How to distill moonshine a second time. Double distillation of moonshine in stages

Many home craftsmen who are engaged in the production of beverages often wonder: how to improve the quality of their products so that you yourself enjoy drinking, and festive table there was no shame in putting it on the guests.

The optimal solution is to re-distill the moonshine. The resulting product is much purer and stronger than the original; it is often called double moonshine. Of course, this will take a little more time, but the result is worth the effort - the drink will really turn out good quality, without unpleasant odor and foreign impurities.

Double distillation is suitable for all types of moonshine; neither the method of preparing the mash nor the raw materials used matter. You can distill even moonshine made a long time ago.

There is nothing complicated in double distillation; the main thing is to follow the order of all stages.
Dilution is the first thing to do before the second distillation. The logical action would be to pour water into the moonshine, but this may cause it to become cloudy. Therefore, the opposite is done - moonshine is poured into the water. The strength of the drink should drop by 20-35%.

Why is it undesirable to drive without dilution? Strong moonshine contains vapors a large number of alcohol, which can cause a fire and will have to (we recommend choosing a device with a distillation column of the brand or with a steam steamer of the brand). Also, due to the high strength, it is more difficult to destroy the molecular bond of the drink with fusel oils, therefore distillation will be ineffective.

Some home brewers do not add water before re-distilling the moonshine, saying that bad smell still remains. However, when distilling such moonshine, make sure that there is no open fire nearby.

Cleansing

Before starting the second distillation, moonshine can be purified in any way familiar to humans. Some people prefer potassium permanganate, others prefer activated carbon. For example, for the first method, for 1 liter of moonshine, take 3 grams of potassium permanganate, dissolved in 300 ml hot water. The solution is mixed and infused for 30 minutes, then a tablespoon of rock salt is added and the same amount baking soda.

Stir again and leave for another 2 hours. The settled moonshine is passed through a filter. A household water filter is great, but if you don’t have one at hand, you can make a simple cotton-gauze filter (we don’t recommend using potassium permanganate, because it’s difficult to get rid of later, this method provided for informational purposes only).

How to properly distill moonshine a second time?

The existing moonshine is diluted to a strength of approximately 20 degrees and poured into the distillation cube. At the initial stage, maximum heating is set. As soon as the first drop falls from the cooler, the heating is reduced so that the moonshine comes out at 1-2 drops per second. This will occur at approximately 66-68°C.

This is how the “heads” will be selected (approximately 60-70 ml per kilogram of sugar processed by yeast in the mash). When selecting heads, you should pay attention to the unpleasant odor: as soon as it has disappeared and a pure alcohol aroma appears, you need to change the receiving container. The selection of the “body” is carried out at a temperature of 77 to 85 ° C to a strength of 45-40 degrees with a stream as thick as a match, as far as heating and the coolant resource allow. After selecting the body, the “tails” are selected at maximum heat to a strength of 10 degrees or slightly lower and a temperature in the cube up to 90-100°C.

Main part, body double moonshine, does not require additional processing. If desired, it can be diluted to the desired strength and used in.

Previously, few people understood why double distillation of moonshine was needed and why “transfer products.” Moonshine brewing consisted only of preparing mash, which was distilled once and then consumed. The wort was made without the use of special recipes or calculation of proportions, and all products from the garden were used as ingredients.

Today everyone knows that it is impossible to use pure mash without primary or secondary distillation of moonshine. The distillate contains many harmful components, of which the more famous ones should be highlighted:

• aldehyde;
• acetone;
• methyl and isoamyl alcohol;
• acetic and formic acids
• fusel oils.

The accumulation of such elements in human body may lead to fatal consequences.

You can clean the mash using a fairly simple method - double distillation of moonshine at home. This makes it possible to obtain a vigorous drink with a clean structure and increased strength. The main thing here is to figure out how to properly distill the distillate a second time, what water to dilute it with and in what proportions.

