of neutral spirit & distilled water to do this extraction, you'll get much better results, especially since the alcohol will dissolve the oils and esters of the botanicals that the water does not pick up efficiently in steam distillation. Also, when cleaning out your lab glassware I use the same stuff you recommended for copper stills, citric acid, Hydrogen Peroxide and really, really hot water. Let it soak for a while (couple of hours) to remove any residues before rinsing. Hope this helps you make better extracts in the future.
Lol or a soxlet 😊
HI George, I love the channel you strip it right down and explain everything so clearly.
Might I suggest using a magnetic stirring hotplate to prevent the baking of the distillate mash. It also helps with the blending of your mix and slightly increases the strength of the distillate.
Loving your work keep them coming.
A magnetic stirrer should be in everyone's toolkit they are also great for hugely reducing maceration times.
This video couldn't have came at a better time. Our distillery is going to start making gin for the first time this spring, and I need all the information I can get.👍
Very cool process! Great tips! God bless! God is good! Have a great day!
I am going to try this this week if I can find all the ingredients. I think you have just introduced me to a new hobby.
Orris Root also acts as a fixatif , so it helps keep the other flavours in place.
I am never deceived by your films you have taught me so much about this art and a lot of things besides each subject THANKYOU And I sincerely hope all is well with you and your family
Love your channel! Thanks for giving information in millilitres and celcius. You explained everything in a way that's really easy to understand 🙂
So what would you use to make essence if you don't have a small kit like that? Would it be acceptable to boil the the botanicals and then strain?
Somewhere I got the idea that some flavors were best extracted by alcohol. Apparently the ones you used work just fine with water. Are there some you would recommend for alcohol extraction?
Same question here!
This is distillation process so the flavors are based upon the boiling points of the ingredients and not their solubilities (extraction).
Hello George that was very very interesting to watch thank you very much
Excellent video, George! thank you!
Glad you liked it!
Perfect timing. We just picked up both a 5000ml short path glycol chilled vacuumed distillation system and a 4” Gin Basket from Mile High. Getting deep into fine tuning our flavor profiles using both practices. This was awesome.
Love the videos. Building my own still now. Can't wait to see how it works. 10 gallon stainless steel custom built by my welder brother.
FASCINATING,,,,, As usual 👍😎👍
Howdy. Where did you get your proportions from for the hydrosol? Experimentation? For a regular 1L run of gin, Juniper is usually 20-25g, Coriander is 10g, Orris Root would be like 0.2g along with cardamon. But your ratios are a lot more for Orris and Cardamon but less for Coriander. Wondering how to know what ratios to use if I want to add ginger, lavender, etc
Good day George hallo from South Africa . Just love your videos and you are the best teacher. I need advice on how to flavour my gin with pineapple. It for a pineapple farmer.
Hi George thanks a million you've been most helpful for me now it's time for me to do this. Could you please explain your flask with the double openings and the probe inside?
George, really enjoyed the video. Learning more and more with each of them. Thanks so much.
George, I started to watch this with my morning coffee before I set off to work this morning. It's been on my mid since.
I have favoured gin as my go to spirit, as that's what I like and like to share. My issue was repeatability, you may have given me a way forward.
After months of getting a preferred recipie that my friends enjoyed, how could I make it again and ? You may have just hit on my solution!
This is good for thought and and an approach I had not considered. Thank you. A new avenue to explore.
George, every video is an education delight, thank you for you efforts and time you commit to this activity. 1 Question... you added 400Ml of water and got 75Ml out initially. at the end of that step, what if you wanted to go for the extra 75Ml you say is still available if you push it, could you not just add another 400Ml of Water and extract the 2nd 75Ml batch out? would this have an adverse effect in some way? Hopefully this question makes sense :-).
How much of the concentrate in the bottle do you use for one gallon?
George, I love the ideal of making an extract to flavor your gin for consistency! Where can I buy the small still and stuff you used?
Your looking for Laboratory Still. They are not cheap so you need to be committed to using it.
Just followed this video exactly and the product worked perfectly! Going to try Mercury Gin now as I have it to compare to as my last spirit run..... Thank you George (BTW Mercury Gin in these ratios would be: Juniper 35g, Coriander 17.5g, Angelica Root 3.5g, Cassia 3.5g, Liquorice 3.5g, Bitter Almonds 0.35g, Orange Peel (sweet) 0.35g, Lemon Peel 0.35g and Orris Root 0.35g. Will report the results next week!
I like the 90° coming off of your column. It eliminates that joint.
Great video, I've been trying to figure out how to make an extract since you first introduced Olive Nation on your channel, mainly because I just can't get their extracts here, and also for a bit of fun.
