We want you to get the credit you deserve! You've taught us almost everything we know about our craft. From fermentation to distilling. Thank you so much for the videos!

George I just want to honestly thank you for all the awesome and valuable knowledge you share in you channel, I'm a distiller from Colombia, south america and provably all the things i know i've learned from your channel, thanks for all your hard work.

These are the BEST videos on this subject! Period !!

Awesome refresher course. I could listen to you all day, George!

Thank you George. I have been worrying for some time that I was doing something wrong because I was stopping the process at 100 proof and maybe I should continue for longer. Your explanation is clear, makes complete sense and demystifies the topic.

I love the way you say not forcing the vapours but letting them rise up. It makes perfect sense and something I will remember next time. Thanks George 👍

When using George’s technique of “cut it off at 100 proof AND 204 degrees” you’ve got to hit them both not either or, the math works great every time. 5 gallons of 10%, science says that’s .5 gallons of 180 proof. Take off 200ml of foreshots and 400ml of heads, you get almost exactly 1 gallon of 90 proof every time (same as 1/2 gallon of 180, just brought some water with it due to the azeotrope relationship). Now you can make cuts and separate for higher proof in the first few quarts and lower proof for the last few quarts, but a gallon of 90 proof works for me. Happy Distilling!

Thanks a million George. So much knowledge. God bless you.

Mind = Blown. Never truly understood the difference between ABV & Proof. Thank you George!

I love the amount of information you pack into a video. I am sure you were a teacher in a former life, you have all the illustration skills and bring difficult concepts down to a very understandable level. I also love you non-judgmental approach to dissenting opinions. I find the comments sections almost as entertaining and informative as the videos getting into a finer and nuanced discussion of the topic at hand with additional helpful hints. Some of the older 'sages' with their 'traditional knowledge' learned through years of working in the craft are also invaluable if looked at through the lens of modern science. Thank you George for all your efforts and the stimulating discussions you have 'provoked'.

You’re the man George! Love your teachings. Have learned so much from you.

You the best teacher in this hobby I have come across and the only channel I watch now. KEEP UP THE GREAT JOB!! ABSOLUTELY LOVE YOU VIDEOS

Glad to hear you enjoyed your holidays and back with some new videos.

OMG George. Thank you so much for explaining everything the way you do! You are a great teacher! Thank you. Thank you!

Excellent video George thanks Happy Distilling

Hi! thanks George again to clarify some of the math behind distillation Kind regards from France

Welcome back! Glad you enjoyed your time in Tennessee. Been missing you. This topic could not have been explained any simpler.

Just Wonderfull For the past few weeks I have been mesmerized by each of your contributions George, you are truly a gifted communicator and expert in the art of distilling. And it is an art, the science is impeccable but the taste is technique, so many people don't understand that. I am an immigrant and my family has been distilling for more generations than I care to mention alcohol such as Schnaps, Brandy and Vodka and every time, growing up, I would watch my uncles distill out of the same base and argue why each batch tasted just a Lil' different...chuckle. Thank You!

Question?. Your 1.75 gal of hearts aren’t 100% abv. They probably average 60% +/- abv across the run, so the actual 100% ethanol volume would be 1.75 gal x 60% or about 1.05 gallons of 100% ethanol. That represents a little less than half of your initially calculated alcohol content. If the actual final abv was 65%, it would get you to about half. Am I missing something?

I love watching your videos. It’s like watching my high school chemistry teacher teaching me things I actually care about!! Love it

George.... welcome back! I have learned so much from you over the years. Hope all is well on your end. Looking forward to new videos.

Thank you for your content. First run of my unit this weekend. You have given me so much good info leading to a successful distilling day.

FINALY!! jesus george. kept us waiting eh? love your videos ! pump em out as quick as you can! 2 weeks is too long

Hey George, the tails have a lot of ethanol along with the fusel oils so when they are added back to the pot for future distilling they won't all go to the end of the run, they will add some to the heads and hearts as well. I don't mean to undermine the Master, I owe so much to you, George! Just something to consider.

