Doug MacKenzie

Answer to Chucks question: It impossible to get 95% on an Alembic. So if somebody is distilling "vodka" from a mash on an Alembic, they're either defying the laws of chemistry/physics or they're defying the laws of the TTB. That's the reason for the hybrid stills allowing the use of the rectifying column or bypassing it to get the same effects as a pot still.

Hey Coop- We had a tub fabricated with a screen at the bottom and a spigut. After we distill on the grain, we pump the spent mash into the tub and place the spigut over our floor drain. After a few days, the grain is dry enough to shovel out. You just have to make sure in the warm months to get it out quickly because it can turn to a science experiment overnight! As far as your water/grain ratio goes: I've had success with 160 gallons of water, 300 pounds of grain and 50 pounds of malt. 1 kg of dry yeast (493-EDV) ferments 8 to 9% abv at 85-90 deg. F in 72 hours. I'd like to try some different yeasts for whiskey to get some different flavor profiles, but the 493 is neutral and efficient for vodka. It's also easy to use, store and relatively inexpensive. Hope this helps.

We use citric acid to adjust pH when starting fresh, but the spent mash has a pH around 4 to 4.3 so I'll be using that when we get into whiskey production. Try a cup of calcium sulfate in the water as well. U.S. Gypsum sells it as food grade Terra Alba. It helps for those of us as they say in Kentucky that are "off the slab".

Our filter holds about 2 gallons of carbon. I should clarify my answer from above: the 50 gallons is 190 proof taken down to 120, so it's actually about 80 gallons. We filter to taste but I've calculated that it passes through the carbon 4 to 6 times on average. I mix the carbon between runs (might be tough with 55 gallons) but you probably don't have to because of the spinning head.

We use granulated. It's messy enough, so I'm sure the powdered is even worse. I think the granulated gives a little more control as well. I fabricated a bucket within a bucket that screws into the lid of a bottling tank and we use a small pump to circulate distillate through. I can usually get two or three 50 gallon batches out of a bucket of carbon.