I started making moonshine, but it smells bad – I tell you what is the reason and how to fix it quickly

“What does it smell like?” my wife asked me as she entered the kitchen. And then I realized that this wonderful “incense” comes directly from the moonshine I had just prepared.

I did not notice the smell from the very beginning, as I was in the kitchen for a long time and just got used to it, but if sensitive people drink moonshine, then somehow it will turn out badly.

Thus began my investigation of how to eliminate the unpleasant smell that periodically appears during moonshining. I looked at all the resources that are on the Internet, and found a couple of methods that help to eliminate this jamb.

Causes of a bad smell in moonshine

On the Internet, I came across a description of various reasons why moonshine exudes a bad smell. I also asked my friends – moonshiners – on the forums if they encountered this and what they did in this situation. Moreover, I trusted the second resource much more than the first.

Unscented homemade moonshine is the best base for a variety of tinctures.

What really happened? Poor-quality mash and incorrect distillation are the root causes of a terrible smell in the kitchen. I decided to combine everything I found in order to further compare it with my situation:

• Skip the filtration of moonshine. When the yeast has completed its function, they die and settle at the bottom of the mash. Reacting when heated, they begin to emit a terrible smell. That is why it is necessary to carry out filtration and even several times.

Sediment in moonshine without filtration is, of course, an awful option, but there is something to think about.

• Spoiled or sour mash. A big mistake for beginners is not to look at how much the wort stood.

Important! It is necessary to distill only fresh and ripe mash and at the same time monitor the temperature.

• Neglect of the second distillation. With repeated distillation, an unpleasant odor may disappear, and the moonshine itself will become lighter.
• Dirty fermentation containers.
• Temperature failure.

My main reason for the stench was that I didn’t pass the moonshine through the filter a second time. As a result, the dead tremors began to betray their presence.

How to remove the smell while the future moonshine is still fermenting

While the mash is standing and preparing for distillation, it can be actively influenced. I would give you the following advice:

1. Temperature compliance. The best option is storage in a temperature range of 20 to 30 degrees. The higher the temperature, the faster and better fermentation.

Braga reaction to different temperatures.

2. Before distillation, the mash needs to be clarified. The wort contains sediment, which, when distilled, will release an unpleasant odor. To prevent this from happening, the mash is removed from the sediment and a second filtration is carried out;
3. Quality ingredients. At this point I am alluding to yeast. They must be expensive, proven.

Attention! I use wine yeast the most. They react very well.

How to remove the smell during the first and second distillation

The first distillation is a mandatory action, but some may ignore the second, which is absolutely impossible to do. After the first distillation, the raw must be diluted with water and distilled a second time.

You also need to pay attention to the following points:

• In no case should boiling wort get into the raw alcohol. This will give the final product an automatic haze and smell. Do not exceed the heating temperature.
• The first distillation is carried out quickly.
• It would be nice to wash the apparatus after the first distillation.

You can also use flavors at the end, but I would not. Good moonshine already has a light specific aroma that does not need to be corrected.

How to remove the smell from the finished moonshine

Ready-made moonshine can also be saved, but this is problematic. For example, I have personally used some of the methods listed below to eliminate “aroma”, and they have worked well:

• Re-distillation.
• Selection of fractions of “heads” and “tails”.
• Charcoal cleaning. It is carried out elementarily – crushed tablets of activated carbon are added to the moonshine, shaken, infused, filtered.
• Infusion of herbs and fruits.

Black coal cleaning option.

The last method, however, is somewhat cheating, since it involves masking one smell with another. Yes, and you get a tincture only if the moonshine smells not very nasty and sharp. Otherwise, all this is spoilage of products and a waste of time.

Have you experienced the unpleasant smell of moonshine? How was this issue resolved?