Before many people who are engaged in the production of moonshine, sooner or later the question arises of how to improve the quality of their product, so that it would be pleasant to drink it yourself, and it would not be a shame to treat friends. The most common solution to this problem is re-distillation through the moonshine, the product that we get at the end, often called double moonshine, it will be much cleaner and stronger than the original product. So, we highly recommend that you spend a few hours more time, but at the end you get a really high-quality drink, without third-party impurities and odors.
It is worth canceling that the second distillation can be carried out with any kind of moonshine, while neither the recipe for the mash, nor the raw material it was made from, have absolutely no meaning. You can even distill old moonshine, which you have stored for a long time.
It is not difficult to distill moonshine a second time, now we will consider step by step how to do it correctly.
The first thing we need to do is before re-ferrying. This should be done by pouring moonshine into cool water until the strength of the drink is 20-35%.
Many do not understand why we need to dilute the moonshine, why not drive it as it is? Well, there are several reasons:
Before the second run, it is advisable to clean the moonshine with activated carbon, potassium permanganate or in any other way convenient for you. I prefer to use baking soda. To do this, add a tablespoon of kitchen salt and baking soda, stir, and leave for two hours. As soon as the drink has settled, it must be filtered, an ordinary water filter can serve as an ideal option for this, but if this is not possible, then it is possible in the old fashioned way through a cotton-gauze filter.
And so, the time has come for the third final stage of making double moonshine, this is the distillation itself. Everything is as usual here, this process is absolutely no different from the primary distillation from the mash, we use the same moonshine still. The only thing to remember is that distilling a very strong drink is dangerous and less effective. So before overtaking, check the fortress again. If you distill moonshine for consumption without further processing, for example, such as rectification or another distillation, then it is very important to divide it into fractions: heads, bodies and tails.
The first 10% of the yield, the so-called heads, should not be drunk under any circumstances, they can only be used for technical purposes. They can be easily identified by their unpleasant odor. Roughly, as soon as you managed to overtake the tenth part, drop a little outlet on your finger, if the unpleasant odor has disappeared, you can substitute a container to collect the main part.
The last about 10% are tails, they are determined by the strength of the exit, as soon as it falls below 45%, it means that the tails have already gone. They are usually poured into the mash to increase its strength. If you plan to overtake several, then the tails need to be collected only on the last haul.
The remaining 80% of double moonshine does not need additional processing or cleaning. The only thing we can still do is dilute a little to the strength we need.
According to reviews on the Internet, some people do not recommend diluting the moonshine with water before driving, explaining that in this case we will not be able to get rid of the unpleasant smell. And this is a well-founded statement, but in this case, before distilling a strong drink, make sure that there is no open source of fire nearby.
The number of runs can be as many as you like, but, as a rule, it is quite enough to make three runs.
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The second distillation of moonshine improves the quality of the product. With careful observance of a certain technology from primary raw materials, that is, mash, you can get a strong alcoholic drink without harmful impurities, popularly called double moonshine. The second distillation guarantees a high quality strong drink.
Moonshine has been known since time immemorial. People with great pleasure prepared and consumed mash - they made it with their own hands from everything that grew in the garden or was at home, at hand. At that time, practically no one used the method of purification and distillation.
The use of pure moonshine is harmful to the human body, this statement of many doctors is scientifically substantiated. Indeed, moonshine and mash contain a significant amount of fusel oils, acetone and even aldehydes - the use of these substances causes intoxication of the body and can lead to death. A slightly longer amount of time spent on the secondary distillation allows obtaining a soft distillate that does not contain a specific, unpleasant and pungent odor. In addition, the secondary distillation method can improve the quality of moonshine discharged much earlier in time.
The secondary distillation technology is quite simple to implement. It is necessary for more thorough filtration and allows you to almost completely remove all unpleasant specific odors inherent in home brew. In addition, the second distillation results in a significant softening of the palatability and improved visual characteristics of the strong beverage. The main thing in this process is careful observance of the rules and the sequence of actions, then the distillation of moonshine will not take more than 3-4 hours in time.
The secondary distillation process is very clearly divided into three stages: dilution of the primary wash with water, its filtration and the distillation itself.
Before bringing 20-30% vol. strength of the drink.
It is preferable to use distilled water, which is sold in pharmacies, to reduce the strength of the drink. In second place is a well or cleaned purchased one. In extreme cases, it is allowed to use tap water, which is defended for 2-3 days in a container without a lid before that, this allows chlorine to completely evaporate from it.
In addition, moonshine with a high percentage of strength has a fairly strong chemical molecular bond with fusel oils and secondary distillation in this case will not lead to the expected result and effect. It is for these reasons that distillation of the mash is essential.
