Looking for 190 proof alcohol

needeverclear

Hey guys. I'm trying to make a Limoncello. (This isn't technically brewing so I haven't posted it in the Home Brewing subforum)

I want the final product to be 80 proof. After steeping lemon rinds in a flavorless alcohol (eg vodka or similar) the mix has to be diluted with simple syrup. If I start with regular 80 proof vodka, this dilution step will lower my final product's proof to 60 or so.

In America they sell a clear liquor called Everclear that is 190 proof. That would let me make a Limoncello as strong as I please. I've never seen anything similar in Ireland, but maybe you guys know something I don't...

minidazzler

http://www.celticwhiskeyshop.com/Knockeen_Hills_Extra_Strength_Poteen-z-product-product-218-context-distillery-page-1.htm

It's not cheap. And not 190 proof, but close enough.

L1011

Try a Polish shop, it won't be Everclear but they often have (human-safe, albeit not undiluted...) rectified spirit that's >90% and would be significantly cheaper than that poitin

rubadub

MYOB wrote: »

would be significantly cheaper than that poitin

how much have you seen it for?

I don't think I have been in any polish shops that had a licence.

Most vodkas are made past 90% and diluted back down, so prices should be the same proportion. e.g. in tesco smirnoff is 37.5% and €22.70, it should be about €54.50 for the same bottle at 90%.

That poitin probably tastes like poitin, rather than trying to be a neutral spirit.

irish_goat

You might be able to find spirytus, it's a 96% rectified Polish vodka. The Abbot's Ale House used to have it in Cork but I'm not sure if they still do. Or if you know any Polish people they might be able to bring you a bottle on their next trip home.

zl1whqvjs75cdy

As a side note are you supposed to drink that 190 proof alcohol and not go blind?

beertons

irish_goat wrote: »

You might be able to find spirytus, it's a 96% rectified Polish vodka. The Abbot's Ale House used to have it in Cork but I'm not sure if they still do. Or if you know any Polish people they might be able to bring you a bottle on their next trip home.

+1. I got numerous bottles of that off Polish friends. They're all gone home now, haven't had a drop of it in years. Serious gear it was.

rubadub

Anika Thousands Sportscaster wrote: »

As a side note are you supposed to drink that 190 proof alcohol and not go blind?

You don't go blind, just one of the numerous myths surrounding alcohol. You go blind from methanol.

As I said, most vodkas are distilled past 90% and diluted back down. You simply drink less, just like the difference between beer, wine & spirits.

They do not allow high proof on some planes which lead to the myth of it being illegal in some countries, its due to the flammability though. Some countries will have bans on high % though.

High % is harder to gauge accurately how much you had. Its harder on the stomach too if drank neat. Weaker stuff is more palatable and I imagine might have lower duty rates in some places.

I am surprised high % is not more popular for ecofriendly reasons, just like concentrated washing up liquid or how many dilutable drinks are now "double strength".

snowblind

rubadub wrote: »

You don't go blind, just one of the numerous myths surrounding alcohol. You go blind from methanol.

It's a myth for a good enough reason though, as illegally produced high percent alcohol can contain dangerous amounts of methanol if it's not made properly.

rubadub

snowblind wrote: »

It's a myth for a good enough reason though, as illegally produced high percent alcohol can contain dangerous amounts of methanol if it's not made properly.

More myths, any report I have ever seen of people going blind from illicit alcohol has ALWAYS turned out to be poisoning from industrial alcohol. i.e. gangs rob methanol or other industrial alcohols and sell it as ethanol.

Unless you consider selling methanol as ethanol as being "illegally produced".

If you have any reference to people going blind from illegal alcohol made from fermented substances please link it, I have searched hard myself, and have studied distillation for many years.

To have dangerous amounts of methanol is not just "not making it properly", its more like deliberate poisoning, its quite difficult to do it, and if there was such a case I doubt it was accidental.

snowblind

rubadub wrote: »

More myths, any report I have ever seen of people going blind from illicit alcohol has ALWAYS turned out to be poisoning from industrial alcohol. i.e. gangs rob methanol or other industrial alcohols and sell it as ethanol.

Unless you consider selling methanol as ethanol as being "illegally produced".

If you have any reference to people going blind from illegal alcohol made from fermented substances please link it, I have searched hard myself, and have studied distillation for many years.

