Run Procedure iStill One: Stripping a Clear Wash

3 December 2014
Hi there, here's another run procedure for the iStill One. Required reading for iStill One owners or will-be iStill One owners. The procedure is for the iStill One doing a strip run, to take a mash of 7 to 12% and turn it into 30 to 40% low wines for a brandy, rum or whiskey. For beer or wine stripping, so without (many) solids in the liquid you are going to strip. Stripping run approach on a clear wash:
  1. Take away all cleaning sections;
  2. Empty the iCatalyst by taking out the copper packing - place the packing under 45% strong alcohol to prevent copper corrosion;
  3. Place the 180 degree bend (from column to product cooler) directly on top of the now empty catalyst;
  4. Dial in the end cut point into the computer: 99.5 degrees C boiler temperature;
  5. Fill to boiler with a maximum of 1,250 liters of wash;
  6. Set the agitator at 5 revs per minute;
  7. Open up the water cooling;
  8. Fire up the heaters at full power;
  9. The boiler content will heat up in two hours;
  10. You will see the first drips coming off as soon as 65 degrees C (output temperature) is reached;
  11. Keep throwing 100% power at the iStill One during the entire run;
  12. Collect everything in your low wines container until the computer alarm for 99.5 degrees C in the boiler goes of;
  13. Now stop the program on the computer and shut down the agitator;
  14. Then shut off the gas burners;
  15. Keep the cooling water flowing for at least another 30 minutes, while the iStill One collects some additional low wines automatically, even with the burners off.
You can do multiple strip runs and combine the low wines to do a finishing run on (keep total ABV in the boiler at a maximum of 30%). Or you can dilute the low wines with fresh wash and do a finishing run on that. For the finishing run, please see the previous Blog Post.

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Comments (3)
Great post. Can you add your suggested protocol for running the strippings (from an iStill ONE stripping run) in the iStill250 for a maximum flavor whiskey? We will probably move towards a one run whiskey but for now, we plan to do the stripping protocol above and then a second distillation in pot still mode with maximum flavor retention for a flavorful whiskey. Thanks!
Anthony
3 December 2014
Hi Anthony, Take around 200 liters of 30% low wines, add them to the iStill 250's boiler. Now go to the menu. Dial in Fores cut at 78.5 degrees C. End setting around 95 degrees C. Stabilization time of 10 minutes. Next step? Go to the menu, choose pot distillation and Fores cut only. Then start. The iStill 250 will heat up at 18 KW, switch to 9 KW automatically, then take Fores. After that the iStill 250 will stabilize for 10 minutes. After stabilization a small heads cut is taken, then production starts. You will love the outcome! 95 degrees C end temperature is arbitrairy. You will have to decide for yourself, based on the ferment, where the end cut is. But say you use 95 degrees as end cut, know that the iStill 250 will collect until you hit that temperature. Then it will automatically stop. After that, you may start up again with Fores temp at 77 degrees and just one minute of stabilization and take the tails. Add the tails to the next stripping run. Important: After stabilization is done, dial the power input manually back to 7 KW. Great for making a whiskey you want to age. If you want to make a moonshine, just choose the Pure Program with the same parameters. Output will now be 96%, but with a nice clean taste after dilution and a few weeks rest! Regards, Odin.
Odin
3 December 2014
Same basic procedure for a max flavor second distillation for a rum or brandy? Thanks.
Anthony
8 December 2014