Wash water source

[ruskie]

Hi all

I am very new to distilling and have a question on the water to use for your wash. I must admit I am a water snob I like to drink my home filtered water rather than town (tap) or bottled water. Was thinking that using the filtered water in the wash would produce a betting product then the tap water. My thinking behind that is that some of the big US distillers to boast that the use spring water sourced from [Insert location here] spring.

So what do others think?

[ThePaterPiper]

I asked a similar question, and to me a lot of it depends on what you are trying to produce. For example, from the advice on here, I decided to use spring water (albeit coles brand) for my all grain whisky. For sugarheads though, we just used tap water and we are very very impressed with the quality of the spirit.

I guess it came down to the fact that we were dropping relatively large dollars on grain and would have kicked ourselves if tap water tainted the product for the sake of $20 odd in water.

You will get plenty of opinions here, all of them with merit, but like everything, it will ultimately come down to you.

[woodduck]

For what it’s worth I use tap water for washes and cheap brought spring water for diluting final spirit. I'm no connoisseur but I don't find any off flavours in my drink not even in vodka. Totally up to you what you use mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[bluc]

:text-+1: just watch how you get the water to your fermenter. Garden hose gives strong flavour as does the light blue white lined "drinking water" hose. I now use the clear reinforced drinking hose from ibrew or supacheap and it works a treat :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[ThePaterPiper]

That's an interesting point bluc. I have never considered the hose giving off flavours. Isn't it amazing the simple things you can not consider whilst over thinking everything else! lol

[The Stig]

I have one of those under sink water filters, use it for everything :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[Sugardaddy]

I have used rain water, store bought natural spring water & town water from the garden hose. I could not tell the difference in the taste of the product at the other end. :handgestures-thumbupleft:
I put down washes now straight from the garden hose for convenience....,

[bluc]

That's an interesting point bluc. I have never considered the hose giving off flavours. Isn't it amazing the simple things you can not consider whilst over thinking everything else! lol

I have a bottle of garden hose whiskey :laughing-rolling: it tastes like water from a garden hose on a 40 degree summers day...

[ThePaterPiper]

Hmm, well if I ever get up to sunny Queensland, I don't want to try that! :text-lol:

[Plumby]

For what it’s worth I use tap water for washes and cheap brought spring water for diluting final spirit. I'm no connoisseur but I don't find any off flavours in my drink not even in vodka. Totally up to you what you use mate :handgestures-thumbupleft:

:text-+1:

[Professor Green]

I use a cheap inline water filter from Bunnings to remove the chlorine and other shite that's now in our water. It just clicks into standard hose fittings and does not restrict the flow too much.

Cheers,
Prof. Green.

[woodduck]

I will now however use the water from my RO sytem for everything :happy-partydance: very very clean water :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[ruskie]

Thanks for all the replies. I guess I will experiment and see what the outcome is, my drinking water comes from a zazen alkaline water filter system it is just going to be a very very slow process to get 25L for a wash.

I use a cheap inline water filter from Bunnings to remove the chlorine and other shite that's now in our water. It just clicks into standard hose fittings and does not restrict the flow too much.

Cheers,
Prof. Green.

I have one of those in my camper trailer might get that out and give it a go too, will be much faster to get enough water.

[EziTasting]

I find that the quality of water at the dilution to drink stage has the most noticeable effect. However it does depend on where you are and what your town water is like!!
I find our town water atrocious to drink, it can be done, but why would you?!? :wtf:

Quality in = quality out (there are exception, if your talented! :D )

[Kenster]

if you are lucky enough to have a RO system ( Go Wooduck) that is obviously a no brainer. Town water has chlorine, which supposedly impacts on yeast to some degree, but leaving tap water just sit in a drum for a day or so will evaporate it out without any probs..Next is the tricky one, CHLORAMINE, is put into the water by injecting ammonia into the system. It will not readily break down.These are not great to really have in water but can be oxidised out (removed) by adding only a few ml of Pottasium Metabisulphide to a 40 lit batch of tap water. This treats both chlorine and chloramine in a very short space of time...my preferred option. As for dilution of spirits... i have a still... so i distill my own water... cant get much cleaner than that.
I just run my pot for a few hours and i know what i am getting... spring water on the other hand... not really sure what is in it or where it comes from.

[EziTasting]

Just read an interesting article on brewers friend blogs about what you find in water and how it affects the ‘beer’ taste.

I guess we are making beer in the first place, before distilling it so it could be the thing that ultimately changes our Whisky from good to grate! As I prefer mine neat with a splash of water I find this very interesting!

Brewing Water Basics, part 1

[db1979]

I use garden hose for washes and diluting stripped product down to 40% for spirit runs. The undersink water filter for diluting final product from spirit runs.