Spirit Runs with Mile Hi Distilling

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Today, we're doing a somewhat advanced distilling procedure known as doing a spirit run to follow up a on last week's video of a stripping run. Spirit runs are the act of cleaning up and increasing the purity of your stripped spirit for maximum flavor, cleanliness and smoothness. It's highly effective to make a nice bourbon or make a nice spirit of your choice. Thanks to Ballmer Peak Distillery for letting us film on location!
Check out the recipe that we did for this video here: • How to Make Bourbon wi...
Check out the stripping run video here: • Stripping Runs with Mi...
#distillery #distilling #liquor #bourbon #whiskey #moonshine #spirits #drinking #drinks

[@patapp2024]

Fantastic video eries!

[@milehidistilling1]

Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed!

[@lordsigurdthorolf1202]

I do Rum and use: 4 cups Strap Molasses and 4Lbs Pure Cane Sugar (Sugar in the Raw), 1Tabs 5.2, 1Tabs Acid Blend, 1Tabs Citric Acid and 1Tabs Angel Yellow starter yeast and mix with a drill and paint stirrer for 2 min then put 6 gal in the first run. I get about 14% ABV and I only put in 6 gal in my 8 gal still. (Edit/Add) - I do NOT like "Puking" so when the kettle's reaches 185*F I turn off the gas and let my home made BrewBoss controler take over. I keep the "Head temp at 70*F for a few minutes and checking my site glass every few minutus for fluctuations and raise it 5*F ever 5 min or so until it reaches 148*F. I keep it there until I get 59ml in a small container then I change to a leader container. (The methane I get is saved to light the charcoal for my Korean BBQ). and increase the head temp to 173*F for an hour, then I change to a large gal container and increase the head temp to 187*F for 10 to 12 hours or when the drips stop. I turn the heat off and let it cool down. The next morning I drain about 3gal into the keg this batch came from and fill the kettle up to 6 gal from the next keg and do it again until all kegs are used (one day at a time). I ferment in my 5 gal kegs so I only put in 4.5 gal in each one. When I finish a "Pot Still run" the next morning I drain 3 gal off into the keg it came from then add about 1.5 gal of water, 4lbs sugar, 1Tabs 5.2, 1Tabs Acid Blend, 1Tabs Citric Acid and 1tabs Angel Yellow starter yeast. Wait 2 weeks and do it again. Happy brewing ;

[@lordsigurdthorolf1202]

PS. I keep 4 kegs going all the time and I get about 50 to 65 % ABV then 750ml goes in two quart container for 3 hours in heated 66c ultrasound with a muslim bag of spices and 50g Oak wood chips for 3 hrs then add distilled water to bring it to 30+ ABV and run it through my EZ Filter and bottle it and share. 30 ABV is grate to have it on the “Rocks” you want to tast the brew NOT a cocktail!!! Happy brewing ;

[@pooppy87]

That's about 5.5 lbs of fermentable sugar per 6 gallons of water. 14% ABV? Unless I have missed something in your recipe, that should be more like 4% ABV.

[@gavinturenhout6188]

Have you thought about using a parrot to constantly have a reading as product is coming off the still. It saves a lot of flaffing around and gives you a real time reading all through the run. Great video good info.

[@milehidistilling1]

Glad you liked it, Gavin! Yeah, I love using a parrot. It's a little awkward to use in this setup given the long condenser and the table we're distilling on, but it most definitely does simplify things in the run and I highly recommend one.

[@gabogc]

how will you trin a parrot to read numbers 🤔

[@patapp2024]

Is there any reason you couldn't pull the foreshots.and heads from the stripping run and just do your distillation run, without having to stop mid stride?

[@milehidistilling1]

Hi, Pat. Yes, this is typically how spirit runs go. You'll collect your foreshots and heads in your stripping run and then not include them in your spirit run. Putting the heads in for this video was really just a mistake on my part.

[@ScottBryant-wi7gb]

I'll take a shot with you. Sitting here running some Ohio Blue, Barley and rye thru a filter. My triple grain fall special.

[@milehidistilling1]

My man! Sounds amazing, Scott! Blue corn is such a cool thing to run. Enjoy, my friend.

