dmacnz

Thanks guys, i think at this stage we have a plan!

Hi all,

I would like to ask for help. I have a distillery in Macau, and we are trying to make some conferences in San Francisco and Salt lake city with some of our products!

I have had a dig around the TTB website, and to be honest, I am more confused than before I started!

I had a look at the https://www.ttb.gov/itd/importing-alcohol-for-trade-shows
This all made sense until I saw I need a basic import licence, which also requires EIN ID numbers etc, which is not possible for me (non-USA resident).

Our goal is to bring around 100x 100ml bottles of Gin and 24x500ml bottles. These would be used as samples/gifts for clients at the shows.

Does anyone have any ideas on the best way to proceed? 

Unfortunately, we are also pushing the timeline as we are hoping to do this in June,23.

Just to follow up,

I did a small test batch using RO water for proofing. Looks to of solved the issue. Thanks to all who helped out with the info!!
 

To add to my confusion. 
The batch of gin has a PH or 8.2! Which I'm surely isn’t helping! 
 

my NGS has a ph of 8.0. So I’m also perplexed  to why my final product is so alkaline!

On 6/4/2022 at 12:09 AM, JonDistiller said:

If you shine a phone flashlight through it, do you see lots of small glitter points or does it continue to look like the above picture?

It seems to continue as before. 


 

9 minutes ago, Foreshot said:

Possibly saponification. Do you do one shot proofing or do you slow proof? One shot proofing will increase the likelihood of saponification.

Buy distilled water for your next batch and see if that helps. I'm a firm believer that proofing water should only be distilled or RO water. It helps keep the flavor of the spirit. Water used for fermenting is a different story.

So I would say use better water and slow proof - no more than 5 proof/day, with 1-2 proof better.

Thanks for the info. 
 

This was proofed around 10% per day. Around 3-4 days from 80 to 45%abv

I have pulled the RO filter out of the wraps and will give it a try also! 
lucky these were small batch recipe development runs. Just hoping this doesn’t happen in full production!! 
 

Sorry, Guys,
Some more info.

Its Gin is made from neutral in a Column still, mostly macerated, 0nly some citrus and cardamom in the vapour basket.
with Pretty conservative cuts. (decent heads cut)
It is proofed with "filtered" (5 stage filter NON-RO) water to 45% after a few days of resting, (no signs of louching)
It seems that (what I am assuming is calcium) is coming out of solution and turning into a solid on the inside wall of the glass.
i have tested washing bottle with a mixture of different things without much luck.
It happens quick, in around one day, the "snowflakes" appear.

I had a similar problem with a white haze which would appear towards to top of the bottle previously. I think it may of been a similar issue!

I am leaning towards the water filter not being up for the job.

Any idea would be great.

Thanks

Hi,

I have had a strange problem: I am getting crystallisation inside of my bottle of spirits (45% abv). It looks like snowflakes inside of the bottle walls. It appears after 1-2 days after bottling.

I assume this is calcium from the "tap" water bottle rinse. I had issues in the past with a transparent white on the inner walls, Which I now think is probably from calcium. I have done a fair test and did not get any crystallisation if the bottles were rinsed with filter water, star-san, gin etc.
I have checked with the bottle supplier, and they have also not seen this issue before!

Does anyone how any ideas if I am on the right track? or could this be something else!

Hi,

I'm looking for a solution to rinsing 50ml (minibar bottles). I can fill and label over 100 bottles a minute (automated machine), but my "bottleneck" pun intended, is how can I rinse the bottles fast enough.

I planned to use a modified water pressure "squirter" into the bottle and then use high-pressure air to blow out the remaining water. However, I don't think I do 100 bottles a minute by hand!
My current plan is to wash the bottles while running the still, allow them to drip dry in some type of rack, and then fill, cap, and label a few hours later. However, this seems to be relatively inefficient.

I will be bottling around 2000 bottles a day, with minimal staff.

I found on my machine, i had to set the taper of the "guide" roller the opposite direction to what would make sense for it to work! I have a similar taper on my bottles.

Hi, I am in the process of starting a small distillery. (first in the country of Macau).
The fire rules here don't really cater for distilleries at all, which is a proper pain! 

Could anyone share what the rules are in their country?! Does it need to be stored in a fire safe, What is it stored in? is there a limit of how much you can store?!

Any info would be amazing,

Thanks
 

Hi,

Filling 50ml Gin bottles.

I am looking for any info regarding people do large amounts of 50ml bottles. Regarding filling, capping and labeling. 
I am stuck between semi automated setup. 4 spout time based pump filler, manually capping with a “screw gun” or going for a completely automated setup. 
Obviously there fair difference in price setup. Love to hear anyone that is pushing out a few thousand bottles of day, and what they found works best. 
 

Thanks

On 3/9/2021 at 5:06 AM, MattGarcia said:

The DMA 35N was the second handheld density meter launched by Anton Paar in the 90's.  It is a bit old and likely needs a calibration adjustment.  You can do this using distilled water.  Do you need a user manual?

The finished vodka may contain some flavors or sweetener.  The density of these materials act like water and show up as a dilution of the sample causing them to read below the label claim.  The heart cut from your still should be just ethanol and water which should agree between the hydrometer and DMA 35N.  Results on the DMA 35N, as with all DMA 35's after this model, can display results of %ABV at 20 C or Proof at 60 F.  When comparing the results, make sure the temperature conversions are correctly compared.  The DMA 35 series use a factor called the "Temperature Coefficient" to convert the density of the sample at ambient temperatures to the correct result at 20 C or 60 F.  The Temperature Coefficient for calculation is likely to have changed.  The user manual shows the steps for changing this Temperature Coefficient within the meter.  

Start with the distilled water check procedure.  If the water check is accurate, then the Temperature Coefficient can be adjusted to provide better results that are closer to your hydrometer.  

 

Wow, Thats for the great reply, I have done the calibration in water. Perhaps I need to dig a little deeper into the temperature coefficient. The unit has just come back from a service so i beleive that its working correct just needs some factor of correction.

Thanks

Dan

Bit of a random question! 
 

I have just got a hold of a DMA35N as I was  “playing” with a new piece of equipment,  I was measuring the abv of a few large commercial brand gins and vodkas. 
I was surprised to see that most of the bottles tested were around 1%abv below the label.  
Is this a calibration issue of my DMA35 or is it normal for the abv to be slightly below the label over time?!