Does 4+16 = 22?

[needmorstuff]

If you strip on a 4 plate still then perform the spirit run on a 16 plate, does that equate to 20 plates and 22 distillations for a vodka?

 

 

[Silk City Distillers]

Depends - are you making cuts on the strip?  Increasing reflux through the stripping run to push back tails and then cutting before completely stripping the wash?  Diluting before spirit runs?

Guess I should have asked first - is this a question about output purity/proof or making a marketing claim?

[needmorstuff]

It's a question relating to purity

I would stabilise during stripping and run the feints of and ditch them.

Probably switch off at 40 proof 

Cut to 60 for the spirit run.

Im not sure on my ceiling height yet, I'm sure I can fit the 16 plates I have so wondered how best to use the stripper that has 4 plates and the spirit still that has 16

 

 

 

 

[Silk City Distillers]

I got into an argument with someone a few years back on whether or not there is any difference in making a heads cut on a strip.  My position was that it could be beneficial to do it, theirs was that it made no sense whatsoever to cut heads on a strip, even with plates.  Their rationale was that it's far more efficient to cut heads on a high plate count relative to low plate count, otherwise you risked simply wasting ethanol.  My position was that if you were doing multiple strips per spirit, cutting heads could maximize the usable ethanol in the still, increasing overall yield (obviously, if you had enough stripped wash to completely fill the still).

I gave them the win in that argument.  While it does make sense to maximize output purity on the strip, it's easier to optimize for the tails cut, and output proof, but not necessarily a heads perspective.

 

[needmorstuff]

Some good perspective there silk, thank you

[jocko]

Not a 4+16 situation, but an 8+8+8... I've run some pretty heavily flavored stuff through an 8-plate column numerous times (3+).  Very little heads cut, but cut tails only on the last run.  Pretty darn neutral after three runs.  

[JustAndy]

Depending on how engaged your plates are and the dephleg setting, ending your strip run at 40 proof you'll leave behind a fair bit of the ethanol. If you elect to take a heads cut on the stripping run, collect it all separately and rerun it when you have enough volume as there will be quite a bit of usable alcohol in there if you have a clean ferment.  

[needmorstuff]

1 hour ago, JustAndy said:

Depending on how engaged your plates are and the dephleg setting, ending your strip run at 40 proof you'll leave behind a fair bit of the ethanol. If you elect to take a heads cut on the stripping run, collect it all separately and rerun it when you have enough volume as there will be quite a bit of usable alcohol in there if you have a clean ferment.  

Good advice, but advice.i would need to carefully consider factoring the crazy electricity prices