A calculation on the back of a run sheet
The gin or whisky is in the vatting tank at cask or still strength. The distiller takes readings, works out how much water to add using a spreadsheet on their laptop or a calculation on paper, adds it in stages and takes more readings. The final strength is written on the run sheet. The working-out is not kept, or it is in a spreadsheet only the distiller opens.
When a batch comes out slightly off target, or someone asks how a figure was reached, the answer depends on finding the scrap of paper.
Why reduction records are thin
Reduction is routine for an experienced distiller, so the steps are done from habit. The calculation tools are personal. Checks by a second person, if your procedures include them, are informal. And the reduction is not joined to the batch or bottling run in any system, so its record lives wherever the distiller put it.
- Calculations are on paper or in a personal spreadsheet.
- Readings between stages are not always recorded.
- A second check before water is added is informal or missing.
- Water additions are not recorded against the batch.
- The final reading is on the run sheet only.
What a thin record costs
A batch that misses its target strength, found late, perhaps after bottling. Questions from your adviser or a customer that cannot be answered from records. Dependence on one person's spreadsheet and memory. And training that relies on watching rather than reading how it is done.
Target strengths, tolerances and calculation methods are for your distiller and your adviser. We do not supply them.
A reduction record with a built-in check
- Your calculation method is built into the record exactly as your distiller specifies, including the tables or references they use, and tested against their existing workings.
- The distiller enters the starting readings from the vatting tank against the batch.
- The record shows the calculated water addition and the expected result, using your method.
- If your procedures include it, a second person reviews the figures and signs before water is added.
- Each stage's addition and readings are recorded, and the final reading is compared with the target and your tolerance.
- The completed record is attached to the batch and the bottling run it feeds.
| Step | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Starting readings | Run sheet or notebook | Recorded on the batch |
| Calculation | Personal spreadsheet | Your method, built in |
| Second check | Informal | Recorded sign-off |
| Water additions | Not recorded | Recorded per stage |
| Final reading | Run sheet | Compared with target, on the batch |
Reductions anyone can follow
Every reduction is recorded the same way, with the working kept. Checks happen before water goes in, not after. Batches that miss target are caught at the tank. The record is with the batch and the bottling run when anyone asks. And a new team member can learn the process from records and the distiller together.
The distiller also gets the spreadsheet off their own laptop, which protects both them and the business if the laptop fails.
Does this sound like your reductions?
- Reduction calculations are on paper or a personal spreadsheet.
- There is no recorded second check.
- Water additions are not recorded against the batch.
- A batch has come out off target after bottling.
- Only one person knows how the calculation works.