My Thoughts On Sugar Wash For Distilling

What are the advantages of sugar washes? Are They Worth it?
I wont to talk through my thoughts on sugar washes.
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[@FoolOfATuque]

I just started in the hobby. I have been an all grain brewer for 10 years. So in the future I will be doing all grain mashes. For my first run I ran a sugar, because it is cheap. It was recommended by a friend who is already a home distiller. He said, "It's your first time running a still. You're going to mess something up. Don't mess up something nice." He was correct in that. I had several issues during the process and I learned a lot doing it. I am glad I didn't waste my grain and did a sugar wash. I have a half gallon of 190 proof neutral spirit now that is destined to be some 80 proof orange liqueur for margaritas.

[@Drifter6942]

Sugar wash was my first try at distilling. I still do it because its cheep, fast and isn't all that bad. But .... I did find through my own research that if you swap the bleached sugar with Demerara sugar or raw sugar cane then let the finished product soak in charred oak chunks for a while, it will taste similar to Appletons

[@vtbn53]

What's an Appletons?

[@Drifter6942]

@@vtbn53 Jamaican Rum

[@BigEdsGuns]

Potato Ratio as I remember is 5 to 1! Either in kilos or lbs. It takes about 5 kg of potatoes to equal 1 kg of table sugar. Same goes for 5 lbs of potatoes equals 1 lbs of sugar. So, If I normally do a 55 to 60 lbs sugar (45 gallons) in a 55 gallon fermenter. Process would be: Buy 250 lbs of potatoes, peel, chop, mash, cook (steaming wand), cool, then hit with enzymes, cool again, pitch yeast. Then the fun begins: Strain, rack, strip run, repeat three times. Then spirit reflux run. Rite now it's way to damn hot out. Maybe in the late fall. Cheers Jesse!

[@thomaseidst3170]

You can also use potatos raw ,but,it wil give you different taste because its raw

[@dylanluvzcolorado4369]

I guess I do hybrid wash . Not sure what you would call it . I convert starch in grains and add a little sugar to reach my target gravity . less grain to mess with and so far that's been working out well .

[@MetalLegMoz]

I know of the term "sugarhead" but I think its more applied to adding grain as an adjunct in the ferment for flavour, not mashing it to extract sugars too.

[@FoolOfATuque]

In brewing this is called mini mash. Where you partially mash and then supplement with liquid malt extract (LME) or dry malt extract (DME). If you want to keep the character of the grain you may look into using DME or LME as your sugar supplement in your wash.

[@dylanluvzcolorado4369]

@@FoolOfATuque I will have to give this a try . Thanks for the advice .

[@FoolOfATuque]

@@dylanluvzcolorado4369 yeah, experiment with it and refine your process. I've been being for 10 years and it's a lot of fun. Just starting to get into distilling now so I will be trying different things and experimenting there too. Both these hobbies are awesome

[@dylanluvzcolorado4369]

@@FoolOfATuque I started this spring and right now experimenting with molasses. Yummy rummy lol

[@knightmare1015]

Sugar washes are excellent and super easy to do. You can add stuff like vanilla extract and spices to it if you want. And after you distill it, you can age it with various forms of wood. I did some with maple and people loved it. In fact they're asking for more of it.

[@capolot]

How long did you age it?

[@macbot21]

When did you add the vanilla and spice?

[@BeardedBored]

_Pops head up out of video editing software..._ Did somebody say inverted sugar?

[@davidvincent2838]

You are spot on about all grain vs imitating with easier shortcuts like adding sugar. I'm finding that out now, Although I've been well aware of it through my 20 year beer making journey that ther is nothing that beats all grain. You may get close with extracts and steeps and even kits but they all fall a bit short of the all grain and I couldn't, and still can't. put my finger on that difference or describe it............... it's just different.

[@steveswann8448]

Jesse, In some states, like Idaho, they raise sugar beets in the ground. They are rather round, large, and fibrous. And very sweet. Has anyone ever ground these up and used these as a mainstay for a sugar wash that you know of? What were the results?

[@paulquinn9734]

Thanks very much for all your videos, can i ask that when you mention an acronym you say the long meaning at least once please?

[@MirrimBlackfox]

Beets! I wonder if I could get a hold of Sugar Beets? They would probably be awesome for a mash.

