smoothness

[drdale]

Smooth is what everyone likes in shine, but what is it? We all know what it tastes like but I have never heard what it actually is. There are no doubt biochemists out there that know what it is and can define it by what is in the shine or what is not there. Anyone know?

[StillLearning1]

Smoothness is the art form that is distilling.

It's in everything from the barrel you fermented in to the speed you run your still to the cuts you make afterwords. It's in ever aspect of what you do....

But that's just my .02

[jb-texshine]

Guess I would have to start by giving my definition of shine...
To me shine is not just untaxed home-made liquor,it is sugar heads like sweetfeed or ujssm. If you are making bourbon it's bourbon, if it's ryewhiskey it's rye whiskey , if it's molasses it's rum. If it has sugar in the recipe...shine shine shine.
Smoothness in shine begins by NOT going over board with the sugar,then,keeping the ferment within a certain temperature range, giving the yeast proper nutrition in the proper amounts, running your still so as to minimize smearing and then making cuts to your own tastes version of smooth. Then again everyone's tastes differ. What's water smooth to me may be panther piss to you. Or vice versa.
Just my opinion
Jb-tex

[masonsjax]

I think of heads as being harsh, the opposite of smooth. Therefore, to me smooth means lack of heads in the final drink.

[C2H5O5]

No burn

[still_stirrin]

OK, I'll bite.

"Smooth" is by definition, a texture. So how does a texture relate to a liquid beverage?

When judging a beer, "texture" is expressed by the "mouthfeel" in terms of body, viscosity and finish. Smooth would not really relate to taste (flavor) however. Rather, it is how the liquid glides through the lips, over the tongue, and down the throat.

Beers with a higher alcohol content can have a drying effect in the mouth which would relate to astringency, or could be related to the resultant body (or lack there of) due to the "thinning" of the beer's malty dextrine content. The beer's texture should reflect the grain base and the mash and fermentation processes, giving a full-body, clean finish, or light-body and crisp finish depending on the style of beer produced. The texture of "smooth" would be defined as how the beer transitions through the palate and how the senses perceive it.

When sampling a spirit, however in the context of the original question, "smooth" would similarly relate to how the senses perceive the alcohol taste, whether or not it has a "burn", a "bite", or "sharpness". Obviously, the preceeding descriptors would be negative of "smooth", and sometimes it is easiest to describe a perception in terms of its negatives.

Leave it to say, that when you sample a homemade (or store bought) spirit and it is well-polished in terms of initial taste, mouthfeel, and finish, you'll know very well when it is "smooth"... at least to your paradigms (experience level). When you sample a smooth liquor...you'll know it...and THAT will become your measurement.
ss

[okie]

A song by Santana.

Actually, my 2 cents is it's the opposite of heads and feints in our drink. When we find the sweet spot in the run, air it out, age it properly and finally pour some in a glass to enjoy.