Hey everybody,
I want to give a big shout out to BDAS in Lexington, KY for their great lab work (I'm purely a customer and in no other way affiliated).
Recently got results back regarding beta-sitosterol in spirits. I was wondering if anyone else has had issues with high levels of sterols or any other precipitation in the bottled? I know that I can filter down to 0.5 micron to solve it but I'd prefer to limit the amount of sterols coming across to the finished spirits because so much flavor is lost.
I have a strong feeling that it is coming from our choice of cooperage but I'm not 100% and waiting for new barrels to arrive and fully mature a product isn't ideal given that I'd be waiting in excess of a year. I believe it the cooperage is the culprit because no sterols precipitate out in our white spirits - even though it's lower proof and I have left in the freezer to facilitate precipitation.
Is it possible that the wood used in the barrels themselves have not been seasoned long enough? Any other options there? I still have several months before the barrels from a different source are ready for testing..
Thoughts?
Thanks,
NAB