[@AdamMansbridge]

Do a Weet Bix Allbran wash vodka!

[@ziggybarth5026]

Do you think 100lb of white sugar is too much for a 50gal wash?

[@ianmerrifield8883]

The person who made my still did not put a thermometer at the top or on the kettle. Can I drill a small hole at the bottle of the column and another one at the top and insert a cooking thermometer, sealing it with silicon glue?

[@renn151]

When I make a sugar wash out of straight white Domino sugar it always has an apple smell and taste. Does anyone know why?

[@Mick-Dempsey]

Ooooh,what weird timing.Was gonna try this tomorrow

[@gerhardallers3442]

Recetly got a boat load op bell peppers... Whats the possibility of making a wash of that for vodka?

[@samurphy]

Jesse; Do you have any thoughts on small scale commercial stills? Ones that will take a 4L wash and produce 500-750ml of 40%? I don't have the room to build a full scale still, nor do I have friends enough to drink all the spirits i'd be making with one.

[@Knight8365]

What is you recipe for a sugar wash? I searched your site & YT, but only found the Birdwatchers video.

[@Barrysnyman1]

Make Gin wit Sugar wash

[@ordinanceconcernedamerican2357]

I'd love to see a mash bill done with instant potatoes.. I'm extremely curious as to how it would turn out.. and I think using the instant potato 🥔 would save tons of time and energy ..

[@igounfazed]

I lived in a country where sugar washes were more common than any other wash. What I never understood about the process was the removal of *heads* and *tails* from a pure sugar wash. Everything I read on table sugar conversion into alcohol states no bad congeners' (if any at all) exist in the yielded product. I am referring to 'table sugar + distilled water + yeast = alcohol + (burped) gas + dead yeast'. From reading, the entire run should be neutral / safe to drink. Also, from reading, distilling alcohol 3 times or more from any mash removes *all* congeners' from the alcohol, leaving no traces of mash tastes (science claim, not my personal opinion)... do you still feel you can taste even 'hints' of the precursor ingredients if you distill that many times?

[@kalleklp7291]

Foreshots, heads, and tails are present in any ferment you throw in the still. It makes no difference it's a pure sugar wash. Anything you can ferment is safe to drink...beer and wine are the best examples of that. However, if you want a good quality product you have to get a grip on those cuts. If you distill it 3 times it can still have a taste and smell to it. That depends on the still. If you have a reflux still and get your cuts right, you end up with a super-pure product that is neutral. If you throw it through a pot still 3 times it depends on what your starting ferment was....a sugar-based ferment can give you fine neutral spirit providing you get your cuts right. A mash for whisky can still have a flavor to it but it won't be as strong.

[@igounfazed]

@@kalleklp7291 What do "foreshots, heads, and tails" contain within a pure sugar mash in comparison to the 'heart' people keep? My understanding was heads and tails were removed to insure you don't get anything that 'blinds' you when drinking (ie. methanol) at different temperatures, which isn't present in a pure sugar mash. I can personally deal with bad taste, but see no reason to take out hearts and tails if you can just distill everything more than once or carbon filter out remaining congeners. That's what I am not understanding. Thanks for the reply.

[@kalleklp7291]

@@igounfazed It depends on how your ferment was going. The wash contains a whole lot of other stuff that you definitely do not want in your product. Things like acetone (nail polish remover), esters, methanol, higher alcohols, etc. By distilling a ferment you concentrate them to a much lesser volume. What you had of crap in let's say 10 l of wash is suddenly boiled down to just 1 l maybe 2 l. And YES they are present in a sugar wash as in every other wash/mash depending on what you put in there. It's not so simple as to say: " Yeast eats sugar, pisses ethyl alcohol (ethanol)and farts CO2". That's why it's important to toss the foreshots and bleed them slowly. I do it on a stripping run (some do not) and on the spirit run. It's not supposed to be in your drink so you may as well get rid of it at first. In a stripping run your goal is to reduce the volume and concentrate the alcohol in it. The spirit run is where cuts are made. The final "cuts /blend" is made after you have collected the hearts from the run and finished distilling. Let it air out overnight and your product will vastly improve. The bad taste you refer to may come from neglecting the foreshots and doing no cuts. Carbon filtering may take a lot of this crap you can taste and smell away but a lot of it still remains in there. If I aim for neutral I run my reflux column on my boiler. However, I can make perfectly neutral spirits on my pot still too. it's just a matter of using the method I described and doing a spirit run twice. :) Be generous with the foreshots...greed doesn't pay..and btw who gives a shit about 50 ml when the product pisses out by the liter of the still? ;)

