Golan Heights 100% Malted Barley New Spirit UPDATE#1

I thought I'd make the first of what I hope will be a few update posts on the Golan Heights New Spirit project.

(See previous post)

First, the spirit has now turned an interesting pale yellow colour. I wonder just how much darker it is going to get


Opening up the bottle and giving it a snif, that smell of Acetone I spoke about in my last post has significantly decreased but still present in the background. The most dominant aroma is now a rather pleasant heavy note of caramelised tin peaches. This is an interesting development.

Secondly, I have been doing more research into adverse smell and tasting notes in new spirit and thought I'd share some of my findings.


The Distillation Process - The Spirit Still


The first distillation of the fermented wash is done is a wash still. This is then cooled and converted back to liquid and poured into the spirit still for a second distillation.


The Foreshots, the Heart and the Feints


The first part (varies between the first 5-10% of the distillation process) of the second distillation of the new spirit (carried out in the spirit still), is called the foreshots or "the head". The last part of the distillation is known as the feints or "the tail". It is the bit in the middle, known as the "the heart", the purist and fruitiest part which is kept. The foreshots and feints are either discarded or collected and mixed into the next the distillation.


Why do I mention all this? Because of the description given to new spirit that has been collected too early in the distillation process and which contains a part of the foreshots. According to articles on the subject, when the spirit is collected too early you get an acetone/nail polish remover/solvent smell and taste. Hmmmmm.


See extract from eBook: The Art of Distilling Whiskey and Other Spirits and here: Difford's Guide to the Science of Distillation. as well as many other references.