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Vodka and White Dog from Same Run


Guest Rarnold3

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Guest Rarnold3

Let's say you want to make a pot triple distilled white dog and a pot triple distilled vodka. Both come from the exact same grain bill. My question is, on the third distillation, is it possible to take off the very high 190 proof distillate, water it down, and make vodka. Then, on the same distillation, make cuts for the white dog as the distillate comes off at the appropriate lower proof.

My knowledge of how to make vodka is not good, so sorry if this question comes off as naive.

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The larger question is.....would you have enough product below the 190 to really make up for anything on the same run?

On that 3rd run, if you are cutting high on the 2nd, would you really have enough to make any reasonable quantity of the dog?

I would continue to collect below the 190 for combining with other below 190 runs, then make the white dog from that. Maybe take 3 batches of leftover vodka runs to throw together for a single run of the white dog.

Or else go to a plate still and run the vodka for a higher vodka yield and forget about the dog. Getting to be some good hand-made columns out there for small production you could fit to the pot still cooker.

Interchangeable heads are the key to small producers now. No reason to have 2 diffeent cookers, just switch heads for the run.

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The question of yeast is very important as well. Vodka yeast produce lots of ethanol and not much else. Whiskey yeast will give you a yield that is quite low relative to the vodka yeast. You would probably want to run separate fermentations for the two products.

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Guest Rarnold3

OK looks like this isn't practical, but can someone explain it to me (with more than an emoticon) because I am still missing something.

Vodka is distilled at 190...starting at 190 for the run. White dog you would make your heart cuts from ~160-120. Theoretically, why couldn't you start at 190 for the run, collect "vodka," and then once you get below 190, you stop. Then make cuts for white dog. Forget flavor or practicality due to yeast...just theoretically why or why not would this method work?

porter I think I understand what you are saying, but correct me if I'm wrong. You're saying you could do this, it's just not practical from a volume output standpoint?

Thanks for the help.

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The real issue is that the yeast you select for vodka will create a light flavor profile (few proteins, fatty acids, esters) and the yeast that you use for whiskey will create a very robust flavor profile. Distillation proof isn't the key issue, since these products would most likely want to be "recognizable" as vodka and whiskey, respectively.

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OK looks like this isn't practical, but can someone explain it to me (with more than an emoticon) because I am still missing something.

Vodka is distilled at 190...starting at 190 for the run. White dog you would make your heart cuts from ~160-120. Theoretically, why couldn't you start at 190 for the run, collect "vodka," and then once you get below 190, you stop. Then make cuts for white dog. Forget flavor or practicality due to yeast...just theoretically why or why not would this method work?

porter I think I understand what you are saying, but correct me if I'm wrong. You're saying you could do this, it's just not practical from a volume output standpoint?

Thanks for the help.

I know someone who has done this and theoretically you could do this; But the flavor profile for the white dog would be out of balance. IMO. That said follow your nose, do some trials, decide for yourself.

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We make our vodka from a bourbon grain bill. I don't know anyone else doing that. But the recipes are fairly different when we make our vodka and when we make our whiskies. Our yeasts are different and so is our distillation, filtration, etc. Besides for using the same grains, not much else is similar. I don't think I would like a vodka with a whiskey yeast. Of course, you may be different and there are some folks making white whiskey that's pretty much vodka (while not 190, it's probably 180's).

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