[@igounfazed]

@@kalleklp7291 Milliliters count especially when you are in a mandated 'dry' ..."area"... with no option to buy, and like to drink every so often, like I was a decade or so ago. So 50 milliliters (1.6 ounces, or more than a shot cup of drink) can definitely be a care. Production frequency should be kept at an absolute minimum, while production total should be sensibly maximized. Where did you get information stating all those things can be present in a pure sugar+yeast+water (SYW) mash? I spent months researching that several years ago and every thing that I found gave the same equation, ie. alcohol+dead yeast+CO₂. Not sure if the video is still on youTube, but there was a video with scientist showing the distilling process of SYW and stating the results are only alcohol+dead yeast+CO₂. So I am under the belief that table sugar (and the yeast) has none of what is needed to create acetone, etc. Curious...

[@kalleklp7291]

@@igounfazed There is an abundance of information out there. One just has to look in the right places. ;) Here is a site with genuine facts: homedistiller.org/forum/index.php

[@demianalonso8583]

I look forward to the potato vodka

[@ancientegyptandthebible]

Sugar washes are also useful for doing hybrid mashes: part grain/fruit, part sugar. Those hybrid mashes are great for getting the flavor of the grain/fruit but with the reliability of a sugar wash. Hybrid mashes are also useful for when the primary fermenting ingredient is in short supply or is expensive. I think, for example, that a sugar wash can help in making rum when molasses is not readily available in your area.

[@LucianBlankevoort]

I tried to do an all grain with barley I malted myself, but the gravity fell short by a lot. like 1.015 (I recon it was my mill, which I made with my dad that afternoon and it wasn't very consistent in results). I topped it up with dry malt extract and sugar until I reached a decent gravity, fermented on the grain and it was actually surprisingly good! So I agree, using sugar to assist with a mash when you just don't get there with the necessary ingredients is a great option.

[@GrandmasterHobbyist]

Agree on hybdrid mashes for sure.

[@jamalpeoples3736]

I ferment it in 50 gallon drums. Let ot settle. Filter it and just use it to make hard sodas and lemonade.

[@kalleklp7291]

That's what people do when they make a "sugar head" whisky out of corn. Well, as I write my cornflakes whiskey is made just like that. Tried it before and I must say it makes a very nice white dog for sipping and it definitely gains flavor when aged on wood.

[@tristang8929]

I've always wanted to try making a sweet potato vodka

[@chezleymcdonald2481]

I have also

[@kf4nxs]

George Duncan is making some.

[@10wuebc]

George from Barley and Hops brewing did that a few weeks ago!

[@YYEEIISSOONN]

What about a potato vodka. Any well made video you can recomend me. Thanks a lot

[@anthonyking2540]

Made some a few years ago, from the field leftovers, turned out real good.

[@rocketsroc]

I'm a vodka fan so I've tried a variety of vodka recipes. Potatoes is something I guess every vodka fan must ultimately try, but to be honest, I don't think it is worth the trouble it takes to make it. The best I've found is using soft white winter wheat and sugar which I distill with a reflux or better yet a bubble plate column. It's a neutral spirit with just a hint of flavor from the wheat. Give it a try.

[@orbitalbreaky]

It would break my heart to make neutral out of a good all grain wash!

[@bensoulsby86]

I'm literally doing that this weekend. Got a cheap bag of malt

[@orbitalbreaky]

@@bensoulsby86 all the power to you. I'm sure it will be a kickass vodka. I just much prefer whiskey

[@bensoulsby86]

@@orbitalbreaky oh for sure, didn't mean anything like that. I just had a $20 sack off malt handy and am almost out of gin so saw the opportunity

[@starshot5172]

You really should make vodka out of potatoes, really looking forward to making that too

[@FoolOfATuque]

I think this would be a good video too! I mean how do you extract the starch from potatoes efficiently? Do you boil them? It's not like a grain which has everything needed to convert the starch.

