cloudy after cutting to 80 proof

[rumrunner]

used distilled water cut from 140 proof, that was on oak for a couple months with vanilla bean, this time cut by measuring water and adding "whiskey" then filtered with coffee filter, next morning went cloudy not horrible but not what i want, have other post on general dicussion, but did not get the right answer, not that i didnt have good help but i still have the problem, i dont know if we could bring the post over here but it would same alot of typing, product taste great but i dont like the look,thanks

[Husker]

A couple of things will cause cloudiness. Since you mentioned distilled water, then one of them (water, or minerals within it) has been eliminated.

Likely, you have some tails in there (oily). When the proof is high enough, these will be dissolved in solution. However, when the proof is dropped, they can end up showing up as cloudiness.

I do not believe oaking can ever do this (even if really over oaked). A single vanilla bean should not carry over enough oils (I think) to do this either.

I have heard of others (I have not done this myself), freezing the finished bottle. It will not freeze, but you want to get it cold in a deep freeze (0 deg F). Then filter through a couple of coffee filters, and this can often pull the haziness out. If the product tastes good (and does not cause you to get a hang over), then this method may help you to get it cleared up.

Good luck, H.

[rubber duck]

I think one vanilla bean could have been enough to do it.

The next time try using just the inside of the bean. and don't scrape it to aggressively.

As Husker said there's also a high likelihood that you have tails in your product.

[blind drunk]

I have heard of others (I have not done this myself), freezing the finished bottle. It will not freeze, but you want to get it cold in a deep freeze (0 deg F). Then filter through a couple of coffee filters, and this can often pull the haziness out. If the product tastes good (and does not cause you to get a hang over), then this method may help you to get it cleared up.

This method is currently working for me. It's getting clearer and clearer and it's almost 100%. Just running it through as I type. One thing I notice is that the last bit that hangs around the filter is very cloudy compared to the likker that's made it through. Worth a try rumrunner, regardless of why it happened.

Can you see a shinny oil slick floating on the surface of your likker? You sometimes have to look at the surface from different angles an in bright daylight to see it.