Basic work in 3 stages

Every experienced distiller has many secrets and tricks that they use when distilling moonshine. Everyone wants to receive quality product. To make the distillate happy, you need to know the basic steps of how to distill moonshine a second time.

Diluting moonshine

Regardless of what technology was used to create a homemade fortified drink, the strength of moonshine must be brought to 35-40°. Otherwise, you may end up with a damaged moonshine still and fireworks in the kitchen. Therefore, before distilling the moonshine a second time, it must be diluted with drinking water.

For dilution, use filtered or bottled liquid. But before diluting it, it is cooled by placing it in the refrigerator.

The fractional process of diluting alcohol is carried out by gradually mixing water into the moonshine and regularly checking the strength with an alcohol meter. The most optimal value is considered to be 35°.

Also keep in mind that you need to dilute the distillate with water by adding water to alcohol, but not vice versa. Otherwise, the alcohol may become cloudy due to a chemical reaction.

Moonshine cleaning

Re-distilling moonshine at home involves preliminary cleaning of its structure. In this case, several methods are used in which:

• wood charcoal;
• Activated carbon;
• potassium parchment - potassium permanganate;
• filter cardboard, paper.

The last cleaning option before the second distillation of moonshine is considered the simplest. It is enough to place special paper in a funnel and then pour alcohol through it. The process should be done as slowly as possible; this is the only way to achieve the best result.

Moonshine can also be purified with potassium permanganate before the second distillation, but here it is important to take into account the proportions, how much of the component is required for a certain volume of the drink. Follow the steps in the following sequence:

• prepare required quantity raw materials and potassium permanganate - 1 liter of alcohol requires 50 ml drinking water and 2 gr. pharmaceutical component;
• dilute potassium permanganate with hot water, wait until the granules are completely dissolved, then dilute the distillate with the contents;
• leave the raw material for 10-12 hours, after which a sediment should form at the bottom;
• first, before making the second distillation, strain the raw material through 3-4 layers of gauze or flannel.

This stage allows you to eliminate harmful impurities from alcohol to the maximum, so if you want to get a high-quality and safe product, there should be no doubt whether you need to purify the moonshine before the second time.

Second distillation of moonshine

The process of distilling the distillate a second time does not differ much from the primary distillation. But in the case of double processing of raw materials, the result will be significantly more than the original product. It should also be noted that the second distillation requires much less time.

The technology is no different from the first time - the same temperatures, the same order of cutting off heads and tails

Despite increased level purity of moonshine after secondary distillation, experts also recommend dividing the volume into fractions:

• heads (10-12% of the total volume);
• body;
• tails (when the strength drops below 45°).

Therefore, during the second distillation you need to take an active part, regularly monitoring the alcohol strength.

What you need to consider when making double distillation moonshine:

• of the total amount of raw material, 10-12% is allocated to heads, which are prohibited from being consumed as a drink, but they can be used for technical purposes;
• be sure to monitor the alcohol concentration; if the strength drops below 45°, you need to change the tank to a container for collecting tails;
• body – 80% of the entire product, the product has a pleasant aroma and is completely suitable for use;

As for the tailings, they are used to increase the alcohol concentration in the finished product; this fraction is returned to the mash after the first distillation and before the second. They can also be used for external use.

It is up to the distiller to decide whether to do a second distillation or not. But experienced moonshiners do not recommend neglecting this method. This is quite understandable; the output will be pure product without harmful impurities that have a detrimental effect on human health.

VIDEO: How to properly improve the taste of moonshine

Distillate purification

After the second distillation, an important stage begins - additional purification. Most effective method filtering through milk will serve. It doesn’t matter which one to use – homemade or store-bought – in both cases it contains milk protein, which reacts with harmful impurities.

To separate raw milk, you can even use milk powder, previously (2-2.5 hours before) diluted with water. Next, the mixture is introduced by analogy with regular milk.