Another fascinating video George. Why not mix the botanicals with some ethanol and just distill the oils over with that? It seems like the extraction of flavors would be more efficient and you'd wind up with a clear distillate.
This is exactly what I was also thinking. Since the ethanol would act like a solvent with the botanicals, and cuts wouldn't be necessary and then you would already have a high proof oil extraction in the end.
This may be a bit to extreme but you could use a piranha solution (sulfuric acid and hydrogen peroxide) to clean out your flask of any baked on organics.
I used something similar to clean the flask after I cooked the contents too long. Best practice is to not cook it to a point where it solidifies and sticks to the glass. That is what I learned after a few attempts. Best to just make one draw off the flask as opposed to trying to get multiple ones. With one draw (which will produce plenty) the left over mixture will clean out rather easily.
I love the chemistry of it all . Thank you George We all thank you for your dedication!
That's extremely interesting George. Can you please provide a link to the still, and the sealing grease? Also, I suppose you take the green outer shell of the cardamom and only use the small seeds which are inside, which are tiny. Do you suggest to crush those as well? (maybe with a manual mortar)
Quick question
When vapor infusing gin would you run a pre condenser/reflux ?
I was going to make gin the old school way tomorrow. I am trying this instead. Thank for the video 👍
Yet another great informative video
your video and your way of teaching is very interesting for more elaboration if u can pls attach some hard copy and documents for example formulation, steps, and any other materials
Good morning, I would like to make gin botanicals in my air still, the question I have is that the air still only produces about 54 percent alcohol every 800ml, is there any adjustment that can be made to produce your concentrate? Many thanks Grant, find your videos very informative.
Hello George, thank you for this informative video. In addition to juniper berries, Olive Nation also sells a juniper extract. Do you know how their extract compares to yours? Is it just as concentrated as yours, or is it more diluted?
I love seeing people use glass to make liquor. Thats probably an older tradition than the copper still!
I think ethanol will emulsify any oils, which allows them to disperse more, and become more apparent.
I've mixed lemonene with some apple shine, and it makes the lemon flavor come out more than just pure lemonene, which I've been taking about 10ml of 2 times a day... helps my mood
hi, isnt making distilling illegal in (im assuming ur in the states)the us
There's a gin cocktail, an Aviation, that uses creme de viollet. How is creme de viollet made George? It's hard to find, if you can at all ...
Any good liquor store should have it.
another great video, thanks !
George, were you an organic chemist in a prior life? Always educational an entertaining.
An American working in metric units? Must be!
@@Thermoelectric7 I asked him to because the world is not America.
He has to be an ex-military engineer
George, do you sell the essential gin Essense?
George you are absolutely brilliant!
Could you tell us were we could buy the glass still you used
SO HOW DOES THE QUALITY COMPARE IN THE END TO A VAPOR INFUSED GIN WITH CONSISTENCY ASIDE
This is just another way. I am sure the quality is either better or the same but that all depends on the individual and opinion. In my humble opinion this method allows me to have consistency over a larger batch or multiple batches but the quality is the same all things considered.
Hey George. Amazing setup you have there. Just love your videos, an inspiration to all of us chasing the craft of distillation ! At the moment i'm at 188 F° and 146 proof on my first ever bourbon mash :-) Tomorrow I'll run odins gin on my new build 2.4 gal kettle. can't wait. happy distilling you all !
Great video George , I now want a "chemistry set " :-)
Do you have a link to all the glasswear and heating element?
A local Distillery uses the same glass still, much larger thought, and uses it to purify Honey. Great Explanation George!!
Hi George, I'm going to make a full grain "jenever" and with a soxhlet system make some tinctures from juniper, anisseed, lemonzest, corianderseeds, cardamon, paradise grains etc etc. Do you have any advice about the differences of using tinctures instead of a gin basket? I'm gonna watch the video now, so maybe I'll get my answers will watching ;-)
Ok, I'm stupid enough to understand that after 28 seconds I have an answer on my doorstep.......
A soxhlet extraction will be fundamentally different than this hydrosol extraction. It will be far more concentrated, regardless of the solvent used (water or ethanol), than the method in Georges video. A soxhlet extraction is essentially a hot maceration, whereas hydrosol distillation is an actual distillation. In fact, George used a vigreux fractionating column in his setup in this video, and that will also alter the flavour compounds that come over, because it is made to separate fractions in a distillation, just like when you use a packed column in your spirit still to help separate out the ethanol more efficiently into the hearts cut.
The choice of solvent will also significantly alter what comes out in the end, ethanol will grab more lipids, since ethanol is semi-polar and not as hydrophobic as water.