[@starshot5172]

@@FoolOfATuque i think you boil and smash them, maybe strain the solids out for the most part after fermentation. I think malted grain is added to it to convert potato starch into sugars

[@starshot5172]

@@FoolOfATuque but I have no idea how the recipe would go

[@FoolOfATuque]

@@starshot5172 probably would need to add enzymes for sure. No idea though either since I'm new to this.

[@FoolOfATuque]

@@starshot5172 yeah, the malted grain will contain amylase which is the enzyme that breaks down starches into simple sugars.

[@Anamericanhomestead]

Yes, please do the potatoes

[@theworldisastage1984]

So. Much. Work. So little reward

[@jamesbell491]

What about potato starch. How would that work?

[@jacobthellamer]

+1 on potato neutral, it is on my list. I just put down a birdwatchers, maybe potato next.

[@dreamingwolf8382]

Missed an opportunity to play ‘Pour some sugar on me’ in this episode

[@jaked924]

that would have been great! hahaha

[@dfbess]

Copyright

[@Tyresio12]

Inverting a sugar is a very good idea - vodka is then smoother than from the regular sugar. Also, some guys suggested it ferments a little bit quicker. And it's pretty easy to do, mix water, sugar, add some citric acid to pH 4 and boil it for about 30 minutes. I suggest 1kg:5l ratio of sugar and water and NOT using turbo yeasts - they work very fast, but produce some off flavours. Cheers!

[@thomaseidst3170]

You can use turbo yeast,the trick is to have it in a cool room because its fast and make alot of heat and if its in a cool place it has almost no bad taste, and if you also Filter int and only stop destilling at 50% you wil have no bad taste.

[@firstlast10733]

I've used two different turbo yeast first was way more bubbles less foam next was a ton of foam and a few bubbles which one is better at the start of the wash?

[@dimash244]

Sugar here 20kg for 20$ and bottle of vodka at store is almost 30$ per 0.750lit i only keep the very middles of run, only hearts, only above 92% (usually 94-95%) home made gives ZERO headache next day, make 180 batch using wine yeast. Wheat germ is very good, tpw is great too. don't cheap out on nutrients you dont want yeast to stress at all. give it time and you will have the best vodka

[@peterscully4961]

I'd be interested if you tried invert sugar as well. I used to invert sugar for beer, but I couldn't really taste the difference, except where I made darker kinds. It is a very good skill to learn though, especially for making bbq glazes or adding to liqueurs instead of sugar - in that case it definitely smooths things out.

[@junisobe2769]

Hey Jesse, I believe that taste/mouthfeel sensation you described is what the Japanese call Kokumi. Malted barley has got it in droves. For me, I feel that taste/mouthfeel hit the back corners of my tongue.

[@PoppaLongroach]

George from barly and hops would cringe if he knew i use a basic sugar wash to produce carbon dioxide ... for the flowers...... then dump it out when its done fermenting lol

[@Edgunsuk]

is that the sort of flowers hippy,s smoke lol ?

[@PoppaLongroach]

@@Edgunsuk yep .......west virginia merry puff flowers lol

[@PoppaLongroach]

@Jane Doe the Ozarks are a beautifull place but i think all that thin high mountain air may be clouding your judgement a lil lol

[@donnyhayes7527]

I did a pineapple mash came out really good had a hit of the pineapple in it

[@charlesschmidtke8427]

I put pineapple mash and coconut in my thumper with 1 quart of 100 proof it makes a great fruity whiskey

[@frankmora7302]

Totally agree with you on the pineapple, definitely makes a great brandy.

[@dreamingwolf8382]

Beets. The sugar content in beets is Amazingly good for the making of vodka.

[@aubreyhier3898]

90% of sugar used in the world is derived from beets! So basically it’s been done!

[@voodoosnakebite]

It's a funny joke in my circles as I made one and messed up temps so it tasted like beets and so it came out at parties as a joke

[@dreamingwolf8382]

@@voodoosnakebite Bears. Beets. Battlestar Galactica.

[@gunscratch]

Just wondering what your thoughts are on using LME as opposed to full grain mash. Considering many breweries now use it over full grain they don’t seem to have a problem with flavour in their beer. Any comments on partial grain washes? I used to home brew that way; is it any good for distilling?

