Smell and taste tests

[Vickypoint]

What are a few simple taste and smell procedures that people here use when running your still with a sugar wash. In other words how to tell you are on the right track and not making a harsh swill.

[Hawke]

Use a spoon and a cup of distilled water. Use 2/3 water, 1/3 product. This will open up the nose and allow you to taste (and spit). Heads will have a sweet, astringent taste and smell. (Think paint thinner, nail pollish remover) Tails will smell and taste like wet cardboard or wet socks.

[plonker]

Yup, what Hawke said, dilute and taste and smell.. you need practice to be come good at it.

I find heads taste kinda bitter and sweet, not nice. Tails taste kinda soapy... When you are in the hearts, you will taste it and want to swallow it.. (not that you should!!) But when you want to drink it, without hesitation, then you are in the hearts!.. Just my 2c

[HookLine]

Bottom line: If it tastes and smells good, drink it.

Definitely dilute samples to 35-40% to do the cuts, makes it much easier. The aroma comes over much better around this abv.

[ImaDKrook]

Sounds easy but sure is my hardest obstacle also.

[plonker]

What, ImaDKrook, diluting the samples?? Or drinking it??

[ImaDKrook]

Funny, I just have trouble telling what will be good later on based on what it taste like now. Everything taste harsh when green. Maybe the water I am using. I have town water but the choline is not bad at all. I am sure there is some iron. Should I be using store bought spring water, distilled water or what. I feel everything is just harsh and headsy tasting then all of a sudden there is the tails.

Krook.

[Dnderhead]

did not see it mentioned , but try running off in jars,,keep them in the order you run them off,, let them air out a day or so then sample, (it takes a bunch of practice to tell right off the still.)
then start in center work your way out saving the ones you want, the rest put in feints.
next when you have enough fill a barrel or use a jug with a cotton ball in the mouth for a month or two. or you can make that years if you want some real good stuff

[Photonic]

did not see it mentioned , but try running off in jars,,keep them in the order you run them off,, let them air out a day or so then sample, (it takes a bunch of practice to tell right off the still.)

+1 to that.

Letting it air out for a while makes it a lot easier. On my last run I saved everything in little glasses and had a practice at working out where my cuts would be by smell. Pretty much everything smelled the same!

I left if for a day and when I went back, some of the middle samples smelled a lot cleaner whilst the first couple were pretty grim. I was surprised by the difference in sample compared to when they had just come off the still.

Another thing is that it makes sense to smell the middle ones first as your nose will very quickly become desensitised to the smells, so if you smell your smelliest sample first, everything else will smell clean afterwards. I smell a couple of samples then use a crude test of "would I drink something that smelled like that?", if the answer is "yes" then I mark the sample... then get some fresh air and go back after a couple of minutes to smell a couple more.

[Ayay]

+2 To the replies.

Start in the middle and go towards the heads first. When the diluted sample stings the mouth more than the middle hearts then take care. Mouth stinging happens with high proof, but when diluted to 30% or less only the heads will sting.

Then go towards the tails because these are easier except they get smoother and the first hint of stinky is the clue.

Take the obvious hearts out, let the doubtfull bottles air for another day and try them again. Be very cautious the second time...if in doubt then throw it out (into the the heads/tails bottle for re-running).

I like my hearts smooth and completely free of smelly. Adding that doubtful bottle to your drinkin hearts is not worth it. Re-run the doubtful stuff and enjoy the purest hearts even if they seem to be less in quantity. The purest hearts absolutely will improve with a little oak and some ageing. Most home stillers cannot afford to wait 4 years...pure hearts will beat a 4-year aged skanky cut, but maybe not a 12-year aged skanky cut!

[Dnderhead]

let me say aging is much like putting money in the bank. you can easily make over a gallon in a keg still, if you use maybe a quart /liter a month
that gives you 3 for the "bank",(crony kegs work good) do this once a month for 6 months=18 L and that is enough to age in a barrel.
(use decent size barrels) with me I like making the stuff ,don't drink much so it adds up faster.