It would be a great experiment to do hydrosol distillation vs soxhlet vs vapour infusion, and also include water vs ethanol. Then maybe take it a step further and do vacuum versions, for lower temperature extractions, and see what that outputs. If only I were a rich man!
@@StillBehindTheBench Besides the vacuum, I have everything to test this out. I'm a chemical engineer so I understand all the technical differences, but understanding is different than tasting (and that can be only done after trying......). The downside of Soxhlet is that the maceration end product will have a color instead of being transparent. And often the colors are brownish/grayish soapwater type of colors...... So, when I have all parts together (waiting for my 150 ml soxhlet, I have 1000 ml one which is too big) I will try the variations I can make: soxhlet vs water distillation (like George) vs steam distillation vs ethanol vapor distillation.
A soxhlet extraction is a completely different method of extraction, it is based upon solubility and not volatility. The soxhlet will extract everything that is soluble in the alcohol (or what ever solvent you use to run the extraction). It will even extract higher boiling point ingredients that will not be present in the distillation process that George describes.
@@freeaccess5905 the best extraction medium for the polyphenols in junipers is NaOH, then ethanol and then water. I’m going to try water distilling, ethanol distilling, steam distillation, ethanol vapor distilling, soxhlet with water and soxhlet with ethanol.
With the dilution 1 to 100 you would make 15 L Gin, just over 3 gallons, from 35 g Juniper, won't the flavour be a bit weak?
Could I use my air still to do this.Thanks from Germany
Do you sell your 110 v pid controlers?
First time I have seen you partake in something you made.
Hi George! Love your videos!
Dose it have to be 95% alcohol to mix? I’m asking because at the minute I have an air still which won’t produce 95%
Thank you In advance x
Could you use a countertop water distiller for making the concentrate?
Most likely, however you'd probably want to run it on a power controller so it's a more controlled distillation. Those water distillers run hard and fast (which will also help to bake all the ingredients onto the base of it).
@@Thermoelectric7 Thanks, I have a PID )based on George's design but I do not think I can get a thermometer probe into it. Might have to make up a rheostat controller.
@@davidtetlock9332 Try putting a smaller container in some water inside the water distiller and raised slightly of the bottom, acting little like a bambaree. It'll dilute the output a little but it'll protect the distiller.
@@ledzep331 Thanks, great idea! I will try it.
Can i infuse the separate botanicals and then blend each spirit later into an ideal gin?
Thank you George!
Hi George. Great and interesting video. I have been making gin in a gin basket. (This is situated just before the PC so oil does not drip back into the boiler) but this seems to me an easier way to get consistant results. I was wondering instead of your setup. Can you use one of those small stainless steel distillers that they use for essential oil and Alcohol. Thanks
I just received my Mr. distiller stainless steel table top distiller. I’m gonna try this method using this easy Peezy machine. I’m gonna send the video to George and he’s going to post it on his channel. We’re gonna try running this today using his same botanical recipe with the 400 mL of water.
@@blindguy63 Is this an air still you are talking about ? If so it will be interesting
George, Gin and tonic was the cornerstone of the British empire, the Gin to make the exile bearable and the tonic to provide the quinine to fight the malaria, however with this process you have shared looks like the gin problem is solved now to find the tonic. Another great video, im off to get my chemistry set out. Toodle Pip.....
Thanks George
This sure looks like FUN! I look forward to the day that I can do this (retirement).
Hi George. What is the equipment called?
G;day George, what was that probe in the side connection for?, I noticed the mantel has it's own heat controller so the k type probe has got me perplexed. Great vid and very helpful. Happy distilling.
GEORGE WHERE do you get the 120v to12vDc transformer for your PID amazing doesn't seem to have the one you have in your list of parts. Keep up the good job.
@@allenperry1823 have a look in your drawer of old power supplies. 12vdc is very common and there's a very good chance there's one floating around your house you can use.
I dare say that thermocouple is to get a more accurate temperature of the reaction vessel. Say you set the mantle to 100 degrees, it'll maintain that temp at the mantle however the mixture in the vessel will take a very long time to get to temp.
However you put a probe in the vessel itself and the heating mantle can see the temperature of the liquid itself and maintain that much better.
@@Thermoelectric7 Thanks for that :)
Where do you purchase the glass apparatus ? In fact where can you purchase everything where I could do that at my location?
Have a look online for science/chemistry supply stores. That's all pretty common labware however may be worth a few bucks.
Please more videos with this machine!!!!!! Muchas gracias :)
You added to "base spirit " what is that?
I'm a little confused by the addition of 75mL of 95% alcohol to the 75mL of extract. You do this first, and the alcohol just "cleans" the extracts? which 95% alcohol do you use?