[@fourdeadinohio8303]

i still make sugar washes after 4years of doing this hobby. it's hot in the USA and i don't want to stand in my kitchen over a hot mash. it's easy to dump some sugar in a bucket and leave it on my porch for a couple of weeks. i just pick a cool distilling day. but can't wait for cooler weather to get back to making the good stuff.

[@scottmcneill6333]

@Jane Doe Drinking and distilling do NOT mix! Trust me. Lmao

[@scottmcneill6333]

@Jane Doe BAHAHAHAHAH

[@scottmcneill6333]

@Jane Doe You get one HUGE ATTA GIRL!!

[@johnnyblanchard3144]

Have you ever added a vodka (neutral alcohol) to your mash to kick up the ABV prior to running your still. Was think about making a cognac and was wondering if this would end in a good finished product?

[@MikeEwalt]

I just asked the same question. Would it change the flavor of the final product? Would it have less mouth feel? Would you taste the sugar? Would it dilute the flavor of the final product?

[@user-pt9gr3fe1p]

Any chance you could make a video on your views on filtering with activated charcoal? Do you charcoal filter? There seems to be a bit of controversy around it in the distilling world. Would be great to hear your 2cents!

[@dougshelton69]

I like the concentrated juice washes..easy and tasty...

[@jacobdeslattes3519]

+rice and wheat vodkas are king. Gives it a creamy sweet flavor.

[@Kihidokid]

Rice over potatoes?

[@fexdammit]

wheat vodka gave a mouthfeel i didnt like... tpw feels better in the mouth for me..

[@jacobdeslattes3519]

Anthony Ingram for me personally yes. Have a local distillery with a rice vodka that is liquid butter.

[@dire_prism]

I recently had the thought that sugar beets could be fun to try. Turns out sugar beet seeds are pretty hard to come by here because the farmers all get them through the sugar factories.

[@adamskee]

I just did my first 3 sugar washes, then did a few generations of nutrigrain, now I am onto corn/barley with a bit of sugar to bring it up from 1065 to 1090, around 13% and super corn flavour. I am using 10Kg of cracked corn (farm quality), 3kg of malted barley, alpha/beta amylase, 3kg sugar and bakers dry yeast. Ferments out in 9 days.

[@chagarlic6829]

Hey Jessie ! I got one for ya ! How about making a whole other kind of finished spirt. Something like Candy. Using candy like gummy worms or something harder like Worthers Original hard candy or possibly even the soft and chewy kind. Idk ! Just a thaught bro. 😎

[@jameskringlee8974]

Ramble on... Or... help to share, if you know, if you will - how to make a "clean" wash, specifically ... water ph? best water/sugar mix amounts , best yeast, yeast nutrients? ...., at a quart, easy to clean, "canning" jar scale or 1 gallon purified water jug, use and dispose, scale, how does one do that?, specifically?, then let settle and coffee filter it? then perhaps, heat it?, to what temperature? low cost thermometer? for how long? to "drive off the bad alcohols and acetone? "heads", then "as you will" - as you chose, dilute it to lite beer alcohol percentages, flavor a pint or 1/2 liter with a teaspoon of lemon juice or a tablespoon of frozen orange juice concentrate then drink, in moderation, for "medicinal" purposes. The "As You Will" Hand - in action.

[@TK-setophaga]

All grain is expensive. I can buy good whiskey for the price of fermenting barley and corn. I think the sugar wash, distilled to 90% can be flavored or oaked or whatever. It comes close to a decent whiskey. Plus where is the law that good spirits must be aged in a charred barrel? I don't like the smoke taste personally. Plus I think some distillers use glycerin and coloring when bottling. I have tasted some of the acclaimed brands and the thickness and sweetness suggest glycerin. Do you ever use those things at final bottling?

[@JacobMcFarland-o8p]

I’m in the process of marking a suger wash with sugar and cinnamon any tips it’s been fermenting for 2 days now I’m using a turbo yeast and I’m planning on step feeding it till it hit my yeast ABV tolerance of 20% I’ve made lots of mead and wines but I’m new to distilling so any tips would be greatly appreciated

[@charleswyatt180]

Hello Jesse. I am pretty new at this hobby. I have been following you for a bit now and you have given me a lot of good information. I am a bit confused about what is going on with my first sugar wash. Here are the specifics about the wash that is in my fermenter now. I am using a 5 gallon fermenter. 10 lbs of table sugar. 3 tbs of bakers yeast. 1/2 tbs nutrients. SG 1,088. Pitch yeast at 78 degrees F. I maintained that temperature using a fish tank heater. (George Duncan style). This wash started vigorously and has slowed to a bubble burp ever minute after about 15 days. I am at 21 days and still the same. I have checked the gravity and it reads 1.010. I have tasted it and it still has a sweet taste. Please give me your input as to the status of this batch. I would appreciate it deeply. Take care and be safe.

