Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

Try adding abot more spirit to the bottle and see if that clears it.
If its at 38%ABV now try upping it to 43-45%ABV.

I would guess it’s the calcium used to buffer the water.
Think about the first statement

PhillT wrote: the only difference I am aware of is the rainwater I was using today has been buffered to increase the ph to around 8.5ish, whereas in the past the rainwater I have used was in its natural state, which is usually about ph 5.5 to 6..

Calcium is used to buffer up

After the comprehensive summary above, I’d say the affected storage jar contained an impurity before filling. Leftover flavouring from last batch? A bit of sugar stuck in the neck? A few drops of the strip perhaps? Probably wouldn’t take much, possibly not noticed before filling with product.


Why do you have to temper to 38%?

I'm a little cut. However I'll have a stab at it.
If your pH is alkaline you have excess of OH-. OH- likes to join up and form complexes with other 'stuff' and precipitate out.
Lower the abv the more likely it'll precipitate out.
So any ions in there, could be calcium in the water (could be any range of minerals as OH isn't that fussy) but who knows, will stick to the OH- and precipitate out.
Off to bed! Peace out!

scythe wrote:Try adding abot more spirit to the bottle and see if that clears it.
If its at 38%ABV now try upping it to 43-45%ABV.

I want to see if it will clear first over time, if not I will try that.

The Stig wrote:I would guess it’s the calcium used to buffer the water.
Think about the first statement

PhillT wrote: the only difference I am aware of is the rainwater I was using today has been buffered to increase the ph to around 8.5ish, whereas in the past the rainwater I have used was in its natural state, which is usually about ph 5.5 to 6..

Calcium is used to buffer up

I would agree if it were not for the fact that only one of two bottles did it, which wouldn't make sense.

Dig Brinker wrote:After the comprehensive summary above, I’d say the affected storage jar contained an impurity before filling. Leftover flavouring from last batch? A bit of sugar stuck in the neck? A few drops of the strip perhaps? Probably wouldn’t take much, possibly not noticed before filling with product.


Why do you have to temper to 38%?

I guess it is possible, but as I said, these bottles have only ever contained straight distillate off the still, or diluted distillate, and are always filled with a funnel, so neck contamination is unlikely.

38% is what I like for my whiskey.

:text-+1: stig calcium is insoluble in ethanol. Phil t did you give water a good shake before adding may explain only one bottle clouding up? More calcium in one then the other.. :-B
Get 1/4 cup spirit and add 1/2 teaspon calcium see what happens? :D

warramungas wrote:I'm a little cut. However I'll have a stab at it.
If your pH is alkaline you have excess of OH-. OH- likes to join up and form complexes with other 'stuff' and precipitate out.
Lower the abv the more likely it'll precipitate out.
So any ions in there, could be calcium in the water (could be any range of minerals as OH isn't that fussy) but who knows, will stick to the OH- and precipitate out.
Off to bed! Peace out!

Doesn't explain why only one of the two bottles went milky, but it might well explain why the one that did, did though.

Never happened before, but, I have never used buffered/ph corrected water before either, only ever used rainwater as it fell from the sky, typically high 5s to low 6s.
I have about 1.5 litres of 95% from the same batch left, so I will get some de-ionised, de-mineralised or distilled water, whatever is available from the grocery or hardware store, and add it slowly & see what happens.

Contamination of one bottle would account for what happened, but it is just so unlikely as the room it is done in is not in daily use, and the area it is done in is not used for anything else.
It IS possible that I had some flavouring syrup on my hand and picked up the bottle by the neck, but I only ever fill with a funnel.
There is a slight chance that the Mrs borrowed the funnel for something, BUT, the first bottle poured with the same funnel stayed clear, the second bottle clouded.
I think that I will wash everything in warm soapy water and rinse well before this procedure in the future, and add the water slowly, using bought water or untreated rainwater.
I might never know what happened, so will cover my bases.

If you add more neutral 90% will it clear. ?

Yurugaboy wrote:If you add more neutral 90% will it clear. ?

Waiting to see if it clears, so I don't know.

PhillT wrote:
Waiting to see if it clears, so I don't know.

And it will given time, there will be a white film/powder on the bottom of the bottle and if shaken it will go cloudy again.

The Stig wrote:

PhillT wrote:
Waiting to see if it clears, so I don't know.

And it will given time, there will be a white film/powder on the bottom of the bottle and if shaken it will go cloudy again.

There is not much change from day to day now, so it will be a looooong wait.

A question more than a suggestion, would putting it in the fridge do anything for this if it was tails?

No you gotta up the abv for tails "louche" to dissolve the oils with ethanol.. :-B

Just chuck it in the boiler with the next batch.

db1979 wrote:Just chuck it in the boiler with the next batch.

That will fix it for sure :handgestures-thumbupleft:

PhillT wrote:

db1979 wrote:Just chuck it in the boiler with the next batch.

That will fix it for sure :handgestures-thumbupleft:

:text-+1: