FLAVORING SPIRITS AND MOONSHINE

[@donaldroyer2961]

I know this video has been out over a year but you have so many every time I think I've watched them all I find a new one. Great as always. Hope to see you back soon!

[@bobbarber1668]

Thank you George, You cleared up a lot of misconceptions I had. Always learning from you sir. Keep up the great work.

[@BarleyandHopsBrewing]

Glad to hear it

[@chucknaturale307]

Was working on my blackberry brandy when your notice popped up I started by making blackberry wine distilled that and I then back flavored with more blackberries that l let soak for a month strained then covered with sugar to draw out the rest of the flavor and color and will use that to sweeten the final product.

[@julieglass2037]

George you are by far one of the most intelligent and well researched Distiller/Brewers that I've seen on you tube. Thank you so much for all your hard work

[@BarleyandHopsBrewing]

Wow, thanks!

[@TheTmnatr]

You know your in the presence of genius when you see a shelf for a coffee mug OUTSIDE the shop! LOL. More good stuff George, keep it coming!

[@swellrider126]

ya' I'll be put'n those on my doors, truck too maybe *;) thanks again George!

[@markfults1693]

That was the 1st thing I noticed too lol 😂

[@mattbarnes3111]

First thing I noticed also lol

[@edwardhelms7468]

Thanks for the video,have missed your video's and knowledge you keep sharing and explaining everything. Happy Distilling.Edward

[@raygecawicz1070]

Thanks so much for covering this topic. It’s one of those elements within the “Process” that should make an unmeasurable difference in the final product.

[@jasongannon7676]

Thanks again. Your video have been a great way to get through my cancer treatments. So has been the distilled water.

[@chucknaturale307]

God Bless you and your family with good luck thrown in

[@adrianfirewalker4183]

I'm a 2× survivor; hang in there!

[@jasongannon7676]

@@adrianfirewalker4183 thanks, so far so good . You to.

[@popsmcgops6322]

Hey George! I know you bowed out for a bit and was just thinking about you.. Hope you and your family are well, just wanted to say thank you for all your knowledge. I called you a few times back then and you are truly a gentleman and a great mentor.. God Bless!

[@tomevans1894]

George, I don't know how you do it. I've been watching for years and your energy and enthusiasm never fail to amaze me. Thank you for your passion to share your knowledge with the world. Otherwise, guys like me would still be floundering around with cloudy tails.

[@chuckdontknowdoya6100]

Just ordered a bunch of flavors from them this is going to save me a lot of time and money on the back end thank you so much George another Home run video stay well #HappyDistilling

[@frtygoat40]

Got a link for where you ordered the flavors ?

[@rhb30001]

Where from did you buy?

[@coreyblackburn9289]

Glad to see u back George, been missing ya thanks for another great video!!!...⚗🥃🍻

[@jimmarsden5911]

Great video George I needed exactly this information

[@taylormoore4991]

Great video! God is good! God bless!

[@eddie2269]

Thank you George for another great video

[@jameshenry8526]

This man is the best teacher. The state should be paying him.

[@amandasimpson5766]

My husband and I just started a new hobby. We Love your channel!! And thanks for all the information!! Happy Distilling!!

[@JazaDoc]

I think you are the biz!! I have learned so much..thanks

[@patmancrowley8509]

Hey, George, I've got about 20 vanilla beans soaking in Makers Mark Bourbon. They've been soaking for about 18 months and now that autumn is upon us the oven will get turned on and the cookies and cheese cake and German Chocolate cake will get made! I am sure looking forward to this special blend of vanilla extract.

[@kenwalker4203]

This is a fantastic topic I made a coffee and sugar wash when I ran it through my t500 of course the coffee smell was over the top and when it was done at 190 you can taste the coffee slightly but the smell of coffee is good Great video George Happy Distilling

[@dixonjames4177]

Thanks for this George. You introduce me to a few flavors I wouldn't have thought about doing. Learn something out of every video you put out and I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge with the community. Now I can't wait to do the Hazel Nut and really enjoy my morning coffee even more!!

[@Beerbatter1962]

Good info. I checked out Olivenation. Wow, they have some great products. And very affordable I might add. I was expecting those extract to be expensive, but not so. Definitely going to give those a try.

[@patmancrowley8509]

Oh, George, I just LOVE the coffee cup holder next to the door! GREAT IDEA!

[@martybernier9313]

Great information, as always.

[@dennisrobinson753]

Thank you once again the dedication to the hobby is amazing hope your efforts are paying off thanks again HAPPY DISTILLING!