[@Stewbphoto]

I always collect in my small jars then the next day I taste all the jars and then add the ones I like together and then fill a barrel.

[@milehidistilling1]

My man! That's the way to do it!

[@chrisbehrens7166]

Your vids are great brother.

[@milehidistilling1]

Really appreciate it, brotha! That makes me really happy to hear that they're being enjoyed! Thanks for watching!

[@bobostu5468]

Where can we see the controller you’re using?

[@milehidistilling1]

I have a few videos with it, but I don't think too many with it as the spotlight. You can check out the controller used more in depth here: milehidistilling.com/product/220v-variable-single-element-temperature-controller/

[@garrymcgaw4745]

Nice one Boo, Oh by the way 'I'm buying you a funnel for Christmas'.... 🤣. 👍.

[@milehidistilling1]

Hahaha it's better than a pair of socks at least, Garry.

[@rocketsroc]

Major problem with any electrically heated still is the open heating element. The element becomes hot and tends to scorch various particles in the mash. This adds off flavors to the end results.

[@milehidistilling1]

I notice if you strain your mash really well and avoid any particulate you can usually avoid any off flavors, but as far as what's going on at a particle level, who knows. Thanks for watching, by the way

[@stanleypienaar4175]

Great information and tips on the video. I am from South Africa, where home hobby distillation is legal. I have not done a grain fermentation. It's my next step. Do you have access to raw freshly pressed sugarcane to make a video on rum Agricole? I have done it before and was super impressed. Also left it in 20ltr oak barrels and came out delicious. Barrels were made from used wine barrels. A video on molasses fermentation and potstill run would be great. Keep up with the good video's you make.

[@milehidistilling1]

Great to hear you liked it, thanks for watching! I do have access to raw sugar cane, yes. I'll do a future video on making rhum agricole for sure! We actually made a rum out of molasses on this channel already. You can see the fermentation episode here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5a5ZmZqeNyEgpo and the distillation video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iIfMpKRsrKqGetk

[@mikezemenick5318]

Is there a general estimation- rule of thumb for distilling? Let's say were distilling 10 gallons with no stripping run. Assuming our yeast will give us 15%. There would be potentially 1.5 gallons of Alcohol available. How much or what % would be for shot, heads, heart, and tail. It would help making cuts if you had an idea / estimate volume of each before hand. Any info on that?

[@milehidistilling1]

Hey, Mike. I go into this a little in my latest video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZSWfpuDitBsZ5Isi=DEdHiFAV2b_kj54w Essentially, I try to account for about 25% of my total volume being taken away in cuts for sugar and grain bases and closer to about 33% for fruit bases.

[@Pubsub29]

This video and the stripping run video are two of the best out there. Keep it up man I love the content.

[@milehidistilling1]

Greatly appreciate the compliments, thanks so much! I'm glad we're able to create this type of content. Really appreciate your support!

[@jpweigt]

What was your proof when you started? Were you worried at all about flammability inside the pot? I was wondering how you mitigate any risks. Is there a measure of proof that is "safe" from flammability?

[@milehidistilling1]

Proof was 100 when everything was thrown into the pot at the beginning before water was added. Not worried at all about flammability. We're using a very safe heat source and provided we don't expose that element and create a flash point, there's no risk of catching things on fire. We're using techniques to prevent that element from ever reaching a dry point. All alcohol will be flammable, but by our heat source being electric instead of flame, keeping a lower proof (under 100) in the boiler, and making sure our still isn't leaking or producing any vapor we can create a safe environment.

[@dylanstawniak9244]

Is it necessary to do a stripping run or is that just for personal preference on quality?

[@milehidistilling1]

Personal preference! I would recommend always doing a stripping run first for any spirit you're trying to get the flavor out of, though. It's 100% worth the extra time.

[@CorbettMessa]

Do you have that longer condensor on your website? I have been looking for a longer one like that.

[@milehidistilling1]

It's not on our website, but we can build it for you. Price would be $180 before shipping. If you're interested, please email us at [e-mail] or call us at 303-987-3955. Thanks!

