K.J.Kristiansen wrote:
> Redistillation seems more attractive to me. Dilute the vodka to some
> 20 vol% with water, put it in a and redistillate in a single pot (no
> column) distillation by boiling down to half the volume. You will have
> recovered all your alcohol in a 40% distillate.
I agree with you, only there is only a few problems. In most of the world
distilling is still illegal. You may also strip out more of the flavors in
the whiskey. Here again we come to the idea of trying it out and
experiment. You should, through trial and error, be able to find the
correct angle to have the output tube to get a satisfactory product. It is
most definitely doable. Now you have two/three solutions for the same
problem.
Rob
> A B > wrote in message
> >...
>> Thanks, Rob. You seem to know the chemistry of this. I'm not a vodka
>> fan, either, but I was considering it for whiskey (nothing expensive).
>>
>> I've discovered many professional chemistry paper filters on the net. Do
>> you know if they would do the trick? Some of them claim to be able to
>> clarify wine/beer (Watson Grade 1), but I've yet to find anything
>> mentioning congeners in spirits.
>>
>> Please tell me if you believe I filtered congeners or it was something
>> else: One hot day I poured whiskey through fresh crushed ice in a metal
>> strainer, assuming it would simply make it cooler. I repeated this, and
>> I noticed the liquid was cloudy, but it tasted smoother (don?t know if
>> it was just because of the temp change). I then smelled and sampled the
>> ice and I noticed it had a strange odor and taste! Is it possible for
>> ice to filter congeners naturally?
>>
>>
>>
>> Rob A wrote:
>> > Ok, I looked around there website (http://graykangaroo.com) and I do
>> > not like what I see. First off they clam that they have a patent
>> > pending, well I looked for it on USPTO.gov and could not find their
>> > names, Esposito or Radysh, nor anything that is an alcohol filter. The
>> > search was for apps not patents granted. Next they very vaguely explain
>> > how it works. The way I figure it works is like a carbon or zeolite
>> > filter not a membrane (like a coffee filter or a riverce osmosis
>> > filter). Reason being that it works better the more times you filter
>> > the mixture through it. So now we are left with a filter that acts like
>> > a sponge. One slight problem, when you are working with a solution that
>> > is about 60% water and 40% alcohol you can dissolve both polar/ionic
>> > and nonpolar compounds into it to a certian degree. Since they claim
>> > that their system reduces the presence of congeners and that they state
>> > that if the liquid is artificially coloured the system will remove the
>> > compounds I would have to say that the system removes non-polar
>> > compounds quite well. ASIDE: [have you ever had ouzo, the correct way
>> > that is, by adding water to it in a 1:1 ratio? you get a cloudy
>> > mixture, just like when you add pinesol to water. What is happening is
>> > that all of the, essential, oils (non-polar) are comming out of
>> > suspension, which shows that 40% is a good non-polar solvent.] This
>> > would be in line with the type of filter they claim they are using.
>> >
>> > All in all, I think it could work, it would work out on paper. My
>> > personal bet is that it is just a basic carbon filter. If you feel like
>> > it, try making your own by using a food grade carbon filter and
>> > filtering vodka a few times through it. I would caution you that
>> > brittas may not be alcohol friendly and so you may be better off
>> > opening one up and taking some of the carbon(black)/zeolite(white) out
>> > of it and mixing it with the vodka in a glass glass. Keep stirring for
>> > a minute or two then strain though a coffee filter and try. Worse comes
>> > to worse you loose the price of a britta filter and the vodka.
>> >
>> > Just to let you know, the britta idea is just that an idea, I don't
>> > drink vodka and would have little use for this system. The principals
>> > are sound (to my knowledge) and it should work, to a point.
>> >
>> > Anyone else have an opinion/thought?
>> >
>> > If you try it and it works, or not, please let me know.
>> >
>> > Rob
>> >
>> > A B wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> >>I'm sorry for posting at a wine group, but I figured this group would
>> >>be more knowledgable about alteration and clarification than others. I
>> >>came across a site about something called the "Grey Kangeroo," and it
>> >>claims to be able to make cheaper spirits (including low brands of
>> >>vodka and whiskey) more palatable while maintaining the same amount of
>> >>alcohol. Does anyone know if this is possible, and what type of
>> >>filtration equipment would be needed to "clarify" the impurities in
>> >>cheap spirits as the product promises?
>> >
>> >
>> >