1. Prepare necessary ingredients. In our case, you will need 250 ml of milk per 1.5 liters of fortified drink. As soon as you start to inject, a reaction will be immediately noticeable - albumin and casein, which are part of the protein, begin to bind fusel and acid molecules, forming a flaky sediment.
2. Pour the product into moonshine and leave to infuse for 7 days in a dark place. For the first 5 of them, shake the jar vigorously every day; during the last 24 hours, don’t touch it at all so that the sediment thickens.
3. A week later, the distillate is carefully drained from the sediment, passed through a gauze and cotton-carbon filter, after which the product is ready for distillation.

Cleansing with milk is considered the most gentle and at the same time effective way, which preserves the “soul” of the drink and remains mild in taste.

After the moonshiner decides whether a second distillation is needed for his product and carries out all the above procedures, he can further refine his product. For this purpose, recipes for infusing moonshine with herbs, spices, fruits, and berries are used. From such a product you can get cognac, absinthe, rum, medicinal tincture or real homemade whiskey.

If the distillate is prepared using fruit mash, it is recommended to use only carbon filters (carbon column) between distillation and at the end without chemical intervention (milk, soda, potassium permanganate, etc.).

VIDEO: How to work with milk correctly

The third approach - benefit or harm?

Making homemade alcohol should be treated without excessive enthusiasm. The only way the third distillation of moonshine can affect the product is to reduce its volume. At the same time, if wine alcohol is prepared from grape chacha, then, on the contrary, a third distillation is necessary. It is usually used to make brandy and cognac.

If there is a goal to make moonshine of even higher quality, then it is better to purchase a moonshine still with a distillation column. This unit will serve best assistant in the task of more accurately separating the body, heads and tails. And at the end you get pure rectified alcohol with a strength of 85-90°.

Popular Distillation Questions

1. Is it necessary to do fractional distillation if the apparatus has a steamer?

Yes need. Due to the temperature difference, the steam steam tank (reflux condenser) traps impurities, but in small quantities. It is even more needed to protect against mash getting into the refrigerator (splash carryover). In any case, fractional distillation cannot be abandoned.

1. Is fractional distillation necessary when working with fruit mash?

Yes, I need it. The concentration of fusel milk, acids and alcohols in them is no less than in sugar and grain. It is advisable to run it 2, and even 3 times for wine alcohol, but clean it not with soda or potassium permanganate, but with charcoal. This way the characteristic taste will be preserved.

1. How many tails and heads to take from sugar mash?

Everyone has their own way. When selecting heads, we recommend focusing on sugar - on average, about 100 ml for each kg of fermented sugar for both stages. It turns out that on the first you collect 50 ml from each kg, and on the second the same amount. The tails are cut off (drained into another container) as soon as the strength drops below 40° - you can use an alcohol meter or set fire to spoons in the old-fashioned way.

1. At what temperature should the mash be brewed?

Most moonshine stills maintain the temperature at 78-83°C to ensure a crystal clear product.

VIDEO: Homemade Hennessy

Everyone has heard about this procedure, but many do not fully understand its essence. So why do you need double distillation of moonshine at home? Just because distilling spirits is a hobby doesn't mean you can skip some steps. For the first time, when selecting the “heads” and “tails,” a fairly pure product remains. But the second distillation of moonshine even better cleanses the drink from heavy fractions. The finished product is purchased crystal purity, loses foreign odors and unpleasant taste. Even if the whole process is carried out on good-quality moonshine equipment, it is worth repeating it twice. This is a guarantee of a high quality drink.

Moonshine stills Dobry Zhar

The main stages of the process of double distillation of moonshine:

1. Diluting moonshine with water.

When re-distilling moonshine, a number of rules must be followed. Each specialist in this matter has his own little tricks and methods, but no one should lose sight of some nuances. The optimal strength of raw materials is 35-40%. Those who use raw alcohol risk damaging their equipment and causing an explosion in their own kitchen. This is explained big amount strength revolutions - about 60. Thus, the distillation of finished moonshine cannot but be carried out with undiluted raw material. First, alcohol fumes can actually rip apart the still. Secondly, at higher interest rates molecular bonds stronger, ethanol interacts closely with heavy impurities, so it is almost impossible to separate them.

