Estimating yield for business planning purposes

[FreekiTiki]

I have a pretty solid understanding of the processes involved in distilling, but I keep trying to gauge production run sizes into the still, and linking it back to actual yield. 

I am going to use round numbers to start to make it easier.

If I create a 100 Gallon sugar wash that is 10% ABV at the completion of fermentation. There is 10 gallons of ethanol contained within. The best I could hope to extract is 94% of that so 9.4 gallons of pure ethanol, but realistically if I am using a pot still and with about 85% efficiency, for a single pass distillation. I am likely to only get 7.99 gallons of pure ethanol out (but lets round up to 8 to keep the math simple). I know that I am not going to distill 100% ABV, and will probably get something starting around 180 and tapering down. If I am extracting at around an average ABV of 70%, should I reasonably expect the yield to be approx. 11.4 gallons? Or even just proofing down whatever results from the distillation to an average of 100 proof to have a yield of about 16 gallons? 

Am I thinking correctly?

[bluefish_dist]

Yes, you are close.  I would figure you yield 10% of the wash as finished product for sizing purposes.  Less for whiskey due to the lower starting abv.  

I will also share that we run about 70% gross margin.  Also about $100/gallon average sale price.   Between those numbers you should be able to calculate capacity required.  

 

 

[Hudson bay distillers]

another way of looking at it is 10% abv is 10 gallons of absolute alcohol per hundred units, gallons or liters . 10 gallons of absolute is 20 gallons of barrel proof at 50 % abv , 20 gallons times 4.5 gives you 90 liters of barrel proof , times 1000 gives you 90000 ml divide by 750 ml per bottle equals 120 bottles at 40%abv or ten cases ......leaving 10 %abv for margin of error  . thats a quick rough calculation . 

tim 

[FreekiTiki]

Thanks @bluefish_dist and @Hudson bay distillers I appreciate the help. That was what I was looking for.