Did you know that, despite the huge range at your local liquor store, there are only seven general types of distilled spirits; Vodka, Tequila, Gin, Rum, Whiskey, Mezcal and Brandy.

Similarly, there is more than one type of distillation run on a still, in fact I use three different types of run;

Stripping; this is a quick, and hot, run where the goal is to get the alcohol out of the liquid as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Spirit; a much slower run, in this type of distillation the aim is to compress (and remove) the foreshots and heads before collecting only the hearts.

Gin; I consider this a separate type of run because of its final result. It starts with neutral alcohol at 50% ABV into which I add botanicals before closing it up to macerate overnight. A gin run, for me, is slow and cool, gently taking off the gin without trying to go too fast.

The image above shows a spirit run, with the alcohol vapour just starting to build up on some copper saddles. This reflux helps increase copper contact and that removes more of the fermentation flavour character from the final product.

You need to taste this; it'll become my Classic Vodka and you can get a bottle through the online store. 🍸