C_Kelly

Why fuss with filtering when you can use the ultimate filter of distillation!

I agree wholeheartedly. Two distilleries I've worked for had epoxy floors and both were a nightmare. The worst was liable to cause slip injuries and I thank my stars I left that place without a workman's comp claim. I have seen some breweries successfully use a grey tile material that offered great grip when wet. But my favorite is polished concrete. I know of multiple distilleries successfully using it as well as a few wineries.

Can you elaborate more on the citric acidulation being a flaw in spirits comps? I've always used citric since the start of my distilling career (we used tartaric at my various winery jobs) and I've never been able to detect citric in the spirit. I've never used lactic either, it seems to be a favorite for those that come from a brewing background.

Seven Stills of San Francisco did an experimental batch of distilled sour beer, then ageing in the barrels that the beer came out of. I can't say I would drink a lot of it, but it came in 375 mL bottles and was fun for distilling folks to geek out about. Unfortunately, they've since shut down if I recall correctly.

It's an odd dichotomy that is based largely off price. Consumers seem to expect cheaper brandy to be sweet like a Christian Brothers VS or Korbel. But then they seem to expect "purity of spirit" on the higher end. As far as legality, I believe only a certain percentage can be back sweetened. You may want to check the TTB's Chapter 4 for detailed limitations on brandy categories.

I hope to never encounter such a pain in the ass, but thank you for sharing!

I concur with SlickFloss, pure water is odd on the palate. It feels incredibly thin to me with all minerality stripped out. However, the limited vodka experience I have involved RO water and it made for a good product.