[@burnair1608]

Boo where did you get the small the small 750ml corked jugs

[@milehidistilling1]

I steal them from work like the little devil I am 👿 You can pick yours up from our shop here: milehidistilling.com/product-category/supplies/glass-liquor-bottles/ The ones shown in the video are the Classic style 1 gallon jugs and the Denver style 750ml bottles.

[@abrad3061]

That 3 inch looks like a good upgrade. Question can i put a 220 on my 8 gallon still

[@milehidistilling1]

Yeah, you totally can! Very fast and effective at heating up an 8 gallon, as you can see.

[@DansBuddhaBodega]

Why not temper with tails?

[@milehidistilling1]

We technically did! We threw everything (hearts and tails) in together so we can get a consistent flavor in all of our bottles. Proof came out to be about 130 proof when we threw in our tails so we chose to temper with water at that point since it was too much of a bite for some of our employees here.

[@TIMTAMJOEY]

Can anyone collaborate the statement the slower you run the less flavor you have? And I really can't understand how you can do a taste test at a 160 proof? Why aren't we proofing it down so we don't destroy our taste buds for hours?

[@pooppy87]

Yes, slower run = more time for particles to separate, leaving more water and "flavor" behind. Also who is "we"?

[@danielanthony1054]

@@pooppy87 and the slower you run, the cooler the head of the still will be (because you're not actively sending a lot of steam through it to heat it up) and the more passive reflux you'll have. creating a higher proof spirit with less flavor. When I'm distilling I always have a syringe and a glass of water next to me, I generally proof everything down to 60 proof to be able to taste the components better and make a cleaner cut.

[@williamjohnston4192]

Boo I've watched other videos of other people and they claim that after you do a striping run you no longer have to worry about for shots and heads ?

[@danielwade6987]

That's because Boo didn't take cuts of fore's during the stripping run. Did the other videos take large cuts during the strip?

[@milehidistilling1]

Hey, William. Some people are scared to run their spirit runs with heads so they cut them in the stripping run. I've always included heads in my stripping runs. In my opinion, you're missing out on a lot of good alcohol by not including them, and you're making your cuts in the spirit run anyways that'll take them out. Remember that the heads coming out of the still is not concentrated methanol, which is means it CANNOT kill you or make you go blind, only give you a bad hangover. I do recommend pitching foreshots and not including it in the run, though. It might just be editing that's confusing, but there wasn't any foreshots in this run.

[@jamesswain1586]

I would think most of the nasty poison 4 shots would have been removed on the stripping run. Just seems like your giving up alot of good proof in your heads cant tell if you plan to use your heads in your overall mix.

[@milehidistilling1]

Hi, James. I use the heads, just not the foreshots. In my personal opinion, it's not worth the risk to carry over for only an extra 350-500ml of alcohol in the foreshots. To each their own, though.

[@jamesswain1586]

Thank you for the reply. I agree. Great video. Good explanation smoothe dialog. I do like Mile hi as a company.

[@milehidistilling1]

@@jamesswain1586 Thanks, man! Behind the edits of this video is me rambling and forgetting how to talk, so I'm glad that doesn't carry over into the videos! Glad you enjoy them and our company. We appreciate you!

[@_NET_]

160 the highest you can get from a pot still? Maybe i'm doing it wrong with mine. but the highest i've gotten was 196. { sweetfeed } ( yes i got photos and video ).

[@milehidistilling1]

196 is pretty hard to do even with a six figure dollar still and is far into an azeotropic level of spirit. I'd love to see photos if you wouldn't mind sharing. Our email is [e-mail]

[@_NET_]

sent@@milehidistilling1

[@dougshelton69]

Broken hydrometer😅

[@MotoJB]

@@dougshelton69 Bruh is running reflex and doesn't even know... ;)

[@trickyrick22]

Best place for bulk sugar???

[@milehidistilling1]

I can get you a 55 LB. bag of Dextrose for about $100 if you want to call us at 303-987-3955 or email at [e-mail]. Otherwise, you might have some luck at a feed store/grocery store local to you.

[@Jeff-xz5ww]

Is sugar wash or corn mash

[@milehidistilling1]

It's a four grain mash