Tim, it seems by your comments that you drank the wines young. Am I
right? I ask because carrot wine really DOES have to age a year or
more before it loses its "earthiness." Beet wine's "earthiness" is
even worse when young, but is nice after one year and VERY nice after
two. I forgot about a batch I had hidden on a shelf in a closet to
age. It got covered with things and was both out of sight and out of
mind. I "discovered" it four years later. It won a Best of Show and
was the best dessert wine I ever made.

For both Carrot Whiskey and Beetroot Wine, at least on my site, the
recipes clearly state the minimum aging requirements. Most other
recipes I've seen for both also state aging requirements quite
clearly.

If you let both the carrot and beet age as instructed and both were
bad, then you should review your winemaking techniques. If you didn't
let them age, then you really haven't got much authority to say they
aren't worth the effort of making.

Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/