[@Steve_Wardley_G6JEF]

Sound advice once again from a master of the craft, thanks for that George, it cleared up some mysteries for me.

[@heymulen1840]

Tim Goodwin wrote: You know your in the presence of genius when you see a shelf for a coffee mug OUTSIDE the shop! :-) got'a get me one. Keep e'm coming George ! I kick the door open and sometimes spill the coffee :-(.George, (anyone) have you ever done a elderberry shine ? Taste ? Its season here, and I got 23 liters bubbling away. Looking forward to seeing how much elderberry taste carries over. Happy distilling .

[@PoppaLongroach]

its elderberry and buckwheat season here too, elderberry wine is fantastic but havent distilled it b4. interested how it turns out

[@buddysmoken490]

I like to put about 6 sliced strawberries that were pre dosed in sugar.let sugar and berry sit in a bowl , you will see them start to juice. Now put that in a quart of clear shine and wait 24 hrs. The strawberry will turn white and float. Now drink the shine and eat the berry. I like using a 110 proof for this when done i think the proof drops a little but not totally sure.

[@roders97]

George like your podcasts keep them coming. Long before I took to distilling I used to make slow jin (container half filled with slows that I cuts and remove stones to allow juices to flow add sufficient sugar to fill spaces between the slows and fill to top with jin leave for as long as possible shaking every day) this works very well, I have taken this to next level using spirit from still cut down to 40% and still spirits jin essence this works well, so more experiments same method blackberries blueberries plums gets all a success but as you say strawberry raspberry etc fruits with mild flavour a diaster, also tried rum brandy whiskey essence all a success. I only ever use a suger wash and still spirits turbo yeast kits and any failures can be added to next still run to recover the spirits. George I think you could do a program on this method

[@johnpollock9775]

Been chasing this for years...Olive nation...now I know 😁

[@samclark4088]

Love your channel !

[@tomasrivera1207]

You are a great expert teacher. Thank you.

[@glleon80517]

Happy Distilling! Loved the video, George. It’s always a surprise to see what flavors come across in the distillate. A good example is grappa: passing steam through pomace (skins, seeds, stems from winemaking) produces a spirit with aromas and tastes unlike the grape or the wine, but it’s very distinct.

[@bjhale7314]

Thanks for that George. I have been working on flavors for a while One thing I do is plane a pierce of Real old Oak and put it into a jar of shine and you can see it changing colour I strain it and keep it to add as i want to

[@Sansarm1]

Here we are as fallowers you doing great job and super interested

[@jimmelton7299]

Wish you a yours the best. I really miss you on utube!!

[@OutlawSpirits]

Im excited for more videos when you come back!!

[@alanware3512]

Thank you for your educational videos. I make my spirit to use for medicinal tinctures. I make it as high alcohol as possible. I just want to point out a few that can be used as a drink. My star anise tincture tastes like pernod. It has the benefit of being anti viral. Another tincture is liquorice root. It tastes great and is great for clearing the lungs. Clove tincture is a very strong flavour. Making flavoured spirits have the benefit of being both for a nice drink and as a medicine. Keep up the good work. I am just drinking my elderberry wine (full of vitamins)

[@SUPERMOTOJAK]

That's neat. Do you have any sources for getting started on doing this that you trust?

[@alanware3512]

@@SUPERMOTOJAK search for tinctures on KZbin. A couple of star anise in your moonshine makes a great pernod. Liquorice root makes a great tincture for cleaning the lungs.

[@wiseguysoutdoors2954]

How many vanilla beans would you use in a gin basket for a 5 gallon batch, so that it would be just enough to combine with steeping in another flavor,(fruit, ect) to not be too vanilla forward?

[@lightingnut]

Hey George, great video! Love the shelf next to the door what a great idea, Happy Distilling!

[@inhcuongtran4924]

Thank you very much, George .

[@nunovyobeeswax4177]

Extracts... not flavorings, but true extracts, and a touch of glycerin...a light touch for whiskey with the wood chips, and a heavier touch for schnaaps, no wood chips... with a simple syrup, or inverted sugar syrup... all after the distillate...am I wrong, or is it just one of many ways?

[@andypies01]

Hi George love the viewers video, impressive! Im new to distilling and I bought a local home brew shop refux column and got 92%alc without all the bubble plates. Chasing that extra 4% seems a whole lot more expensive. Cheers

[@anonymousbastard2981]

Maybe, but aren't they cool looking!