[@UgTheViking1]

I am a beginner distiller as well, but have been making wines for the past years, learning a lot about primary fermentation. Three things spring to mind. First bakers yeast is not ideal as it has a limited alcohol tolerance and leaves hints of raw dough flavor in you wine or wash. In primary ferment the majority of alcohol gets produced in the first week to 10 days. Most yeast strains will be killed at an alcohol content around 13%. Hence the specially cultured yeast strains for wines (up to14-16% ABV) and distilling (18-24% ABV). It sounds your wash reached its max alcohol and went in secondary fermentation (which is important for the flavor of wine). For distilling the goal is to separate the alcohol from water so you don't need a secondary ferment. Second, your SG seemed slightly on the high side as most commercial distillers aim for 1.0639-1.0836 Specific Gravity. Too high SG can actually inhibit a good fermentation. Adding sugar/simple syrup over the course of a couple of days instead of all at once can help the yeast. Third, it sounds you placed your wash under an airlock from day one. The first 2-3 days the yeast needs a lot of oxygen to do its work. I usually do an open fermentation, with cheesecloth/dishtowel + loose lid over the bucket so bugs can't get in. Give it a good stir or swirl twice a day so oxygen can get into the wash. You did nothing wrong. Just a combination of high SG with a very limited yeast. Look for a distillers yeast or high alcohol wine yeast. These are just some tweaks to optimize your fermentation the next time. It is all part of the learning process. Since the response is a month late, you probably distilled your wash by now. Curious about the outcome and if the residual unfermented sugars carried over in your distillate.

[@charleswyatt180]

Thanks for the information. I ended up double distilling with a bit of sodium carbonate as it had a bit of odor. Not bad but it was there. It turned out fair in the end. I did a second batch. This time using a turbo yeast. Much much better. The yield was higher and the flavor was good. Just added some oak and started the age yesterday. My next will do as you suggest, open ferment for a couple day. I also will avoid using bakers yeast. I home brewed ale for many years before trying the distillation. It has been fun learning something new like distilling. Thanks again for your input. It is appreciated.

[@UgTheViking1]

@@charleswyatt180 Yeah, I figured the bakers yeast was the main culprit here and possibly an anaerobic fermentation. Bad flavor/odor. Glad you salvaged your batch and it might make a good base for strong flavored infusions, like apple pie moonshine or spices. I appreciate the exchange, so we can all learn from each others tries on the road to the ultimate beverage. It's pure Alchemy. Happy distilling ventures!

[@charleswyatt180]

@@UgTheViking1I did exactly that. I infused spices. Thank. Great minds think alike. Take care and be safe.

[@tedbullpit6164]

Sugar yeast wash throwaway 200mls from a 50L after that do I need to do cuts or do you just collect it all in a reflux until the temperature spikes. Also what yeast would I be best to use I've been told that turbo classic 8 gives a bad flavour

[@Quinny1394]

I brew beer, hard seltzer, hard cider, wine, mead etc beer like 95% cause I drink beer the most but I like to have a nightcap after a long day on the beers, usualy something sweet, I was thinking of getting the reflux still and lid for my digiboil 35lt, I have a digiboil as an HLT for sparging, I brew in a brewzilla 3.1.1 35lt But I wanted to get some distillers or peated malted barley and make an all grain whisky, distill, water down if needed, im looking at cask strength and age in a glass carboy with a French oak spiral for a couple months then bottle. I do like scotch whisky the most of I were to drink spirits.

[@MarkMarvin1983]

I have a 6 gallon fermentation bucket. And a 5 gallon steel soup pot. And a 10lb bag of sugar and a vacuum sealed hand full of yeast. I understand that I have to let it ferment. But how long do I wait for the “bubbler” to be correct. And I’m using an electric distiller.

