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I diluted my oldest batch of Spiced Rum to 40%, filtered it twice through coffee filters, let it sit for a week and filtered it once more.
About 3 weeks later I find I have a sediment on the bottom that looks like fairy floss (cotton candy). It looks hideous.
When I shake the bottle, it all goes back into solution, but in 2 days its settled out again.
It hasn't affected the taste ( I drink this neat on ice), it just looks horrible.

I then checked a bottle of Dark Rum I diluted about the same time, and this has it as well, albeit not as bad.

The Dark Rum is oaked with dark toasted and charred oak with a smidge of pure maple syrup.
The Spiced Rum has Fresh Ginger, Vanilla Essence, Orange Essence, Pure Maple Syrup, Sherry, Cloves, Cinnamon and Raisins with new oak.

I have a bottle of Whisky done at the same time and it is as clear as a bell. It was done on nutmeg, peppercorns, orange essence and sherry on charred oak.

My recipes have changed over time. I now use natural ingredients (not essences) to flavour my hooch. The latest ones have only been down for a few weeks, so I will check them out in a month or two.

Problem is I can't give them to anyone looking like this. Any ideas?

PS Sorry about the fuzzies, my phone is not good at closeups.
scarecrow

it may well be oils falling out of solution as you drop the ABV. Could be your additions, could be tails.

I have found the same with my UJSSM when the maple syrup get down to the bottom of the bottle. I think that is what the problem is.

I have similar stuff that is in my stripping runs of UJSM, and have no idea what it is. Goes away for the spirit runs though.
Haven't seen it in my stripping run of rum yet, but only have one batch so far.

I had the same exact stuff turn up in a run of WPOSW a few days after it was run. The product was still 180 proof also. Strained it through a coffee filter and got it cleared up, but I rerun it just to be on the safe side.

I think olddog is right. Maple syrup is the only common denominator. It's something soluble because it mixes back in, but it goes slightly hazy. After it settles for a few days you could read a newspaper at 20 paces through it.

I do remember the syrup having a milky sediment in it towards the end. I also keep the syrup in the ridgey didge which probably doesn't help.

The batches of Rum after this one (using new maple syrup) are all good to go.

scarecrow

Toldya so.

most likely the very fine particles that pass threw the filter, and their attracted to each other. in a bunch you can see them,
when disturbed the mix back in and you cant.

There is a cure or this.
Let it sit a week and siphon the clear whiskey out of each bottle and leave the sediment in the bottle. It is the only way I have found to clear this super fine sediment. You only lose about a quarter inch in each bottle if you're careful with a small siphon tube. I reserve this all together and drink it myself. You're right, it's not suitable for gifts so you can't give it away.

What do you wash your bottles with ?
Are you poring pure spirit into some slightly coated bottle?

Soap is made from animal fat!

If you want to see state of the art reflux you should see what Ivory soap has to render animal fat into 99% pure soap.
They take glycerin, oils for perfume, and even sell off a high grade jet fuel from there 250' tall reflux tower all heated with 400F steam.

What I ended up doing was straining it through cotton wool.

I used to do cheesecloth, then felt, then coffee filter. I think there was still a lot of residue left after the coffee filter. So now I strain through felt and then 3 times through cotton (cotton ball stuffed into the SS funnel). It gets progressively quicker each pass.

The final product is very clear and bright.

scarecrow

I am pretty sure the problem is the syrup. when I have used syrup i get the same thing. Like was said above I filter it through coffee filter and it takes care of it.

Syrup

My 2c

I had this happen to me a long time back and in the end I decided that I went too far into the tails. Maybe I was wrong, but it hasn't happend since. I forget how I removed it, but I think I did as nemo suggested. Mine was a milky, opaque, jelly sort of thing.

How far into the tails did you go, Scarecrow?

blanik

So far so good (46 hours). No sediment and as clear as.

Stuff usually fell out within 10 - 12 hrs.

scarecrow