To dilute moonshine, you should take purified (filtered) water, which should be cool. Good household alcohol meter will help you easily bring the raw material to 35% strength. There are different opinions about diluting moonshine with water. Some say that you need to add water to moonshine, others say the opposite. The issue is resolved quite simply. It is necessary to indicate what we are diluting: water or alcoholic drink. Consequently, water is added to the container with moonshine, i.e. dilutes it!

2. Cleaning moonshine.

We have already talked about quality and complete purification of moonshine in another article. The more methods you use in practice, the better result. Thus, before re-distilling the moonshine, it should be cleaned. For this, activated carbon or potassium permanganate and filter paper/cardboard will be sufficient. Potassium permanganate can’t even be bought in a pharmacy now, so it’s easier to use charcoal.

Cleaning moonshine using special paper is quite simple. It is enough to place the neatly laid sheet in a funnel, and the last one in a bottle or container into which the liquid will be poured. It should be poured slowly.

If potassium permanganate is available, you should be patient. It is important not only to observe the sequence of actions, but also the proportions. For every 100 ml. Take 1 gram of hot water. potassium permanganate powder. It is more convenient to dilute the solution in a small container, so a container with a volume of 0.5-1 liter will be most suitable for such purification of moonshine at home.

When introducing potassium permanganate, it is necessary to constantly stir the liquid; it is better to do this wooden spoon or a spatula, but in no case with metal objects. After 20 minutes of settling, 1 tbsp is added to the moonshine. l. baking soda (this is the volume for 600 ml of diluted moonshine). The same amount of regular table salt is required. The mixture is stirred and after 2 hours filtered through gauze. First, a kind of padding should be made of the fabric from the outer layers of gauze (3-5 on each side) and a layer of cotton wool. If possible, the edges can be stitched. It is worth considering that homemade filters are quite effective, but they clog very quickly. Therefore, it is advisable to prepare them with a good supply so as not to be interrupted in the middle of the process. As in the case of paper, the liquid is poured through a funnel with a filter installed. To ensure a small flow, it is convenient to use a household ladle to pour moonshine.

3. Re-distillation of moonshine.

When all the above steps have been completed, the moonshine still needs to be thoroughly rinsed and reassembled. Preparations for the second distillation of moonshine are completed. Secondary and primary distillation are carried out in the same way. The product yield in the first case will be greater, because the drink has already passed good cleaning. The procedure will also take less time.

During the second distillation, fractional distillation takes place. You will also have to monitor the output of the “tails” and “heads,” carefully and accurately separating the most valuable main part or “body” from them. It is worth considering some points:

• On average, “heads” make up 10% of the total volume. The collected fraction cannot be drunk, it is harmful, but it is very good to use for technical purposes (cleaning surfaces and disinfecting household items).
• When the strength drops to 45%, you should use a container to collect the “tails”. Therefore, it is important to constantly monitor the speed using a household alcohol meter. The approximate content of this part is 10%.
• To determine the main part, namely when to collect it, you can use not improvised means, but the sense of smell. After exiting and collecting 10% of the total volume, you need to sniff the liquid. The absence of a pungent odor indicates that the main part of the moonshine “went” in the second distillation. The yield of the “body” is approximately 80%. Some units are capable of producing a finished product with a strength of up to 96%.

If we leave the “heads” for household needs, what should we do after re-distilling the moonshine with the “tails”? You shouldn’t get rid of them either; they will help increase the strength of the raw material when added to the mash when receiving the next batch of homemade drink.

