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I know from my own experience that the path of home brewing is thorny and unpredictable. After I learned how to more or less decently distill mash for raw alcohol, it’s time to think about further purification of the product.
Without this procedure, you should not even dream of creating high-quality alcohol on your own. And then a dilemma arose – pure high-quality ethanol without impurities or fragrant moonshine with fusel notes?
The story was shared by blog subscriber Anatoly.
What is a distillate, types, products based on it
Distillate is a product of the distillation of mash. After the distillation process has come to an end, the strength of the resulting drink should vary in the region of 60-70 °. I practice double cleaning, which improves the quality of moonshine.
My favorite drinks are whiskey, cognac, brandy, rum and chacha. They are just the distillate obtained after double purification.
Light drinks after distillation are ready to drink, and dark ones must be kept in barrels. When I first decided to make my cognac, I first distilled grape juice twice.
I got a distillate from grapes, that is, grape alcohol. To make a quality cognac out of this semi-finished product, I placed it in an oak barrel and sealed it.
On a note! Only in four years will I be able to taste my creation.
Scheme of a moonshine still from a school textbook.
What is rectification and products based on it
In the process of self-education, I also encountered the rectification process. To obtain rectified alcohol, repeated purification is carried out. In order not to subject the raw materials to reusable distillation, I used Panchenkov’s or SPN nozzles (a side with a filler).
For this procedure, I had to purchase a distillation column. The process is as follows: the vapors rise along the side, then cool, condense and flow back into the nozzle.
Then there is a second stage of evaporation, which is rectification. Light-boiling fractions are at the top, alcohol is in the middle, and low-boiling impurities are at the bottom. The higher the column, the better the product quality. I know this from personal experience!
Important! The rectification procedure is carried out on distillation columns or column-type apparatuses.
Application of rectification in industry.
What is the difference between rectification and distillation and which is better
The main difference lies in the quality of cleaning, for which two different devices are used. To get the distillate, I used a conventional moonshine for distillation, and I had to buy additional equipment to distill the rectified.
The distillation unit is cheaper and the beverage production process is simpler. With high-quality raw materials, you can even get a noble product with a delicate fusel aroma, however, it will still have to withstand a long period.
The distillation column selects ethyl alcohol from raw alcohol better, but it is more difficult to obtain noble and aromatic alcohol in this way.
I love both methods, and I’ll explain why. Main theses:
Rectified is a purer product without impurities and odors, but you need to purchase a column-type apparatus.
The distiller at the output will give alcohol with a strength of up to 80%, and rectification will purify the product up to 96%.
Universal apparatus with interchangeable column
Those who prefer cognac, whiskey or gin love the aroma of the raw materials used – you should definitely choose distillation. For lovers of light drinks without impurities, often suffering from a morning hangover, the choice is obvious – rectification.
My experience! I have a modern moonshine, which is a designer. I just bought a column and a rectifier, so both methods can be used.
What conclusions did I draw
For moonshiners who are just starting their journey, I would recommend starting with a distillate, purchasing an apparatus and gaining experience.
After that, you can buy a distillation column. I often do rectified because it is cheaper, but the advantage of distillate is that even a beginner can get it.
I would also recommend playing with distillate brews first, using various additives, and only then try to get rectified. And what is preferable for you: pure alcohol / vodka or an aged drink with pleasant fusel notes?