Great job as always George...Thanks

Thanks for this George it is really helpful. This make a good guide for what new beginners to expect how much hearts they can get when they don't know what tails taste like to begin with. Happydistilling!!

Great video George. In the end, the batch size and the amount of ABV your batch has will determine how much you will get before dilution/proofing which is pretty easy to do. I use Liters and Mililiters to dilute my alcohol to a drinkable state before filtering because it's more accurate. Below is some basic formulas that anyone can use to calculate and dilute their alcohol. ABV Hydrometer Formula (Calculates your ABV in a mash/wash): Original Gravity - Final Gravity = answer mulitplied by 131.25 = ABV in a wash/mash Specific Gravity Formula for refractometers using Brix: Brix Units mulitplied by 4 = Specific Gravity Alcohol Dilution Formula (I use L and ML's because it's more accurate): Actual ABV % divided by required ABV% multiplied by liquid volume minus the liquid volume = needed water.

PID controlled by a flow sensor at the output of the still, would automatically raise temperature and keep ideal output flow. Could add temp sensor to stop the process once a certain temp is reached. Nice videos, learning a lot! Thank you for that.

Welcome back George, thank you again for the wealth of knowledge!!

Thanks George As always great job. I can attest to not adding tails back in to a run. I had saved up from several runs the heads and tails, (about a gal). It made the whole batch smell and taste off. Or it might have been in my head but I'll never do that again. Thanks again Professor Duncan!

Wow. Very educational. Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge.

Keep coming back to watch George you are the best to my beginnings . Wish you well stay safe

For the newcomers to this hobby this video was invaluable Thanks

Thanks for all the instructive videos George! Big fan, learnt alot the last couple of months that I've watched your videos. My math and/or thinking might be incorrect here, but I think you forgot one step of the calculation. There's 2,34 gallons of pure ethanol in the still, but the product exiting the still is not pure ethanol. For example; If you get 60% during the entire run it would mean 2,34/0,6 = 3,9. If you could collect all of the ethanol (including foreshots, heads and tails), at a 60% abv you should get 3,9 gallons of of that 13%, 18 gallon mash. Please correct me if I'm wrong though, and never stop doing what you do! :)

Getting really curious about tails runs, tbh; for all the grungy/nasty that's left in the tails, there's still not only good alcohol, but likely some interesting flavor notes that can be worked with

Great video as always George! Cheers 🥃

Understood it perfectly!! Thanks for your efforts!

Keep in mind folks,that you have in the states, a gallon is 3.8 litres, Whereas in Australia we used to have gallons that were imperial Which were 4.5 litres Before we went to metric measure's

Glad to see you back my friend as always good information all keep them coming #HappyDistilling George Thanks for your help.

Another great video George. Could I ask you to look at some mods or best practises with T500 reflux still? Your insights and explanations are the best!

Just discovered your channel. I love your personality and your expertise. Ty for the excellent content.

Great info George, you answered so many of my questions! Thank you!

Please tell me you were/are a chemistry professor, if not you should have been. I think I learned more in this 26 minute video than I did in college chemistry. Which, typical of education in the US, provided absolutely no context of application. In plain language, you just described the obscure laws and standards we were taught about chemical solutions, using a practical application, and very minimal math. On another note, is it possible you were a math teacher, I can see it... Awesome video, glad I found your channel.

Re the screen for the carbon filter The best I have found and cheapest pick up a fry pan filter screen at the Dollar store cut it up works fantastic. Cliff in BC Canada

Thank you so much! This was the exact lesson I needed! Subscribed

Hello George people like you on KZfaq mate??? Make our life easier thank you for being there

That’s a HUGE white board George! We have not been to Gatlinburg in ages. Glad you are back safely.