Once the entire process is completed, you can enjoy the results. How to refine the moonshine in the future is up to everyone to decide for themselves. At the Alkopribor company you can buy aromatic additives and cognac kits to create noble drinks at home. Moonshine can be diluted to the desired degree and used instead of vodka. You can significantly improve the taste and smell by using fresh fruits and berry.

If desired, you can further purify the moonshine. There are many ways, one of the most common is based on the use of milk. For 1.5 liters of moonshine you will need 250 ml. milk. The latter is poured into a container with alcoholic beverage and left for 7 days. Experienced moonshiners are sure that it is better to use a whole product from the village, or powdered milk made from whole milk. What is sold in bags in supermarkets is highly diluted milk, which is barely suitable for high-quality purification of moonshine at home.

You can do something completely different by converting moonshine into pure alcohol. This process is well described below.

Moonshine stills Narodny

4. Rectification.

The more times you distill the drink, the higher the degree. However, pure alcohol can only be obtained through the process of rectification. This is explained by the fact that during distillation some impurities cannot be completely removed from the drink.

If you need a drink without a moonshine smell or taste, then a distillation column is optimal for you. This device looks like a vertical pipe. The device can operate in two modes: distillation and rectification. You can learn more about this process in the article “Distillation columns”.

You can dilute the resulting alcohol clean water and use for preparing various liqueurs. For more noble drinks, such as cognac, it is better to use double distillation moonshine. We wish you successful moonshine brewing and always successful experiments!

At first glance, it is strange that we were interested in this topic at all. Today there is such a selection of alcohol in stores that all you have to do is come and buy what you like best. But in reality it turns out that most of these strong drinks are of very dubious quality. All that remains is to either purchase only expensive brand names, or start self-cooking homemade equivalent called moonshine. A dusty bottle filled with a cloudy drink immediately appears before your eyes. But actually high-quality moonshine can easily compete in quality with expensive whiskey and even surpass it in a number of ways. If you are interested in this prospect, then read the article carefully. Today we will talk about how to distill moonshine for the second time.

Briefly about the main thing

Since this topic is quite capacious, we will first try to draw up a general algorithm of actions, and only then reveal each of the points. Since not everyone would think of distilling moonshine a second time, there is a rumor going around about this drink as a cheap country drink with a pungent odor. To make it crystal transparent and clean, you need to make a number of efforts, which we will talk about today.

After the primary distillation, caustic soda or ash is usually used and a small container is taken. Primary raw materials are poured into it, the cleaning agent used for cleaning is poured in, and then the access to oxygen is blocked using a test. The resulting mixture is placed on the fire and brought to a boil. Then the intensity of the fire is reduced, and the actual distillation begins. Since it will be possible to distill the moonshine much faster the second time, you don’t have to go far.

Why is this manipulation needed?

In fact, it is not necessary. However, if you decide to clean the drink with soda, manganese or other chemical substances, then you cannot do without it, otherwise the final product will be hazardous to health. It is not recommended to neglect the second distillation if mash was used to produce natural ingredients that may spoil (berries). In addition, repeated manipulations may be required if the drink has a pronounced poor taste.

“Head and Tail”, or Some Special Terminology

Since distilling moonshine a second time is not so difficult, we will devote a little more time to justifying the need for this procedure. So, during primary distillation we get three fractions. Our goal is to separate the middle part, or "body". The first 100 g of drink (per liter) that comes out of the moonshine still should not be consumed internally. This part of the drink is saturated with heavy metals. Next comes approximately 500-600 g of the ideal fraction, which has excellent taste and strength. They should be collected in a separate container. The last 300 g are also quite suitable for consumption, although this moonshine will be less rich and strong. Therefore, all three fractions are immediately collected in separate vessels.

Checking the product at the exit

You can check the alcohol concentration at the outlet. To do this, just take a tablespoon of moonshine and hold a match to it. If the liquid does not ignite, it means the alcohol concentration is less than 30%. If the flame burns weakly, it means that the alcohol concentration in it is no more than 45 degrees. But if the flame is beautiful and even, then the drink is stronger than 50 degrees.

