Still It

Let's make a Super drinkable somewhat untraditional gin. I'm going to forget about tradition and focus purely on the "yum" this time around. A refreshing clean gin that's super sessionable.

Distilling recipes are awesome! But haven't you ever just wanted to pick up an ingredient and know how to get it ready for fermentation so you can distill it? After watching this video you won't need a recipe anymore. You will know exactly when you need to boil, mash and add enzymes.

I can't belive I have yet to actually distill a box of cheap wine! Can we make a tasty brandy from it? Perhaps something else, and what about the sulfites? Obviously, keep in mind you will likely get widely varying results based on the exact wine you distill. Thats actually the fun of it I guess!

It's time to make an apricot vodka! But I wasn't sure what technique to use to get the apricot flavor into the vodka. So I decided to try using a bunch of them. Perhaps we can learn a little about the techniques and end up with a tasty beverage.

What temp is it best to run your still at? This is a pretty common question for new distillers. It turns out its kind of complex. In fact, it's probably not the question you should be asking yourself. If you are new to distilling this is definitely a video worth watching from start to finish. I hope it helps!

Do you want to make tasty gin at home? Are you excited to be able to play around with different gin recipes? This video is going to give you all the knowledge you need to get started!

It turns out distilled mouthwash is nasty. But I did learn something about distillation along the way.

The new Air Still Pro is creating a bit of a stir in some groups. Now that I have put 8 or so runs through it Im ready to review it.

Its time to distill a Tennessee-style whiskey at home! This means I am finally going to give charcoal filtering a solid try. It had to happen one of these days.

Alcoholic easter eggs? Yes, please! Finally, I found a way to get Erin into distilling.

This worked so well I had to change the plan. Wheetbix give a serious amount of flavor to a distilled spirit and the milk cocktail . . . .liqour . . . .whatever you want to call it was downright awesome! The final recipe I bottled: Spirit Blend: 1:1 Pot Stilled to Reflux 450ml Milk 270ml Spirit (55% ABV) 25ml Maple Syrup 1 OR 5.2 fl oz Milk 9.1 fl oz Spirit (55% ABV) 0.84 fl oz Maple Syrup

These are some of the more common questions I get. Let's knock them down one by one.

Spirit Recipe: Macerate 2L (0.53 gal) of spirit (aim for 55% abv) with the following botanicals for 3 hours at 55c (131 f): 7g Dried Tarragon 15g Wormwood 10g Fennel 15g Anise 20g uncrushed Juniper 10 crushed juniper 15g Coriander 10g Lemon 1.4g Angelica Root Proof to 40% then pot distill. Take a small amount of heads. Around 30ml (1 oz) Then collect until the botanicals start to lose their flavor or things get a bit weird. Likely around the 55% mark. Separate half the resulting spirit and heat it back to 50 c (120f) then macerate with the following botanicals for 5-25 min based on flavour: 4g Tarragon 6g Spinach 6g Beans 1.5g hyssup Sieve the maceration, add it back to the reserved spirit and proof it down to 55% ABV. Cocktail Recipe: 2 parts Coronation absinthe/gin 1.5 parts Honey syrup 1.5 parts lemon juice white of one egg Dry shake Add ice and shake again. Strain into a glass, top up with soda water, garnish with angostura and a cheese crisp

If oats help to add body to a sugar wash vodka will 100% oats be even smoother?

Feijoa is notoriously. . .weird when it comes to distillation. Let's give it a nudge anyway! Can we make vodka from it?

Meme spirits time, today I'm playing with red and black liquorice. I have a fairly strong opinion about the red stuff . . . . . perhaps I am wrong!

It's time to taste through 6 whiskey barrels to see how they are doing. Are they trending well, or do they need a little discipline?

Ironroot Republic normally makes world-class whiskey. But not today, I'm forcing them to make something . . . . . .WEIRD!

Nope Im not back in the USA again, Randal (AKA the Whiskey Shaman) and I shot this after the last bastard's ball. Enjoying and analysing commercial spirits can help you find inspiration and direction as a home distiller.

You were right, essences do actually improve average whiskey!

It's finally time to bottle the New Zealand Peat Whiskey that's been aging for over 3 years. I don't often actually bottle an aging spirit so this is kinda special for me!

Time to make a fruity, full-bodied, smooth single malt. I have 20 tips and 7 steps to help you make your own!

Thanks for everything you did Ben, your lust for life and passion for curiosity will be dearly missed.

I made a seaweed gin on a whim a little while ago. Let's see if one of these two test subjects will make it better!

This vodka turned out great! A subtle brandy-like sweetness, big voluptuous body with a little cereal-like flavour on the back end.

It's not every day that 100kg of kiwifruit falls into your lap. I feel pretty lucky to be able to turn it into a tasty and unique brandy.

This may be the straight-up tastiest meme spirits creation yet. And to think I almost didn't do this because I thought Cracker-Jacks were . . . crackers!

I felt pretty bad almost wasting a bunch of great fruit. But it turned out well in the end. There is something to this whole fortified sour wine thing I think!

Toasted &/or charred oak does magical things to a spirit. It's even more satisfying watching your own spirits slowly turn into something more magical than the sum of all the parts. In this video, I show you how to find, season, toast, char, and use your own oak.

The last time I distilled seaweed it ended up smelling and tasting like a seal colony. Not ideal! But viewers suggested I try toasting the seaweed and/or steeping it in hot water first. Will this save my dreams for a gin with New Zealand seaweed?

