http://www.ohmygoditburns.com/wordpress/index.php?p=4

Amazing what I learned from this thread. :*)

--
DAve

Marty Phee wrote:
> Google using a brita filter.
>
> There was a story a couple years ago about some college kids using one
> to purify cheap vodka.
>
> I believe the end result after three passes was that you couldn't tell
> the difference between cheap stuff and expensive.
>
> John Public wrote:
>> I use rum/vodka to fortify wine and make liqueurs, and I noticed
>> something strange when I shook a bottle of plain white rum. (The same
>> thing happened with vodka.) When I shook the bottle, the liquid's
>> appearance changed in three quick stages:
>>
>> - cloudy all over (first 1-2 seconds)
>> - started to clear, but a thin layer (< oz.) of white foamy/starchy
>> substance surfaced (3-7 seconds)
>> - everything cleared back to normal (8-10 seconds)
>>
>> I'm aware that cheap alcohol is usually not filtered as much as
>> top-shelf brands, so I'm suspecting the shaking caused a temporary
>> "centrifugal effect" that, for a short time, surfaced many of the
>> impurities. If I poured out the little oz. or so of the foamy liquid,
>> would the remaining liquor be cleaner?