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HOW MUCH ALCOHOL WILL I GET?
With a 6 kg (13 lb) sugar, Turbo Classic Yeast wash, you
will get approx 3.2-3.5 L (108-118 US fl oz) of 93% ABV
alcohol, that’s the equivalent of 7-8 L (1.8-2 US Gal) of
40% ABV spirit.
WHAT’S IN THE DISTILLATE?
The distillate obtained with the Turbo 500 Distillation
System is usually composed of 93% alcohol and
6.9% water. The 0.1% left is a mixture of different
compounds, called congeners, responsible for good
and bad flavours.
Most of this 0.1% comes out in the first 300 ml
(10 US fl oz) of the distillate; this is called the ‘heads’
and contains acetaldehydes and ethyl acetate. It has
a distinctive smell: ‘fruity’, ‘nail polish’. Up to 500 ml
(17 US fl oz) can be taken out if you are looking to make
an outstanding clean, pure spirit, like vodka. However,
taking the first 50 ml (2 US fl oz) out is sufficient for
most applications.
The core of the distillate (500 ml (17 US fl oz) to the
end) is very pure.
The Turbo 500 Distillation System doesn’t produce
tails, like pot stills do and distillate will be very pure
until the end.
CAN THE TURBO 500 BE USED AS A POT STILL?
We recommend using the Still Spirits Alembic
Condenser and Dome Top sold separately, for better
results. This consists of a copper dome and alembic
condenser that fit onto your existing Turbo 500 Boiler.
CAN I DISTIL TWO BATCHES IN A ROW?
The wash left inside the boiler after your first
distillation is boiling hot. If you wish to run it again
then carefully remove the very hot lid and add 5 L
(1.3 US Gal) of cold water to the spent wash to cool
quickly before emptying.
CAN I GET A HIGHER ABV BY DOUBLE DISTILLING?
Double distilling will achieve very little with the
Turbo 500 as it will not increase the ABV much.
If using the Turbo 500 distillation system, the distillate
will be already approx. 90-93% ABV, which is near the
maximum ABV a home still can achieve. Double
or
triple distilling is used with pot stills to try to emulate
the result of a Turbo 500.
Note that the highest alcohol percentage possible
is 95.6% ABV.
IS THERE ANY METHANOL PRODUCED?
The Turbo 500 Distillation System produces a highly
pure spirit with 0.001% methanol on average, which is
well below the maximum legal limits for methanol in
spirits for commercial sale.
HOW HOT DOES THE BOILER GET?
The liquid inside the boiler will get as hot as its
boiling point, ie 100°C (212˚F) for water, 78.2°C (173˚F)
for alcohol. As the wash contains a mix of water and
alcohol the temperature the wash boils at rises as
the alcohol is driven off. You need to boil the wash to
convert the alcohol to steam so you can extract the
alcohol from the wash.
WHAT IS THE MINIMUM VOLUME REQUIRED IN
THE 30 L (8 US GAL) BOILER?
10 L (2.6 US Gal) is the minimum volume possible.
Although optimum performance is attained when the
Turbo 500 Distillation System is full.
WHY DO I NEED TO USE CERAMIC BOIL ENHANCERS?
The reusable ceramic boil enhancers should be added
in the boiler before distilling to avoid surge boiling.
Stainless steel saddles do the same.
WHAT IS THE DISTILLING CONDITIONER?
Distilling Conditioner is an anti-foaming product, made
of silicones and is suitable for human consumption.
This reduces the chance of foaming in the boiler and
promotes optimum distillation conditions.
The wash can froth when boiling (this may be due to
the presence of residual sugar not entirely fermented,
or a wash not cleared). Froth can enter the column
and disrupt the reflux action, reduce alcohol quality
and disrupt temperature control. To help prevent
foaming we recommend adding 3 capfuls of Still Spirits
Distilling Conditioner to the 30 L (8 US Gal) boiler.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO CONTROL THE WATER
OUTLET TEMPERATURE?
Controlling the water outlet temperature is the key
user control of the Turbo 500 Distillation System
process. The development work on the Turbo 500
showed an ideal water outlet range of 55-65°C
(131-150°F). This can be reduced as low as 50°C (122°F),
which will slow the alcohol production rate.
The outlet temperature can be increased to as high as
65°C (150°F), which will make the alcohol flow faster,
but at slightly lower strength and purity.
As a general rule, running the still between 60-65°C
(140-150°F) will produce alcohol faster but at a slightly
lower strength and quality, while running the still
between 55-60°C (131-140°F) will provide you with
optimum quality but it will take a bit longer.
The higher the flow rate, the cooler the condenser and
the slower the distillate will flow.
The lower the flow rate, the hotter the condenser and
the faster the distillate will flow.