A strong drink should also be diluted according to certain rules: it is necessary to pour moonshine into filtered, cool water (it is advisable to cool it first in the refrigerator), and not vice versa - this helps to avoid cloudiness of the liquid. Moonshine with distilled water should be mixed gradually, in small portions, constantly measuring the strength of the resulting drink until the required percentage is reached.
Before the secondary distillation, it is advisable to clean the moonshine already diluted with water by any means, for example, activated or charcoal, or baking soda.
The easiest way is to clean the moonshine with a charcoal filter. This method is simple, it allows you to remove unnecessary impurities in the finished product and does not affect the taste of the drink. If you have a filter jug with a carbon cartridge at home, you can use it. If there is no such purifier, then the charcoal funnel is made extremely simple:
The distillate must be run through the filter several times in a row, this will help to achieve better cleaning. If necessary, also filtering a large amount of liquid, the layers must be changed.
Many lovers of homemade alcoholic beverages prefer to cleanse with manganese, while it is important to carefully follow the procedure technology:
As a result, the output is moonshine, free of harmful components and absolutely transparent.
For those who consider the manganese method not the most natural, since a chemical component is still used, they will like cleaning with milk. The method is based on who the proteins casein and albumin form a bond with the molecules of fusel oil, other "dirty" elements and precipitate. A similar method is used in the industrial production of vodka, only there they use not milk, but the necessary components isolated from it, this is called coagulation.
Any milk is suitable: store, dry, homemade. Its origin does not have a fundamental role; you need to choose a product with a minimum fat content. In this case, the risk of getting muddy moonshine decreases. But even if perfect transparency does not work out, it will be possible to get rid of the defect upon repeated driving. For 10 liters of raw milk, 1 liter of milk is taken.
After 5-6 days from the beginning of the cleaning procedure, the liquid is filtered, diluted with water to the desired strength and allowed to re-distill. This method allows you to get rid of harmful impurities in a natural way, without the use of any kind of chemistry. Milk does not affect the taste of the moonshine after distillation. If dry is used, then it must be diluted in warm water in advance, allowed to stand at room temperature and after 1-2 hours used for cleaning.
This action is practically no different from the first distillation and begins with the preparation of the moonshine still. The second distillation process somewhat increases the amount of the final product obtained precisely due to the filtration procedure. In this case, the yield of the drink should be conventionally divided into fractions: the so-called "head", "tail" and "body".
After secondary distillation, you can get a fairly pure and strong moonshine containing up to 70% alcohol, which does not need additional purification.
For ease of use and imparting softness, it is diluted with water to 40-45%. The number of runs is not defined, there may be several of them. But triple distillation is considered optimal for the quality of the product.
After the process of the second run is completed, the resulting product can be cleaned a little more, "ennobled" or just slightly diluted with water to make it softer. To give the moonshine a certain taste and aroma, fresh berries, fruits or special aromatic additives, which can be purchased at the store, are sometimes added to the drink. In addition, the drink can be given a certain color:
Adding milk, preferably natural and fat-free, to an already finished product, can significantly soften the taste of the drink and slightly neutralize its strength.
Herbal additives used for a ready-made drink are a way to give secondary moonshine not only a certain color, but also taste, as well as the desired softness and uniqueness of the blend.
Experienced craftsmen and novices in making homemade moonshine use the online moonshiner calculator. With the help of this resource, you can calculate what degree of the drink will turn out, the required amount of water and alcohol to obtain the volume of moonshine of the required strength, and even calculate the correct proportions of mash, after fermentation of which you get moonshine with the desired alcohol content.
Today, the old, simple method of getting rid of the mash from harmful and dangerous impurities is still relevant. As a result, you can get a pure and practically harmless product for consumption, almost completely free from fusel oils, which are highly toxic and very poisonous. The main thing is to do everything in a certain sequence, adhering to the technology.
Repeated distillation of moonshine, subject to the correct technique, removes extraneous impurities, improving quality. The people call the final product "double moonshine". You will have to spend 2-3 hours more time, but in the end you get a crystal clear, soft, odorless distillate.
Any moonshine can be re-distilled regardless of the raw material. The mash recipe and the selected distillation technology (moonshine still) do not change. Even a drink that was kicked out much earlier can be ennobled.
1. Dilution with water. Before double distillation, the strength is measured, the amount of pure alcohol is determined, for example, 1 liter of 40% contains 400 ml of pure alcohol (this is necessary for the selection of fractions in the third stage), then the moonshine is diluted with cool water to 20%. Distilling a stronger liquid is dangerous, as a high concentration of alcohol vapors can lead to a fire in the moonshine. In addition, strong moonshine has a very strong molecular bond with fusel oils, as a result of which repeated distillation will not give the expected effect.