[@tomchristensen2914]

My sugar wash is not working. Keeps stalling. Temp us kept at a constant 90 which is in area my yeast likes. Ph is 6.5 and it has been 2 weeks and still not at 0. I started yeast off 2 times in a starter jar and it went fine. But when I add it to mash it stalls. I am about to just run it low as this is just my sacrificial run

[@jamesthomas8481]

A traditional vodka and then what other ways that you can make vodka out of. Infant many of the spirits I thought were made from certain types of ingredients can actually be made out of alternatives. e.g. vodka can be made from potatoes, or sugar, or rice even so I heard. Then Sake can be made from rice or other starchy sugars...

[@olsenalien]

Is there any proof of a Sugar wash being "less healthy" than a Grain wash, when the same alcohol percentage is achieved? let's say the sugar or wheat/potatoes are both organic. again; is there any proof that 1 should be more "unhealthy" than the other? - asking for a friend.

[@jamesrees2259]

Always do a sugar wash, cheap, little methanol, for 94-96% ABV, (Reflux) use gin baskets for my gin flavourings or char up some Jack 'D' chips and cherry chips pop in for a week or two in the jar and bingo.... great info, great videos.

[@DaxterSnickers]

I drink so much that sugar washes are the only way to be profitable for me and my friends. Ill just add botanicals, syrup or tea. Maybe i can go for tequila later on.

[@kevinbaxter2578]

Crud. Started a TPW tonight and didn't notice that the paste was Garlic & Basil flavored until after I dumped it in. Well I guess this will be an experimental vodka now. Damn.

[@MikeEwalt]

Would using sugar liquor for proofing up a grain wash dilute the flavor of the final product?

[@JoshOB21]

Sugar wash is to distilling as extract cans are to homebrew beer. You can make a drinkable product but once you go all grain, there's no going back...

[@PoppaLongroach]

i love being true to tradition and very much enjoy thed mashing in proccess of cooking and converting grain. very satisfying lol

[@peterbowman5358]

All my sugar washes come out tasting like a cheap rum/vodka/tequila. Adding water gonna distill it three times.

[@traditionbrewingandcook1206]

Make a mash that's long grain rice that's organic and peach mash cuz I'm working on one but I don't know how it's going to turn out never did grain only brandy

[@abrad3061]

Stupid question what makes vodka vodka I was always under the impression that it had to be made from potatoes originally and then grain

[@JonisMommerency]

I just distilled a tomato paste wash and I'm thinking about adding fruits or spices to it to make a liquor out of it

[@VICBOT001]

Welcome to is not really a flavor it’s not really a mouth feel is something in between and never give a straight answer for anything or backed by research channel

[@craig.n.gaylene]

I've done a few sugar washes for things like limoncello, blueberry liqueur etc. but I've never used it for vodka. I've done a small potato vodka batch, I currently have a beetroot vodka in the fermenter and lined up behind that is a sweet potato vodka (I understand they have amalayse in them?). Then I'm going to do a large batch of potato vodka because I like it more than I like commercial vodkas in the $35-50 range.

[@kneecappahkappa5535]

If you double or triple distill, do you discard heads on each run or just first. Yes I'm new.

[@richardwalkden6349]

I would really appreciate better understanding the process of how flavours / odours and colours move from the mash to the distillate. Does it depend on the type of equipment pot/reflux, temperature, separation or anything else? So for example making a wash with molasses resulting in a strongly flavoured liquid in a reflux still, how does one go about getting those qualities into the spirit? (Hope this makes sense!

[@dylanluvzcolorado4369]

I believe a pot still is the best way to go if you're looking for lots of flavor .

[@PoppaLongroach]

pot still straight into a worm gives most flavor cary over. i run a thumper with same wash in my pot n does good. i dont do sugar washes tho only grain mashes

[@rocketsroc]

True a pot still will yield the most flavor carry over, but don't expect it to taste much like you might expect. Pretty much all flavors are added post distillation or through aging with wood or barrels.

[@PoppaLongroach]

@@rocketsroc i agree completly. my son and i both have small barrels but those are for personal lol. i grew up drinkin plain white dog corn and rye likker if its made right it doesnt need anything added

[@drdzdd]

5:40 subjective I guess. But everyone got the point anyway. Thx for the video

[@raytruesdell7873]

I’d like to see you do a vodka bro by sugar wash! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@1FrenchConnection1]

Hey brother I have been working for a white wheat! Good luck it’s messy! If you don’t plan accordingly!