[@andypies01]

Anonymous Bastard 2 Absolutely, I gotta go back to George's other vids on the subject to fully understand the bubbleplate concepts Hes a legend!

[@adwally1]

You CAN get 95 even 96 ABV without the plates. Go slow, add height etc, plates is just one (pretty) way of doing it.

[@ThinkFreely2012]

@@adwally1 I don't run bubble plates, I run 4 x 4" perforated plates, and I can pull 90+% at 5 quarts per hour. It's not just for looking pretty.

[@philiptruitt]

Thank you George!!

[@larrycavanaugh7410]

Great video George You touched on every topic I needed to know love your videos very very informational thank you

[@carlreed3571]

yes, yes

[@jlang4492]

Hey George! Just getting into the hobby. I am building just a basic pot still with shotgun condenser. My question about flavouring is... what are your thoughts on rehydrating dried fruit with a same proof/recipe of moonshine to then add said fruit to finished jars in the future? I would think it wouldn't affect your alcohol level of future (same proof) batches. This way you can produce large fruit batches to use all year long... not sure. What do you think?

[@wolfy9005]

Strawberry: didn't taste good to me, probably not ripe enough(just like underripe strawberry and not nice) Sultanas: amazing Raisins: less sweet than sultanas, could be the quality Dried Apricots: no noticeable taste, maybe some "silkiness"? Dates: nothing special at the level I tried, better to just eat them Cinnamon: always good, quickly overpowers after a few days but subsides into a less bitey cinnamon once you remove the stick Cardamom: 6 pods in 1/2gal is too much when not ice cold, but still good Cloves: slight "bite", quite nice cold Peppercorns: slight bite/spice at the tip of the tongue, fades to the rest of the tongue with age Orange peel(dried): 1"*6" piece in 1/2gal after a few weeks goes almost creamy, with a piece of oak tends to cut the citrus oil "burn" out of it Apples: all are good, might be best to peel(notice a lot of the apple skin flavour), red being best Lime and lemon peel: similar to orange but at a higher peak Raspberries: good, albeit "sickly" sweet undernotes Coffee(ground, not instant) : 1-2tbsp per 1/2 gal is enough Cocoa nibs: 1-2tbsp for some cocoa undertones Fresh mandarin peel: silky, creamy after a few weeks, least harsh of the 4 citrus tried

[@hansfreundwich8331]

Did you add these flavors after the distilling, or did you put them in a gin basket and have the distillate go through them?

[@wolfy9005]

@@hansfreundwich8331 all added after

[@chucknaturale307]

Thanks for sharing

[@wolfy9005]

Almost forgot: Aniseed is quite nice, 25g/half gal Liquorice root, about the same ratio Playing with them together can increase the anise/liquorice flavour and remove some of the flavanoid(?) oil burn(similar to the citrus but more pronounced at the top of the mouth)

[@kevinpage890]

Afternoon Sir, I'm a traditionalist period. I run an old school pot still, and berries, apple ect. To tell you truth, it takes around 3 gallons of apples, pulped, 10 lbs of sugar per 5 gallons of spring water. Atleast that works for me, to be honest, that's alot of damb work. Thankyou for this video! I'll be trying these, Semper FI

[@joshuawiley7200]

the homebrew stores in my area carry all the standard flavoring bottles. when I saw them it immediately made sense. The white dog products at the ABC have been flavored using these means and just have not been put through the oak aging process... thanks for the honest explanation of this.

[@opendistillery7468]

Whats the brand of essences/flavourings you are using there sir?

[@yvonnesyffert205]

Goerge you used small sachets of flavors in one of you videos. You had a apple, peach and blueberries in that video. Where can I order those little bags? I have a problem to spice my brandy to get that burning out of my wash. I used raisins. Can I put some coffee beans in the wash?

[@toddellner5283]

I've been taking oaked fruit distillate and adding in juice from the same stuff - Newton-Pippin apple distillate with Newton-Pippin juice or cider, pear distillate with pear cider - to get it to proof. It works well so far and gives a lot of fruit character and and flavor.

[@alphaomega9885]

Have you ever used apple wood to age? I was wondering about that.

[@RenaissanceThinking]

How about using dehydrated fruits to get better flavor strengths.

[@KRowe]

Cheese way definitely doesn't have a very nice "character" when it comes out of the end of a still! I find I have to charcoal filter 3x to make a neutral spirit and then work to flavor after that. I'm wondering how big distillers can get the flavor and keep the vodka clear. Ahhhhh, and thanks to your lovely video, I now know!