2. Cleaning. Sugar and cereal moonshine (in some cases) is additionally refined with coal, potassium permanganate or in another way. Fruit distillates are usually left uncleaned to retain the slight aroma of the starting material.
If potassium permanganate is chosen, then in a three-liter jar of 40% moonshine, dilute 3 grams of powder in 300 ml of hot water, pour the resulting solution into the moonshine, mix well and let it brew for 15-20 minutes. Then add a tablespoon of salt and baking soda. After 2 hours, strain the mixture through a cotton-gauze filter.
3. Distillation. Practically no different from the first distillation, but it is very important to separate the yield into fractions: "heads", "tails" and "body". The first 8-12% of the yield from the amount of pure alcohol (determined at the first stage) should not be drunk, this is a harmful fraction called "heads", it has an unpleasant odor.
The next 80% is double moonshine, which is what we need. It is harvested until the strength in the stream drops to 45-40%. The last fraction - "tails", can be used to increase the fortress of the next wash, drive it out on a rectification column (there will be pure alcohol), or simply pour it out.
After the second distillation, 60-70% moonshine is obtained, which does not need additional purification. It remains only to dilute it to a drinkable strength (40-45%).
Purification of moonshine after the second distillation is a process that differs in a number of nuances. Not everything is done after recycling, some moonshiners consider multiple distillation to be the best way to filter the distillate.
To save time and improve the quality of the alcohol, you can clean it before re-distilling. It all depends on the desire of the distiller, as well as on the goal that he pursues.
The question of how to clean the moonshine arises even before it is sent for recycling. This is necessary in order to improve the quality of the drink, make its taste softer and at the same time rid alcohol of harmful fusel oils.
Second mash distillation
The second distillation takes place in several stages, this helps to synchronize the actions and at the same time improve the quality of the distillate.
So, the principle of operation:
However, you can even use bread to get rid of alcohol from impurities. It has a porous structure, for this reason it absorbs all harmful substances like a sponge.
The cleaning of the drink takes place according to various schemes. If you use potassium permanganate crystals to remove impurities, you will have to prepare a solution. Dilute 2 grams of crystals in warm water (no more than 300 milliliters). Potassium permanganate must be dissolved so that there are no lumps left. Then the product is diluted with the prepared solution.
The drink undergoing cleaning is defended in a dark place, the whole process will take at least 10 hours. Then, when the potassium permanganate precipitates, you will have to filter the alcohol using a self-made filter.
You can pass the cleaned moonshine through a cotton-gauze filter or use a flannel. This will help rid the liquid of magnesium permanganate residues.
When the purification is complete, you can proceed to distillation.
Recycling alcohol will help:
The first distillation leaves some fusel oils in the alcohol, for this reason it can have an unpleasant smell and taste. Re-processing will improve the quality of the drink, it will help to eliminate the booze and, despite the fact that the moonshine was diluted before processing, the second distillation will significantly increase the strength of the drink.
During recycling, you will have to carry out a number of manipulations that will help improve the quality of the drink.
Before the ferry, it is worth preparing the alcohol for the procedure, after cleaning it, it is necessary to drain the moonshine into the alembic and proceed directly to the process.
When processing alcohol, you will have to separate the "heads" from the "tails" again. Fractionation is necessary as it will significantly improve the quality of the distillate. The "body" will make up about 85% of the total volume of the distilled product.
The first 8-10% of the total processed alcohol is the so-called pervach. Drinking it is not worth it, even though the Pervach was already taken at the first. This fraction contains a large amount of fusel oils. "Heads" have an unpleasant odor, for this reason distillers with experience begin to take away the "body" when the moonshine loses that very sharp aroma.
When the selection of the "body" is completed, it is worth starting to cut off the "tails". This happens when the strength of the drink falls below 40 degrees.
"Heads" can be used exclusively for technical needs. Such a product is hazardous to health and can be used to clean surfaces. But the "tails" can be poured into the mash - this will help to improve its quality, and most importantly, to increase the strength of the mash, and hence the distillate several times.
In the "tails", as well as in the "heads", there is a large amount of fuselage, for this reason they should not be drunk. The selection of this fraction continues until the strength of the drink drops to 19–20 degrees.
The repeated distillation of the distillate ends with just the selection of the "tails". After that, the moonshine is sent to a dark place, it needs to brew a little.
Moonshine is not always purified, some experts believe that recycling makes alcohol so pure that it does not need additional filtration procedures. The experts are partly right, but there is one problem.