HI George, im having trouble finding orrisroot in Sweden can i substitute it with some star anise
or licoriceroot? Love your channel.
Let,s try www.amazon.co.uk/ or www.amazon.de/
Hello George. 1st time gin distiller here. I was think of buying a mill on Amazon 3 gallon for $100. Don't have a recipe
or know where to put the botanicals in the mill at.
Great Video George. Curious if you ever made an Aquavit? If so how did it come out?
what kind of water are you adding? would you ever use distilled water?
Doesn't really matter what you add. Tap water will end up as distilled water after its run through this setup. Using distilled water may just reduce deposits in the boiling flask from hard water etc, however not necessary.
@@Thermoelectric7 heh, this was my best daft moment this week. thanks for the reply.
Great info as always George. Would a 60% abv alcohol work as the carrier for the essential oils and if so would I still add at a 1:1 ratio?
Your ratio would vary if you use 60%. Using 95% allows the end product to be concentrated, allowing less in the end product. Should still work, just adjust to suit your tastes!
Pretty cool machine you have there Geo.
Love the scientific glass wear George absolutely love it I'm going to get some soon to do some taste experiments 👍🏻💙🇦🇺
Put a little food coloring in the condenser water
That’s what I do it’s wild
Hi George. I notice the amount of botanicals you use is equivalent to what a "normal" recipe would propose per liter of gin. Using 1ml per 100ml of 80 proof spirits would yield 15L of gin from the extract you made. This method is thus 15 times more efficient than regular vapor infusion or am I missing something?
Yes, exactly
Do you know if its legal/illegal to distill a store bought tax paid alcohol?
Człowiek z pasją. Miło Ciebie oglądać i słuchać. Pozdrowienia z Polski:)
Hey george was wandering if you could possibly build a PID controller for me I've watched the videos on it but don't trust myself to build one
Hi George that was really interesting
Thanks George!
Can you use Coco nibs
How do I get in touch with you George?
How many people have that chemistry set in their house? It is as useful as when Still-It shows me a $15000 still. Still love ya and I have learned sooo much fro you
.
can someone please help me find the one where he says "don't take cooking advice from a skinny man, and don't take a laxative and a sleeping pill at the same time" i need that clip
Ah! So that’s what the lab glassware was for! Saw it on your bench a few months back....Great stuff again and again and again
Well done :) - Thanks from Denmark ;)
Wait no fermentation
I would like to know why no publisher has approached George and stated George your a legend with a wealth of knowledge on brewing with a beautiful sense of humour...why dont you write a book with us so future generation will know the wonder that is George. Honest mate dont have a still due to regs but still enjoy dreaming of it and watching your videos.
Thanks so much. I have actually started writing a book; stopped many times but still working at it.
What a funny way to make gin. I always destill the botanicals with the alcohol.
You should try a soxlet man 😊
Nice video!
Digging the stash and beard George!
The real question... does anyone want to sell me the 75 ml extraction liquid? I think it is perfectly legal to sell/ship water and botanical oils,...
i make prety much nothing but gin and orange gin, and i use a reflux still with a gin basket after the reflux condenser. i don't really get why you say its hard to be consistent using this method, all temperatures and data-points are part of the process as are the weights, and grind sizes of all the botanicals botanicals used....So why would this be any less accurate than the essential oils route?
True, it means you can just run base spirit and flavour it at will with stored essential oils, but it means another piece of kit, and another process.
It all depends on the constancy of your ingredients and the ability of the vapors to access the same amount of essential oils every time. This method releases all of the oils immediately in the water and they distill all at once. In the basket method the alcohol and water/alcohol azeotrope gradually release the oils over time. The concentration of these oils will vary as the distillation takes place.
@@freeaccess5905 point taken, but when the run is finished its all mixed together before the cut.
@@kimmole1096 That will make that batch consistent with itself. Using a basket just adds more variables that need to be controlled to keep it consistent from batch to batch. Obviously, to achieve the same flavor between batches you need the same concentrations of all of the essential oils. There is really nothing wrong with your process if you are happy with it, it just takes more care to keep it consistent.
I havnt been getting notifications George.
I got catching up
Cheers!
Interesting way to make gin George. You really have to like gin with all that extra equipment though.
George, have you experienced with distilling the ingredients separately, to them blend to you taste? If you have thoughts on why that's not the best approach I'd love to hear them. Thank you. Great video!
BTW, inspired by your great video I've ordered a glass distillation apparatus and will be following your lead. Will also see if a similar approach might work for Ouzo, which we like.
Hmm, no citrus, eh?
You must be a genius if you can make 15 liters gin with only 35 grams of juniper :)