To have dangerous amounts of methanol is not just "not making it properly", its more like deliberate poisoning, its quite difficult to do it, and if there was such a case I doubt it was accidental.

http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2012-05/fyi-can-drinking-moonshine-really-make-me-go-blind

I'm from Finland and yes, incidents in connection to smuggled Soviet/Russian moonshine are reported relatively often. Sometimes blindness, yeah. But I mean most of the reported incidents have been just general hospitalizations and, well, deaths. I'd say the claims of blindness have definitely taken mythical proportions, even if there is something factual in these claims...

rubadub

That link is pretty much confirming what I said.

Instead of saying

"illegally produced high percent alcohol can contain dangerous amounts of methanol if it's not made properly"

I would say

"illegaly sold liquids claiming to be alcohol can have dangerous amounts of methanol added to them."

Just like other illegal drugs have harmful stuff added, lots of hospitalized cases of people on "E" turn out that it was not MDMA at all. Contaminated cannabis was going around too.

snowblind

Ah ok, well I was talking about the product and not the chemical compound. In layman speak they are used interchangeably but I get what you're saying.

rubadub

snowblind wrote: »

In layman speak they are used interchangeably but I get what you're saying.

OK, I just hate to see any association between home distillation and this contaminated stuff criminals sell, it gives the hobby a bad name. Its similar to cannabis having a bad name since many ignorant people have a "mate who is addicted to cannabis", but 99% of the time it turns out they are smoking cannabis mixed with the most addictive substance known to man, tobacco, but they amazingly blame the cannabis.

I bet if there was a referendum tomorrow about legalising home distillation loads would vote no as they would have this idea that the country would be all going blind, due to all these nonsense myths. When the truth is even fairly poorly home distilled alcohol is purer (less methanol) than most commercial brands.

The first guy was inferring there was something special about high % that would make it more likely to make you blind. When in fact the opposite is usually true, the higher the % the purer it should be.

Some people seem to think some chemical reaction occurs during distillation to produce methanol, while its already in beer & wine. Methanol will also greatly contribute to a hangover. On distillation sites you will see guys commenting about how well their still is operating, gauging it by their lack of hangover.

Mr Simpson

rubadub wrote: »

That link is pretty much confirming what I said.

Instead of saying

"illegally produced high percent alcohol can contain dangerous amounts of methanol if it's not made properly"

I would say

"illegaly sold liquids claiming to be alcohol can have dangerous amounts of methanol added to them."

Just like other illegal drugs have harmful stuff added, lots of hospitalized cases of people on "E" turn out that it was not MDMA at all. Contaminated cannabis was going around too.

Methanol is produced during distillation (not necessarily added in illegally produced spirits)

Its found in those spirits due to the incompetence of the distiller not properly topping and tailing the liquor to remove the methanol

rubadub

Mr Simpson wrote: »

Methanol is produced during distillation (not necessarily added in illegally produced spirits)

More myths. It is not produced during distillation, it is separated, big difference. Nothing new is produced.

If you brew up 5L of beer or wine there is methanol in it, its a by product of fermentation. If you brew sugar water there is only extremely small traces of methanol produced, this is why many distillers use sugar, it is cheap & easy too and suits distillers yeast.

Methanol is present in unfermented apple juice, it is just naturally occurring. This is why you can get worse hangovers on beer & wine than a good vodka.

Methanol has a lower boiling point than ethanol, and the other unwanted compounds at the start. It is easier to separate out compared to some other compounds, which are more benign.

To go blind you would want to be distilling huge amounts and actively collecting and separating out the methanol. As I said before this is not just "not making it properly" and I would not regard it as a mistake, but deliberate poisoning, it would take proper planning to remove it out and collect enough. If you have gotten to the stage where you bought or made a still I think you would be aware that you should discard the methanol. If not you are a moron, most people who buy cookers are aware you have to cook chicken fully through. I have never seen a distillation guide that did not mention methanol. There are so many myths surrounding distillation that I expect anybody attempting it would read the basics, and this is very basic stuff.

In some countries they have limits on still sizes, they only allow 5L stills. This is mainly to stop people doing lots and selling it on. It does also prevent a build up of methanol -i.e. even if you did deliberately separate out the methanol from a wash of 5L of beer and drink it then its the same amount of methanol that would have been in the 5L of beer, minimal amounts.

L1011

rubadub wrote: »

how much have you seen it for?

I don't think I have been in any polish shops that had a licence.

Most vodkas are made past 90% and diluted back down, so prices should be the same proportion. e.g. in tesco smirnoff is 37.5% and €22.70, it should be about €54.50 for the same bottle at 90%.

That poitin probably tastes like poitin, rather than trying to be a neutral spirit.

I've seen it for ~35 but there is a damn good chance it wasn't licenced/legal.

Tesco can do 40% vodka for 12.99 though. Even with some loss-leader element there, there should be some ability to produce 90-95% for about that price.