One way or another, a certain amount of sivukh remains in the moonshine. Although its strength is great, this indicator may not be enough for the manufacture of noble drinks.
An example is a rectifier - this device is used to produce raw alcohol at home, the strength of which can reach 96 degrees. This product is used for the manufacture of liqueurs and tinctures.
When is it worth purifying moonshine after re-distillation:
Do you need to clean up moonshine that you just plan to drink ready-made? The answer to this question is no, since the quality of the drink is already very high. Additional filtration will improve the performance of the alcohol, but such minor changes will be difficult to notice.
What will give another treatment or the benefits of ferrying:
In order for alcohol to acquire that very pleasant smell, it must be supplemented with aromatic substances. Flavors will give the moonshine taste and smell, as such substances you can use berries and fruits, spices and herbs. The additives will prepare alcohol for further processing and help turn ordinary moonshine into an elite product.
The easiest way to clean moonshine is to infuse it in milk. Pour a glass of milk into a 1.5-liter container with moonshine. It is desirable that the product be unpasteurized.
The container is placed in a dark and cool place and the drink is infused for 7 days. Then the alcohol will have to be filtered. But before you can clean it from lactose residues, you will have to make a filter.
This device does not differ in the complexity of the design; to assemble it you will need:
You will have to make a funnel from the bottle, cutting the bottom exactly so that there are no chipping. After that, a hole is made in the lid with an awl.
Tablets or charcoal are crushed, placed in cotton wool and the device is fixed with gauze. Then start filtration. It is advisable to change charcoal, gauze and cotton wool regularly; the moonshine will have to be passed through the filter from 3 to 5 times.
Once alcohol is infused with milk, it can be used to make noble drinks such as rum, brandy, cognac and whiskey.
There are several nuances that you should know before you start distilling moonshine. This will dispel doubts, and at the same time understand whether it is necessary to run the drink through the distiller again.
So, what a moonshiner needs to know:
Many lovers of home-brewed drinks are experimenting with cleaning, wishing to improve the quality of the product in one way or another. The second distillation is the main way to increase the strength of moonshine, increase its strength.
But cleaning after repeated processing is carried out at the request of the manufacturer or consumer. It cannot be called a mandatory procedure, but you can resort to re-filtration if you plan to turn the moonshine into cognac or whiskey, and also if the quality of the drink is in doubt.
Hello everyone! We continue the theme of moonshine. Today we will talk about how to properly distill moonshine at home. As you remember, I wrote about the complete one in this article. Now is the time to dwell in more detail on the distillation process (or simply distillation).
For the distillation of mash, I use fractional double distillation with intermediate purification. The moonshine obtained by this method is very different from the usual for the better.
So, we got raw alcohol (CC). This is the same middle faction, it is also the "body". Of course, you can drink it, but the quality of such moonshine is still very low. The SS should now be cleaned.
Update from 04/10/17: Now I have slightly changed the technology of the first distillation. I drive almost to the water (temperature 98-99 degrees cubed) without selecting heads and tails. Sometimes I still select a few heads if they come with a pungent smell, but this is extremely rare.
I call it intermediate only because it is carried out between the first and second distillation. And so this is a full-fledged way to clean moonshine. More precisely, even two methods that I use together.
As a result, we get raw alcohol, purified from a large amount of fusel oils, which are dissolved in vegetable oil. Alcohol itself does not dissolve in oil due to its low concentration. For this we diluted it.
But still, there are still small drops of unfiltered oil with harmful impurities in the moonshine. To get rid of them, go to the next cleaning method.
For this method, birch (BAU-A) or coconut (KAU) activated carbon is used. It is able to absorb up to 80% fusel oils and 90% esters.
You can add charcoal to the container with raw alcohol and shake vigorously again. But it is better to make a flow-through filter.
The simplest filter design is a plastic bottle with a cut-off bottom and charcoal poured into it. Several holes are made in the cork and a piece of cotton wool is placed. It is better to rinse the coal before use, thereby removing the coal dust from it, which clogs the cotton filter.
Coal consumption is about 5-15 grams per liter of moonshine.
A household filter jug from a store is also perfect for filtration.
Now we have a well-refined moonshine ready for the second distillation, during which we will increase its strength and try to get rid of the remaining impurities as much as possible.
Read more in the article - Purification of moonshine with coal
The principle of the second fractional distillation is the same as the first. Only the heating modes differ.
That's all. The process is not very difficult and if you follow it, then your efforts will be rewarded according to merit. You will get excellent moonshine, a cut above what you get with a regular distillation.
Give it a try and share your results in the comments. Also subscribe to updates. Hope the article was helpful.
Good luck!
Best regards, Pavel Dorofeev.