[@JACConsulting]

if you ad flavoring to a Brandy lets say. if I then am going to put that in an oak barrel for long term would the extract cause an issue?

[@rocketsroc]

Great informative video!! Thanks George you hit upon such an important topic and a working solution to it. One of the first disappointing things we all find when newbies is that there is virtually no flavor pass over when distilling fruits. Just as you point out, only the "Character" of the fruit will be present and that is virtually undetectable. The "Art" comes in post flavoring your spirits. One thing not mentioned is thinking a Thumper is going to add flavor. You will find a Thumper is also disappointing. Extracts are much better than flavor additives and cheaper.

[@CrazyKelownaCatLady]

I'm a total newbie...what is a thumper? Thanks! 🙃

[@rocketsroc]

@@CrazyKelownaCatLady Pot stills can only produce spirits with around 140-170 proof, so moonshiners developed a thumper to increase the proof. A thumper is just a closed vessel with an inlet pipe coming from the still arm to the bottom of the thumper which is about half filled with some liquid. An outlet pipe at the top of the vessel which is not submerged connects to the condenser. The liquid is usually some mash, left over still liquid from a previous run, or a mix of herbs, fruits, or other flavoring ingredients. Vapor from the still bubbles up from the thumper heating the liquid inside. As the heat builds up the vapor passing through tends to slightly increase the alcohol proof and to some extent picks up the flavors from the thumper liquid. Key thing is a thumper is more work and causes the still to become a closed system since the liquid in the thumper acts to block air coming back into the still as it cools down after a run. Unless you remove the thumper after a run it can cause a vacuum in the still boiler causing it to suck in the boiler sides collapsing it like a crushed soda can. This is a dangerous situation that MUST be avoided. Additionally, the proof is only slightly increased and regardless of what the moonshiners show on the TV program, flavor transfer is very slight. My personal opinion from having experimented with thumpers is they just aren't worth the effort. Hope this info is helpful.

[@REICH-w7j]

Where do you get flavor concentrate I’m just getting started i like to keep address in my book

[@steviertommoethompson5932]

hi george fab video just a question i have the small airstill with the botanical ,basket i have innthe past infused my spirit with the jack daniels wood smoke chips which worked out great the question is could i place the woodchips in the botanical basket before ding my distillation would i get the same flavour as the infusion method cheers fella steve of the uk

[@jeffthomas1232]

Where did you get your small barrels in the background. (whiskey barrels)

[@davidlarson4697]

I would love to spend a week in that shop with my mouth closed and ears open

[@AntonioDiserio-w3m]

What do you think about using the extracts in a thumper along with the actual fruit? Have you or anyone ever tried this?

[@drewd6083]

Do the extracts change the color of the spirits?

[@billyedwards5716]

Where can I get some off those additive packets?

[@sabunim29]

So can we assume that major distillers actually do the same technique? So if you age with chips you’ll pull some flavors then add a little extract to strengthen your profile? Ie, no whisky flavoring comes 100% from wood barrels?

[@alenalenson6281]

Thank you very much sir for good info .George would you do a video about making Jäermeister (the famous German spirit ) thanks again

[@sixbeersdeep9915]

Thanks George. Great content.... NZ

[@Mychannel-fw5mb]

What did that peach ratio end up being??..iam about to distill a peach mash and have some olive nation to flavor it up with after..I just don’t want to over or under do it

[@morganflaherty9552]

Finally got my seals taken care of to run my steel proper and I've turned back to you for the info that I need as I'm doing it thank you I appreciate the assistance and have a wonderful apocalypse

[@brianlaplante4286]

Hi, new to this I have an 8 gallon still with a 2-1/2 gallon thumper. What kind of back pressure can I expect to have in my still. Also your thought on adding a check valve to the still to allow air in ass the still cools off. Thank you for your time

[@michaelbrown3124]

hi George / I'm getting ready for my first build / but I'm already thinking about flavors / I was thinking about using extracts , and another idea was flavors tea, have you ever tried tea bags

[@maxwellbahnhof2151]

Sir, just curious, can you impart flavor similar to the essences by adding fruit/juice to a thumper during distillation?

[@celebrationscuba]

I love the video, as always GREAT information....all those ads, were kill'n me!!!

[@peterreed1825]

Awesome video. What brand was the rum flavoring that you showed?

