Aging sugar vodka

[spiff]

I got an old bottle from my brother who's friend used to still.. it was supposed to be just a clean sugar vodka.. probably like birdwatchers. Now its very syrupy and buttery like butterscotch. Its at least 20 years old. Is this what normally happens to aged sugar vodkas?

[MDH]

Unless he put sugar in the vodka, it should not be like anything but Vodka. Chances are he added something.

[dieselduo]

he could have put glycerin in which would thicken it up

[MichiganCornhusker]

Is this what normally happens to aged sugar vodkas?

No.

Dump it and make some good stuff.

[Danespirit]

No, it shouldn't be like that, I think he added something to it.
If it's gotten that thick, I would follow MCH advice and dump it....it ain't worth beeing sick cause of bad booze.
You can and should do a lot better...and within a reasonable time.
A BW should be ready to run within a week or two.

[spiff]

Cool..thanks. It still looks nice and clear though. Or perhaps something leached out of the cork.. its an old fancy tequila bottle. Maybe I'm impressionable but ever since I tasted this stuff now I swear I can taste subtle hints of butterscotch in my own vodka.

[still_stirrin]

...ever since I tasted this stuff now I swear I can taste subtle hints of butterscotch in my own vodka.

A "butterscotch" flavor, or aroma is one of the diketones (diacetyl). It is often a fermentation byproduct, and sometimes considered an imperfection. Diacetyl is perceptable at very low flavor thresholds and is often sensed in the aroma at even lower concentrations. In other words, you are (naturally) very sensitive to its presense in your ferment.

It should be left behind in the boiler however, if distilled properly. The boiling point of the diacetyl is above the ethanol boiling point, so it should remain. But if you run fast, as in a strip, you can carry some of them into your product. And if you dig too deep into the tails, you can bring it over too. Again, it doesn't take much to be perceivable in the product.

Of note, recent tobaccoless smokes use diacetyl to flavor the "smoke", such as the vapes. So, if you're a vape smoker, you could have an accummulation of diacetyl build up in your mouth, carrying it with you.
ss

[spiff]

Wow.. interesting stuff SS.. thanks. I can't imagine i have any byproducts though I wouldn't discount any possibility. But this stuff is like quadruple distilled.. just the hearts of hearts for several runs and even my stripping runs are at about 93%. This last spirit run on my new still was a slow 13 hour run, I felt like I did it "right". But I do smoke, so maybe that's it.

edit- or I'll try being more conservative on my tails next time and see what happens