Filtered Gin?

[majorvices]

Having issues with my first attempt at Gin. I have an 18 plate bubbler and a 4 plate whiskey column.When I make my gin I make it like I do my vodka. I run through the entire still(whiskey and vodka plates- total of 22 plates, as a spirit run after a stripping run.) I run the vodka through a charcoal filter to polish it. It does very well and is a solid, very clean vodka.

The problem is when I filter the gin I lose the bontanicals. The first time I packed the filter like I do the vodka and when it came through it literally smelled and tasted like vodka.I pulled out 2 thirds of charcoal and ran it again.Not much botanical loss but definitely an "unfiltered" flavor.

One suggestion I got was to filter my "vodka"first then run it through the gin basket. But I really didn't want todo that.

[Silk City Distillers]

You don't charcoal filter gin.

If you want to treat your neutral with carbon first, go right ahead, but you simply can not do it after you infuse the alcohol with botanicals.

 

[Southernhighlander]

majorservices

 

Do you run through your gin basket then plates & dephleg or through your plates & dephleg then gin basket?

 

[majorvices]

On 1/20/2019 at 6:38 PM, Southernhighlander said:

majorservices

 

Do you run through your gin basket then plates & dephleg or through your plates & dephleg then gin basket?

The basket is last, after vodka defleg and before condensor. 

[Southernhighlander]

22 hours ago, majorvices said:

The basket is last, after vodka defleg and before condensor. 

Good.  That's what you want.

 

[delta H]

On 1/19/2019 at 9:33 AM, majorvices said:

Having issues with my first attempt at Gin. I have an 18 plate bubbler and a 4 plate whiskey column.When I make my gin I make it like I do my vodka. I run through the entire still(whiskey and vodka plates- total of 22 plates, as a spirit run after a stripping run.) I run the vodka through a charcoal filter to polish it. It does very well and is a solid, very clean vodka.

The problem is when I filter the gin I lose the bontanicals. The first time I packed the filter like I do the vodka and when it came through it literally smelled and tasted like vodka.I pulled out 2 thirds of charcoal and ran it again.Not much botanical loss but definitely an "unfiltered" flavor.

One suggestion I got was to filter my "vodka"first then run it through the gin basket. But I really didn't want todo that.

 

The point of charcoal 'filtration' is adsorption (surface binding) to remove 'contaminants' from the liquid phase, which could be nasties left in the vodka - or it could mean the oils from the botanicals in your gin.

 

So, don't do that.

[majorvices]

On 1/26/2019 at 12:10 PM, delta H said:

 

The point of charcoal 'filtration' is adsorption (surface binding) to remove 'contaminants' from the liquid phase, which could be nasties left in the vodka - or it could mean the oils from the botanicals in your gin.

 

So, don't do that.

Yes, I understand that the filtering process is stripping the flavors from my gin. I'm trying a couple additional stripping runs first before running through the gin basket. Going to lower the ABV in the pot and skip the bubbler plates for final run and add additional botanicals to the pot and see if that solves the problems. Thanks for the suggestions.