[@999darkmatter999]

So orange pith and skin contains alot of oils not the fruit, so if I distil through the skins I will have strong orange flavours

[@asimplelifeinthephilippine1465]

Good video

[@BeardedBored]

Solid advice from the wizard:-)

[@justinestell7932]

If you had a quart of unaged corn whiskey how much french oak chips would you add to it?

[@thereal247james]

How much does colum hight have to do with flavor, shorter more flavor? Really enjoy your videos.

[@bryanmaher1001]

Hi George love your videos I was thinking of doing a flake corn mash with 6 kilos of corn and 3 kilos of malted barley do you think this is too much corn for a 25 litre mash

[@999darkmatter999]

So to add again anything that is water based ie strawberry has to be added after with a catalyst hence reduced strawberry in or reduced in a sugar/syrup or coulis

[@sarahpoulin4303]

Question... is it possible to make something like "kilju" with dextrose, water, and yeast, that will not taste terrible, like, compared to using potatoes or something? You said that some flavour profile (but not actual flavour) comes out after distillation. It's a super cheap way to make alcohol. Lol

[@adrianfirewalker4183]

Is the ability to use an item in a gin basket related to the concentration of volatile oils? Thank you

[@jameslstephens36301]

i steeped some cinnamon sticks in a pint of neutral distillate, added it back to a 3 liter wash then ran the wash though what i have for a still. what came out was too hot to drink but was perfect for air freshener. after a diluting and a second run through my coffee pot still this stuff ain't fireball but is still strong enough to replace mace!

[@bobgreen4531]

you should try wild strawberries. they have at least 10x the flavor as a domesticated berry at a fraction of the size.

[@Robosteveb]

Are the oil based if so does it not float on top

[@datilman9146]

What is the brand of flavoring?

[@nelsonlanglois8769]

Ok..Dum Question... Ya got me thinking when you were talking about the strawberries... How about if someone fermented a bunch of strawberries with Strawberry Koolaid Sugar wash then distilled it...!???

[@LUCKYB.]

Use an Apple concentrate . And for peaches dont bring them to a boil 140 degrese is good mashem up real good smallest run for me was 50 gallons .I also ran 25 pounds of sugar . Cracked corn bouled sepparte once tempt was down to 80/90 degreese id blend them together and add 10 or 12 pounds yellow corm malt . No yeast .. distilling id run a gallon glass Gin basket half full of processed peached juice and all .. it worked fine and yes yellow malt corn will work in place of yeast you should make some sorgum liquor. For apple concintrate half gallon full gin basket full .

[@hacgarimman9660]

Awww. That littlw shelf you use to place your brew whilst you open the door😉🤣

[@hansfreundwich8331]

Thanks so much for this video! You mentioned that what you're running the distillate through has to have a very concentrated flavor (like juniper berries or coffee beans) to come through. What about lemon or lime peels? Concentrated enough or would I be better off with adding extract afterwards?

[@crazymorales9170]

What about a flavor concentrate syrup in a thumper small amount just to bearly catch the alcohol vapor ?? Can it be done like a liquid gin basket???

[@larrybennett4156]

George, can I use the apple moonshine mixture in my thumper? What would that do?

[@joshm3401]

What off you put fruit concentrate in the gin basket would that not work since its more compacted like a juniper berry

[@aussiedabbervlog4638]

is cannabis fats (all the smell/taste) from freezer filtering cannabis oil suspended in high proof ethanol able to be made into an appropriate essence for flavouring if concentrated enough?

[@superdupermax]

i had great success with apricots. ferment just apricots for a couple days, add some sugar after. run the still in pot mode down to 20 proof. proof the ... 'wine' UP with what came on top. Best bit was between 100 and 80 proof. another success was through... multiple failures. soaking the junipers and THEN re-distilling and collecting same, down to 20 proof. helped with cloudy-ness of it as well. yum yum

[@waynelesperance5604]

Thank you George, that answered my questions.

[@davidbeharri8280]

If you're stilling as is hobby is it legal?

[@kirtley4660]

Hello George, this is an unrelated question but I figured you'd be more likely to see this since it's a recent video. When making corn liquor is it alright to use corn from a feed store? What is considered good corn and bad corn? I've made brandy a couple times and I've got better every time and I've recently wanted to try corn whiskey. Any help is greatly appreciated!

[@mikelondon3039]

George, I heard that you can inhance the flavor profile by puttung any excess mash into the thumper. Is this a viable move in the distilation of apple brandy?

[@themonkeydrunken]

Check out Bearded and Bored channel -- he did exactly this in one video. Also, George and he discussed it in a video somewhere here on George's channel