Preparatory manipulations

So, let's get back to how to properly distill moonshine a second time. You already have three different factions, each of which can be used if you approach the matter wisely. The first thing to do is dilute the moonshine with water to the desired strength. It should be taken into account that each of the three factions has a different strength. It is better to use the “head” for technical purposes, the “body” fraction is diluted with water up to 20%, the “tails” - up to 10%. It is at this strength that the separation of harmful impurities will be most effective. With a higher strength, this process is difficult, and in addition, the procedure itself becomes dangerous due to the risk of fire. At high strengths, most substances hazardous to life and health remain bound and are almost not removed by physical or chemical methods.

Raw material purification

Despite the fact that at first glance it is intuitively clear how to distill moonshine for the second time, the recipe plays important role. It is its careful observance that will allow you to get the perfect, strong moonshine. Before starting this procedure, it is necessary to carry out thorough cleaning using various food additives, as well as chemicals. In this case, it would be best to listen to the opinion of professionals who are unanimous in the opinion that the simplest and safe means is charcoal. However, you should not use store-bought for barbecuing, as it contains various impurities that distillation will not help against.

Coal procurement

You'll have to start making it yourself. For this you will need birch or oak. The tree needs to be divided into round pieces, kept warm for several days to remove excess moisture, and then placed in a pot with a lid and burned for about 2 hours. With the help of this coal you can perfectly purify moonshine and get a noble drink. To do this, add crushed coal to the container with the drink at the rate of 50 g per 1 liter. It is advisable to leave it for several days (ideally, a couple of weeks). The residues are carefully filtered, after which secondary distillation is performed.

Cleaning with milk

Almost everyone who has already dealt with the production of strong alcoholic beverages knows how to distill moonshine a second time with milk. To do this, select a suitable container of sufficient size and add both components to it. For every three liters of moonshine, take 0.5 liters of milk. The mixture is stirred and refrigerated for 5-7 hours. As a result, flakes are deposited, which should be removed using any available filter.

High-quality moonshine from grapes

If you have a private house, and there is a vine growing on the territory, then the abundance of berries may suggest an idea to start making a noble strong drink, which is comparable to high-quality whiskey. Today we want to tell you how to distill grape moonshine for the second time. To do this you need to prepare mash from grape juice and sugar. After 7-10 days, the fermentation process will be completed. The mash is filtered and placed in a distillation cube. Now the actual work begins. The first 30 ml + 20 ml for each kilogram of sugar added must be collected and poured. You can't drink it. When the strength of the collected drink drops below 40 degrees, collection should be stopped.

It is not recommended to clean grape moonshine with charcoal, milk or anything else, as the characteristic aroma will disappear. But it is quite possible to improve the quality of the product through distillation. To do this, the “head” and “tail” are separated, and the “body” is diluted with water and re-distilled through the cube.

Wheat moonshine

This is the most famous recipe, however, newcomers to moonshine brewing are often afraid to take it on. But the quality of the resulting drink exceeds the effort expended. So, to try your hand at this you will need 3 kg of grain, 20 liters of water, 5 kg of sugar and 100 g of yeast. Wheat needs to be sprouted in a dark place. After 2-3 days, when the sprouts appear, you can fill the grain with water and add sugar. When the mash has finished drinking, filter it through a colander and add half a liter of kefir. After this, primary distillation is performed.

The second time this procedure is performed in order to improve the quality of the finished drink. Moonshine is diluted with water by 50% and distilled again. In this case, the first 30-50 ml (per 1 liter) must be drained so as not to spoil the taste of the finished product. When the strength drops below 40 degrees, the process stops. Since distilling moonshine from wheat a second time is not difficult, we will finish our description here. It should be noted that taste qualities This drink is valued by many connoisseurs.

