Home Distiller

Ok so I was diluting some spirit down and figured it would be under 40% but turns out it was still around 60%.
So anyway when i put the smoothing syrup into my probably 60% liqour the whole lot turned a perfect porcalin white colour (freaked me out) about 5 minutes later i added some more water gave it a shake and it turned back almost transparent but a little cloudy.
My question is, is this somehow dangerous? Have I unknowingly caused a chemical reaction to take place which could cause harm if drunk?
Why do they say you cant add smoothing syrup over specific percentages anyway?

As a side note, I did my first proper reflux distillation last weekend. My god this stuff is cleaaan! Collected 2L of around 93-94% from a stripped batch of birdswatchers. Just worried i've wasted 1/3 of it allready /:

What's smoothing syrup? And why does it need to be added?

As meatloaf said tok, you took the words right outta my mouth...I ain't saying the next line though

Well the smoothing syrup i used to use listed glycerine as the ingredient, this stuff dosent list an ingrediant and seems of a different consistency to my old glycerine, so i really dont know. People add it to 'smooth' the liqour, you know, take the bite out abit.

Hmmm. "Smoothing syrup" to me means aging. I'm loath to add anything unnecessary that might eff up a perfectly good ferment/distillation.
YMMV of course.

tp

Youngstiller wrote:.... People add it to 'smooth' the liqour, you know, take the bite out abit....

I don't know who your "people" are but I wouldn't trust 'em as much as the members here...and I've never heard talk of "smoothing syrup" here.

You may be traveling new ground here Youngstiller. I can't offer any advice.
ss

SS, glycerine is a very common additive in the liquor industry. Not bourbon obviously, ttb wouldn't allow that, but it's far from unusual. It add s body and the sweetness reduces the harshness of young spirits. Still Spirits sells little bottles of glycerine labeled "smoothing agent". I don't use it myself but if i don't see how it's very different from adding sugar to fruit flavored liqueurs, it does does the same thing and for the same reason

OP your liquor should still be fine to drink. Cloudiness coming out when diluting to 80 proof is a common occurrence, so the residual cloudiness that you have is not a sign of any previously unknown chemical reaction turning your vodka into poison. And I'm going to go out on limb and guess that you have already answered your other question : the directions say not to add glycerine above 40% abv because when you do it turns white.

Thanks dstains, its just annoying because they dont tell you why not too, and i cant find any information on the web. I suppose if it did somehow produce something toxic it would of been well known and its purely a cosmetic thing. In that case i might do it on purpose every now and again. The color is abit of a nice quirk

Lol "What do you mean I can't drink liquor in here? This is Milk!"

So that's why some bottom shelf hooch has a strange syrupy texture to it... glycerin!
Never would have thought of that.