Uses for tails. Hand sanitzer. Possible zippo fluid. Tiki torchs. I make recycled paper logs for winter save up alot of tails to have higher proof fire starter

There's one thing I didn't get. To get abv from proof, you just divide proof by 2, right? Then why do you use both units instead of just sticking to one? I mean, we could just say the mash has 10%abv, and the distilled result is 50%abv. Which is the same as 100 proof

I always appreciate the info you share George. Thanks Brotha!

That was an amazing video through an through...

I wish i could take in half of your knowledge

Love ya George always looking forward to the next video

Thank you, George!

Mr George, My still turn off and ended up with lots of oil and cloudiness, the question is Can I triple distil and get rid of that tail, how much can I get of 3 gallons at 68 proof. I'm distilling agave. And thank you so much for all the good info. You are very passionate.

Thanks George, excellent teachings.

Great info George. Thank you. The question I have is if you plan to use 25-30% of the leftover stillage after distillation to add to the next fermentation for a sour mash, then a portion of the tails are carried forward with the stillage. If you do it over and over in consecutive runs, say 4th or 6th generation, doesn't that add increased risk of tails with each generation? What are the benefits and risks associated with doing this over and over? Since this is the way commercial distillers make their sour mash products, there have to be some benefits. TIA and #HappyDistilling

Great simple explanations George....awesome work

Thank you George.

Very interesting video, thanks for sharing your knowledge!

Some of the confusion in this topic arrives from the fact that a fermented liquid contains several types of alcohol, with ethanol being only one type. A 10% ABV liquid is not 10% ethanol, but 10% of the liquid is less dense than water. Hydrometers measure the density of a liquid compared to water. Fortunately, different alcohol molecules boil at different temperatures, so you can raise the temperature of a fermented liquid and separate different alcohols at their particular boiling point. All distillates are a mix of different alcohols. It is generally agreed that ethanol is the most desirable. By separating the fractions of the distillate (cuts) you can isolate the portion that has the most ethanol and the least amount of other stuff. So don’t mistake a 10% ABV fermented liquid as 10% ethanol. It’s (mostly) 10% alcohol by volume, and only part of that is ethanol.

Is the cloudy part of the 80 proof, what the large distilleries “chill filter” to remove. As a scotch LOVER (the peaty ones) some of those “tails” add the flavors that we are actually looking for ! A “unchill filtered whisky” gets cloudy because the oils (flavors) left behind ! Perhaps it’s not as important in clear neutral spirits ? Still learning,,, but I will look at some tails to mix in ???

Gorge your the best thanks for your help bro 🙏

I'm happy to see your results in temperature, volume and purity mirror my own. Except I was occasionally adding feints. Your explanation of why not to and how valueless they prove to be was great. Not doing that anymore. Just made 1 1/2 gallons of 43% gin. Very happy. Peace.

When I get started I make all the math easy.. 5 gallons goes in the still at 11% ABV, I expect 10% back out. 20 quarts in 2 quarts out.. I keep an eye with the P&T to keep from running under 100 proof like George, and it has worked great for 25 years for this old bag! Ever consider posting your videos on Rumble? Many of us are trying to dump U-toob, so it would be nice to see you over there..

I wish you would talk more about pot stills Us beginners usually start out with a pot still and we usually don't move up unless you have money

Awesome vid George. So ironically enough you were at 75% efficiency. So we always say that our normal efficiency is between 80-75% efficiency roughly. If we go conservative and say I'll normally hit 75% as my avg then you could say 18*.13*.75 is damn close to your potential collection amount. Whalla, that's almost exactly what you collected.

Always very informative!!👍🏼

these videos are great and im in the uk my question is this when working out your hearts is there a difference between a mash and asuger wash

I hate to go off info, but I go to Gatlingburg and Pigeon Forge every year since 97. Well before legal moonshine was there it was legal and was thrilled you made a trip there! Moonshine capital of the world! lol Now there is so many distillery's to try, it is hard to sample them all and not have a good time! I'm from Iowa and recommend it to you"all! I was there in September and missed you George! As always love your videos!!!!!! If you ever go back , would like to show you around , it is a great place to enjoy! Wives love all the shopping!!! (:

glad you had a good vacation

Once again, right on the money... I look at the abv as how much I potentially will draw. How efficient I run it will determine proof. Theoretically.