Lets ferment a wine kit from the homebrew store and distill it into brandy. This is going to be a whole lot cheaper than buying wine!

No joke this is super tasty. Its probably not the type of spirit I would drink by itself but it's amazing in cocktails. This one is worth giving a go yourself if only to fill out the bar for mixology experiments. Distill your own Old Bay Vodka and experiment to see how you like it best.

I have way to many jars and barrels of random spirits lying around. It's time to taste all the whiskey, rum, and single malt lying around. What should I keep and what just needs to be thrown out?

I think I may end up using Tootsie Rolls as a real ingredient in a future mash. This was an interesting one!

George from Barley and Hops is thinking of making videos again!

It's a tragedy that we lost Ben, But I'm glad to say that his legacy is in good hands.

Ben was an amazing member of the distilling community and will be dearly missed. Panela Rum was one of his favorite recipes. Let's make a batch (with my own little spin) to remember him. I encourage you to do the same, it's super tasty, but put your own spin on it!

Lets brew a Belgian dark strong and see what happens when I distill it. Spoiler alert, it turns into a pretty tasty whiskey.

I love a good tequila or mezcal. Unfortunately, I can't get my hands on agave. So let's make a tequila-inspired spirit using Kumera/sweet potato and agave syrup. Mash: 8kg / 17.5 lb Slow-roasted Kumara / Sweet potato 6 L / 1.6 gal Agave Syrup 3 kg 6.6lb Sugar Water to make up to 45L / 12 gal About 1 tsp of high temp alpha-amylase (HTAA) Your choice of yeast (I used Pinnacle "S" rum yeast) Slow roast the sweet potato, ideally with a fire if you want some smoky impact. Dice it up and add to a small portion of the water. Bring to a boil and add 1/2 tsp high temp alpha-amylase. Boilf for 5 min then reduce the temp to just under boiling. Add an additional 1/2stp of the HTAA let sit for 45 - 60 min. Pour the above mash into the fermenter along with the sugar and agave syrup. Stir till dissolved. Top the fermenter off to 45L / 12 gal. Pitch your yeast and ferment.

Ever wanted to know how to distill a corn moonshine on a plated still? This is the video for you. I was lucky enough to hang out with the crew from @ClawhammerSupply and make a cracked corn moonshine mash. I replicated it here in New Zealand, today I am distilling it to make white whiskey or moonshine.

I have way to many spirits sitting around maturating or aging on oak and in barrels. Its time to taste another 10 in an attempt to get through my whole collection before xmas.

I know I CAN distil peanuts, but should I? Will they be tasty? Or terrible? I have a hunch their oily nature may make things a little strange. Let's find out!

Time to taste another 9 spirits. Some need to be bottled NOW some are a waste and few of them just need more time.

My favourite still setup does it all . . . almost. I can't really use it to make vodka. Today I'm going to change that! The takeaway is that when it comes to reflux stills, more packing height or more plates equals higher abv. So lets add 60cm of packed spool.

Its that time of year. Pick something up for yourself, someone you love . . . . or send this video onto someone else to drop that hint.

This was so easy to make. But so dam tasty. This definitely goes into the "must try at home" category. 1L of vodka at around 65% (1.05 quarts) 26 g of dried mint

Let's make potato vodka without the hassle of cooking the potato! This makes an interesting, crisp, clean vodka with a subtle steamed potato flavour. Yum! ---------------------------------- Mash Recipe: 30L / 7.9 gal of strike water 4 kg / 8.8 lb Ale malt 1kg / 2.2lb Oats 3kg / 6.6 lb Potato flakes Mash at 65c (149f) for 1.5 hours. Check temp and stir at the 45min mark. Sparge twice with around 10L (2.6 gal) of hot water (20L / 5.2 gal total) Add 9kg ( 19.8 lb) of sugar and top up to 90L (23 gal) in total Add 3 tsp of yeast nutrient Temp control to 38c and pitch 90g of Angel Red Label

I had no idea Terry's Chocolate Orange were actually a Christmas thing. I thought it was just our family. Apparently, there are plenty of you out there that share the tradition! So lets distill one!

I have the peanut cheat code! Peanuts are a bit of a problem when it comes to distilling and moonshine. I have tried it before and they never quite work out right. But Nick Calo gave me the secret to getting great peanut flavour! It only seems right to try it out with a recipe heavily based on one of his. The original (by Nick Calo) is called Hunka Hunka Burning Love. I'm calling my version The Kings Envy. You guessed it, its Elvis themed and based on his favourite sandwich. The fried peanut butter and banana! Mash Recipe: 35L strike water 5 kg malted barley 1 kg rolled oats 1 kg rolled wheat 8 kg malted corn 3.5 kg honey 300 g peanut flour Mash at 65c for 1.5 hours. Distill half the wash with a stripping run. Return low wines and the rest of the wash into the still. Add 400g of peanut flour and 2.5 kg bananas (cook until browning) Distill with 3 plates. Make solid cuts, this is drunk white not aged.

Today we have Big Nick Calo to talk about the moonshiners: master distiller recipe on @discovery and @DiscoveryAustralia. Nick gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the show and gives details on his winning recipe: Hunka Hunka Burning Love.

A HUGE thank you to everyone who has supported, viewed and engaged with the channel over the last year. You are the people that make this possible I hope you have an amazing holidays and kick ass Xmas! Here is the recipe (I doubled everything this time): Base Gin Recipe (1sh Bottle): 700ml vodka at 60ish %abv 15g crushed juniper 15g uncrushed juniper 8g coriander seed 8g lemon peel 0.7g angelica root