ABV for spirit runs

[Guest Bonanza]

Usual is to have a spirit run under 50% ABV, that’s said in the net and we have done it like that always.

A guy who uses 95% Ethanol to process annatto seed to get as final product a natural color is destilling the mixture to keep the color residues and re-use the ethanol.

We had a meeting last week and I ask him if this wouldn’t be a bomb but he replied that they have done that many times in the lab and are building now a bigger apparatus.

Research shows that 95% ethanol has an automatic ignition point of 363C which he/we never get during the distillation.

So my question: is there any science behind this security rule of thump of 50% ABV for a spirit run?

What ABV do you use for your spirit runs?

I couldn’t find anything well based in the net about that

Thanks in advance

[Panama Jack]

To reach cask strength for most barrel aged spirits you need to reach 120 proof or higher, and need to go higher for Vodka and gin. Weren't you at the last ADI conference? If you are interested in exporting any of your prodect send me an e-mail.

[Guest Bonanza]

To reach cask strength for most barrel aged spirits you need to reach 120 proof or higher, and need to go higher for Vodka and gin.

Yeah, I know Jack, my question is where is the science behind to say we shouldn't go higher than 50% ABV in low wines for a spirit run.

If I have low wines at maybe 65% ABV, would that be dangerous and why?

My problem is that when I told this friend that distilling 95% ethanol could be a bomb but I didn't have enough or any background information to further arguments.

Let's formulate the question like that: Does that friend run any risks distilling about 95% ethanol and if so why? He'll use a jacked boiler.

I'll PM you.

[Manu de Hanoi]

Yeah, I know Jack, my question is where is the science behind to say we shouldn't go higher than 50% ABV in low wines for a spirit run.

If I have low wines at maybe 65% ABV, would that be dangerous and why?

My problem is that when I told this friend that distilling 95% ethanol could be a bomb but I didn't have enough or any background information to further arguments.

Let's formulate the question like that: Does that friend run any risks distilling about 95% ethanol and if so why? He'll use a jacked boiler.

I'll PM you.

I dont see any risk if the boiler doesnt go above 100 C. I believe some distillers use dilution so that :

1- you can dissolve a base that will break esters in the low wines

2- Some tails have an affinity for water and some for water & ethanol, if I remember correctly their optimum (for one type of tail) is at 65% ish abv. In short you can't separate tails well if your ethanol is already 95%. That's why some distilleries dilute the distillate before feeding it to a "hydroselection" column.

[Guest Bonanza]

Thank you Manu, so with other words, there is no real safety issue to distill high ABV as 65% or more, it only would not make sense to do it in our whisky or rum runs.

Did I get it right on that?

Joe

[OneEyedJack]

In addition to the points that Manu makes, with some minimal calculations, if one knows the ABV in his boiler, and where his cuts will be made, one can have a final product ready for casking, bottling, or other post distillation procedures without having to resort to dilution with water. Dilution adds another step that requires control and can influence final taste and quality. It can also cause some fatty esters to precipitate out of the distillate. Having the right ABV out of the condenser takes this step out of the process and removes another opportunity for quality to differ from the desired goal.

Jack