Thanks George for all your videos... My only question right now is about your automated still that runs off an 18 gallon mash in about 3 hours... very impressive ..... can we get a video of that speedy process or a small explanation? Thanks.

Tks man. Very helpful.

Excellent teacher, thanks

Just distilled 20 gallons. I'd checked it before fermentation and also used the PABV chart which both came up as 10 percent. In the end I had a total over 3 gallons. I'm still scratching my head about that one.

very informative, thank you very much from Australia

Great video George, I am really starting to understand this the more I watch and then go do it myself ! Cheers buddy!!

If you’re making a pot stilled whiskey than only keep what tastes good. When you have enough feints for an all feints run you always end up with something.

George I get it and I don’t collect tails during my run either. It is just bad stuff.

Hello my friend. In mash made of sugar (beet), the content should not exceed 20% brix by refractometer. Conventional baker's yeast is not able to process such volumes, they are able to ferment only 10% alcohol in the wort. If we are talking about special alcoholic yeast, then they can cope with the high sugar content in the wort. Also, some yeast are not able to withstand high concentrations of ethanol in the wash, from which they die and no longer work. Even higher sugar concentrations of more than 20% have preserving properties and inhibit the life of yeast cells. I will give an example that has been working for more than one year. With a capacity of 80 liters, 70 liters of water are added with 15 kilograms of sugar and 300 grams of baker's yeast. We have a density of 17% brix, after fermentation for 7 days, distillation takes place on a continuous mash column (distillation), after three triple distillation of raw alcohol on a tray column, it gives 6 liters of 95% alcohol

mazing video but what song is at the beginning My country ears get quite excited when it comes on.

I just ran across your videos recently. Fascinating subject and looks like a fun hobby. Only, I can't get past the fact that distilling high ABV alcoholic spirits for drinking at home is illegal almost everywhere. How do you do what you do as a "hobby" as you describe? Do you have any videos discussing the legality of what you do?

George great video, but you lost me at the end when you showed less Alcohol in the 70% vs the 50% jar. If I have a quart jar that has 70% and a quart jar that has 30%, there has to be more Alcohol in the 70%...I think?

Always nice to watch your videos but i got a Small question, the cut explaination (tails) with a bit of cloudiness, you could have that also with the foreshots no ? (demysting test for methanol).

Great Video! Thanks for this info.

Smell and taste. Don't save what you wouldn't drink. Leave the math to the nerds as the old timers had no calculator to play with.

Thanks, that really helped. From Australia 👍

My rule of thumb is 10%. From a 10 gallon wash, I get 1 gallon of 40% abv spirits.

The problem I’m having with the mathematics is, the volume collected was not 100% ethanol

What about collecting tails for fuel especially if you make 120 proof or above. Say you have 10 gallons of 140 proof I think you could mix 2 or 3 gallons of gasoline and run it in a carburetor motor if you adjust the idle possibly

Great video George Quick question, will activated carbon clean up tails or is filtering a waste of time. I'm talking about a sugar wash. Cheers mate

What water is best for this

👋🏻Professor, how many times can you reuse the sour mash? What can you make with “spent” mash? Thanks a lot for your wonderful videos!!!

What a terrific explanation! For those wanting a super high proof (160+) without a reflux. Can someone explain how to get it out of your run safely. Novelty purposes.

Great video again George

What model is your automatic still? Great video as always.

Did he said he used a computer operated still that makes cuts precisely? Is there such a thing for home use, or was he referring to a program or app that directed him when to make the cuts?

If it's cloudy or if it's tailings can't you just distill it again?

I know That's Right....This Mt Man did a video and was drinking the heads....Very thick glasses...just never mentioned throwing the paint remover ....Still....a Good Movie