Technological subtleties

Since everyone decides to distill moonshine for the second time solely to improve the quality of the finished drink, it would be logical to assume that it is best to use only high-quality water. Chlorinated tap water will not be at all the best option. It is optimal to take thawed or spring water, which can be a luxury in urban conditions. But it is strictly not recommended to use boiled or distilled water.

If only available tap water, it will do, but you must first leave it in a clean container so that all the bleach evaporates. There must be water room temperature. There is one more important point. When you dilute the primary fractions with water, you must first pour water into a container and then add moonshine to it. When you re-distill in this case, the collection will contain a clear liquid.

For many, the question remains unclear: why is a second distillation of moonshine needed, if the first one, in principle, can be drunk? So what does secondary distillation give?

• The taste of homemade alcohol improves and the unpleasant fusel smell disappears.
• When properly carried out distillation with separation into fractions, the product becomes largely purified from fusel oils, alkaloids, acetone, methyl alcohol and other impurities.
• In this way, you can revive any recently expelled or old “stallful”, once failed moonshine.
• This - effective way increasing the strength of low-proof alcohol. For example, if you accidentally diluted it too much or missed the moment when you should have stopped distilling.
• If there was a splash or cloudy moonshine (which can happen either during distillation or happen after some time), repeated distillation will also help.

Carefully. Repeated distillation of strong alcohol is a fire hazard!

Heating high-degree moonshine can cause an explosion and subsequent fire.

Diluting strong alcohol is necessary not only from the point of view fire safety, but also to ensure that the final product contains as few impurities as possible. The fact is that the higher the alcohol level, the stronger the connection between alcohol and fusel oils at the molecular level.

And by adding water, we weaken these bonds so that it is easier to divide the moonshine into fractions (read:). It's safer to follow the rules.

Dilution before the second stage

Measure the strength of your distillate. It is unlikely that it will be 20-30 degrees, which means it requires dilution. Continue to follow the rule: pour moonshine into the water! If you accidentally overfilled it, don't worry. A high-quality device will still take all the alcohol.

Advice. If it is important for you to get a liquid of a specific strength, use a moonshine or alcohol with water calculator.

Moonshine cleaning

Remembering that when you decide to re-drive, you strive to improve quality indicators. Therefore, pre-clean the existing moonshine. It is more convenient to do this before diluting with water - there will be less liquid for filtration, and less cleaning material will be spent.

The procedure is well known: add a cleaning agent that will bind fusel oils and other impurities and lower them as sediment to the bottom of the container. Then filter the liquid. What to use?

• Potassium permangantsovka does an excellent job of getting rid of not only impurities, but also odor. Although this method is questionable if you are preparing moonshine for drinking, it is quite suitable before the second distillation. For 3 liters of moonshine you need to take no more than 6 g of potassium permanganate. Pre-dissolve the crystals in warm water, then mix with alcohol-containing liquid. Let it sit (10-12 hours) and filter.
• Woody or activated pharmaceutical charcoal. Grind it, add it to alcohol at the rate of 3-4 spoons per three liter jar. Stir several times over a day or two. Filter.
• Milk the fresh one binds impurities and flakes down to the bottom of the container.
• Bentonite (White clay) is perfect for cleaning mash and ready-made moonshine.
• Soda- another effective folk remedy.

Advice. It is most convenient to filter moonshine after cleaning using a cut-off plastic bottle(beer bottle, with a narrow long neck).

Insert several rolled cotton pads into the neck and filter.

Rules and proportions of the second distillation

Pour the diluted alcohol-containing liquid into the cube, connect all parts of the device, ensuring the connections are tight, and put it on heat. Monitor the thermometer readings carefully.

Now every modern moonshine still is equipped with a thermometer. If you don’t have one, then it’s easy to modify the cube to be able to monitor the heating temperature.

1. As soon as the temperature reaches 65°C, watch carefully so as not to miss the appearance of the first drops of distillate - these are poisonous heads containing acetone and. Collect them in a separate bowl and pour them out. The number of head fractions is from 8 to 12% of the expected yield of moonshine, with a strength of 40° in the total mass. Experienced distillers determine the end of the expiration of the heads “by smell”: the characteristic acetone stench stops - they begin to take away the body.