[@UnitBeerMonsta]

Man your videos talk about so much other then the main top topic awesome videos but man yiu talk to much

[@ryantaylor8195]

I make a scotch whiskey wash using 6 kgs of sugar and a coopers dark ale pack and turbo yeast .

[@josephcook2314]

Sweet potato has been one of my number one movers! I never would have thought it would be that great originally.

[@MikePeacock-z5z]

The norm with sugar wash is 2pds sugar per 1gal water.how much yeast?

[@bobyoung5330]

Agree with you 100% about the quality of the distillate using a sugar washes. They're ok off you want something cheap. I have filtered them to get as close as a neutral taste, but still cannot get the quality that grain provides. If you want great vodka, try a sweet potato recipe. 25# will only yield ~8% potential ABV in a 5 gallon batch, but the end result is amazing. They self convert their starch to fermentable sugars.

[@Talon828]

potatos

[@truelevelbeliever1064]

I actually like the flavor profile of a high abv sugar wash afrlter distillation

[@ErikAdalbertvanNagel]

It's basically almost a rum. If you add a little molasses for nutrient and more flavour.

[@Luke-pk9fe]

Vodka from sugar is that rum? What makes a rum a rum. I'm new to this. Is it just words?

[@davidhellewell6614]

Hi Jesse, do you reuse the wash left in the fermenter for a neutral spirt or do use reuse this yeast leftover.

[@busarob1969]

Nothing but talk? I came here to see some practical stuff, like, making the wash, what’s the best yeast to use, what to toss and what to keep from the distillation . It’s typical of you tube these days, it’s about the you tuber wanting to be a personality and less about what the channel is about . Making and distilling spirits ……

[@StillIt]

You came to a video called "my thoughts on..." .....

[@ivormectin.3046]

I've been making sugar wash for a year now. Flavoured it to... Great results high strength...

[@jamescrawford9786]

How do I make 45 or 50 percent sugar wash for drinking

[@grahamwood8085]

My first mash tasted like old sox used corn so I experimented with molasses and brown.sugar rum not to bad lol

[@atubeviewer4942]

If you reflux anything, that takes out all the taste out, isnt that then a Vodka?

[@alvinmeeks7710]

Recommend silver queen corn for whiskey, part of my uncle wheeler recipe. He had been passed on 45years but his products were very high dollar

[@deamonsoul1]

Just a random leftover extra potato vodka, and a banana rum would be great.

[@brainy03]

I make vodka with rice, sugar, tomato paste and the yeast.

[@kevinantony7147]

You'll ideally make a white rum from a sugar wash.😅

[@NicholasKujawa]

You make an excellent point about time. I am a team lead in a production environment and do a decent amount of coaching. When you are teaching a fresh employee a new skill/process it is best to target stations with a short cycle time. This means that you get them trained in on a task that is short enough to do many times a day. This repetition is important and leads to the ability to make iterative and incremental improvements while the last cycle is fresh in thier mind.

[@roytelling6540]

I like making fruit wines and I sometimes distill them. If I am making something just to distill I make sugar wash, but what I have started doing is placing some juniper berries or cinnamon at the top of my collom so the alcohol picks up some of the flavour from them, still working on how much to use to get the falour right for me :)

[@kevinauld4367]

I have been using powder'd potatoes for Year's for my vodka .

[@rayfox212]

Really? How's that work out? Could you make some suggestions, ide really like to try that.

[@rayfox212]

How high is the og in your mash

[@ionelandras8922]

As a romanian a suggest plums vodka or Cherry vodka

[@mikey3816]

Cornflakes,wheatbix, sugar.

[@patricaomas8750]

You say 2 but can't you just flavour it and drink that.

[@cornelisvanderzeyden3275]

vodka made from just sugar wouldn't that make it a rum?

[@rayfox212]

I think Jesse is just using the word vodka as more of a descriptor, instead of saying a high proof neutral spirit. Which is kind of what vodka is.

[@peterscully4961]

Apparently most commercial vodka these days is made largely from sugar, as it is cheaper. And many rums are distilled several times at high abv... "European" friends introduced me to potato vodka many years ago and I am tempted to make my own, but it seems too hard and tending towards expensive.