Important. When the first drops of distillate appear in the receiving tube, sharply reduce the heating to a minimum. Select the head fractions not in a stream, but only in drops.

1. The main drinking part of the moonshine comes at a temperature in the cube of 78-80 – 92-96°C. Finish selecting the body when the strength in the stream is 40°. At the same time, the liquid collected in a spoon under the stream burns with a red flame, and when it goes out, there is still about half of the original volume of liquid in the spoon.
2. Select the tails (separately) while the liquid scooped into the spoon flares up and goes out. That is, up to 20 degrees.

Opportunities for improving the second stage

As a rule, even after diluting with water, there is not enough liquid for the second distillation. To fill the cube, you can add tailings from previous distillations. They also need to be cleaned before use. The methods described above will not take away the degree, but will only remove impurities.

There are other methods that deserve attention. For example, if you have some tasteless wine lying around, add it to the cube along with diluted moonshine. It will give the moonshine new notes of taste. There is no need to dilute or purify the wine with anything.

Answers to questions from distillers

— To what degree should the moonshine be distilled a second time?

Usually the middle fraction (the body or heart of moonshine) is selected up to 40° in the stream, but you can also come across an opinion - up to 50°, so that there is no guarantee that it contains fusel. It is easier to dilute the final product with clean water to the desired strength than to consume harmful impurities. You are doing something for yourself.

— Is it necessary to purify second-distilled moonshine?

There are various opinions, including this: moonshine will and even must contain a certain amount of fusel oils, since this is called the organoleptics of the product. The main thing is that there are not too many of them there.

As for the subsequent cleaning of the second stage, many argue that there is little point in it. You have already done everything that is possible, you can’t improve anything else at home. This is not true. If you still feel that the product you received is not perfect, clean the distillate again using charcoal, milk, soda or another method.

Carefully. It is not advisable to use potassium permanganate for a product that you will ingest. Despite its good cleansing capabilities, there is evidence that when interacting with alcohol, manganese forms other compounds that are unknown how they will “come back” to those who consume this product even after filtration.

— Is there a need for a second distillation if the moonshine still is equipped with a steamer?

The dry steamer does indeed remove some of the fusel oils, but not all of them. Moreover, if there is no possibility of draining during the haul. Therefore, there is a point in the second distillation with division into fractions. At the same time, we note that the second distillation with a steamer will purify the distillate better than a direct-flow apparatus.

— I’m not satisfied with the quality of moonshine after the second distillation. How to improve it?

There are several methods for this:

• infuse the distillate with herbs/spices (bison, anise, etc.) or orange zest;
• pour into an oak barrel and age for 3-4 months;
• use for berry-based liqueurs;
• carry out additional cleaning;
• distill again.

— What to do with moonshine after the second distillation?

It’s better to let it rest for a week or two and stabilize the taste in a glass container. Then put it on the table and help yourself, because it is much purer than the first distillate. In addition, it is an excellent base for medicinal or drinking tinctures.

— Does moonshine need a third distillation?

If the smell, taste (or even strength) even after the second distillation do not suit you, no one bothers you to carry out the third distillation. But there is no need to rush if the mash is made from grain or fruit and berry raw materials. Such moonshine needs time (up to six months) for its true taste and aroma to reveal itself. It needs to be placed in a glass container, or even better - in.

Features of triple distillation

Before the third distillation, dilute the resulting secondary distillate again to 20-30° and purify sunflower oil. Pour half a glass of oil into 3 liters of moonshine, leave for a day and strain through cheesecloth. Distill using the same principle as the second time.

In addition, it is advisable to use a steamer; it will additionally select a certain amount of fusel. When the device is equipped with a second, collapsible steamer, you can put zest, spices, and herbs into it for additional flavoring.