Re-distilling cheap supermarket scotch whisky

This started as a slight spoof of Ralfy's whisky channel, but then yielded a completely unexpected result.
Yes I did do the clickbait thing I joked about in the video.
Here's Ralfy's fairly open minded analysis of the contents of the two bottles.
• ralfy review 874 Extra...
If you enjoy these videos you can help support the channel with a dollar for coffee, cookies and random gadgets for disassembly at:-
www.bigclive.com/coffee.htm
This also keeps the channel independent of KZbin's advertising algorithms allowing it to be a bit more dangerous and naughty.

[@piconano]

When the brand name of a vodka is "VODKA", you know you're getting the good street stuff.

[@EngineeringVignettes]

God bless no-name products.

[@irreverend_]

Nah, you're getting the real street stuff when it's called Vodkat and it's actually 22% 'schapps' :)

[@irreverend_]

Also I've drunk a lot of cheap vodka over the years, an awful lot, and it's mostly just neutral spirit like it should be. There have been 2 occasions when it was not, one was a brand name I've forgotten that Bargain Booze started carrying for a while, began with a P, you could smell a bit too much acetone in it and fuck me I was ruined the next day. The other was some bottles my brother got me from Aldi at the beginning of the first lockdown, had about 500ml of that and ended up falling backwards down my concrete staircase. Poured the other 1.5 litres away, that shit wasn't right

[@fivespeed3026]

@@irreverend_ You’re not supposed to drink the whole 1.5 L in one day. 🤣

[@cheyannei5983]

@@irreverend_ but why? Monopolowa is already insanely cheap!

[@DiniM]

Legend says he's still tasting both till this day. Growing ever more unsure with each dose

[@aragustin]

JAJAJAJAJA

[@yato3335]

Well, everything's for the experiment's sake XD

[@amorphuc]

It's science. LOL

[@yorkaturr]

Greetings from Finland. This is exactly what I would imagine a typical afternoon in Scotland is like.

[@MauriatOttolink]

yorkaturr My Dundonian father in law says that he only drinks to relax. Sometimes he's so relaxed that he can't move. He also said that there are only two things which you can put in a whisky. One is another whisky and the other is your top lip

[@TheOriginal_BigMac]

When the Finns think you have a problem with alcohol then you have a real problem

[@jsmith498]

This is 9 o'clock in the morning

[@TheGreatest1974]

Haha that’s a good one! I’m in Scotland and I have my air still running right now! And I’m trying an experiment to get a bit more usable alcohol out of it. I’m taking my 800ml, diluting to 1200, taking that away, then collecting another 300ml for redistilling instead of throwing it away. 👍🇬🇧

[@jennyd255]

Speaking as a chemistry teacher, (and of course whisky lover) the problem with this experiment is that you would need a rather more precise fractional distillation to successfully separate the alcohol from the volatile aromatics. Most of the flavourings will be volatile esters and aldehydes with maybe a few trace cyclic rings. That being the case many of those volatiles will have quite similar boiling point to ethanol and will therefore end up coming off with it. So what you ended up with as residue was, as you eventually realised, the heavy sugars, plus any trace phenolic rings or terpenes - which might contribute a little woodiness or smokiness and bitterness to the flavour - but wont be the major taste elements.

[@yottaforce]

As an engineer, agree. You can see there's almost a full bottle of output even though the whisky only contains about 40-50% alcohol.

[@jennyd255]

@@yottaforce yes I did think that probably most of the H2O had come across too. So basically the only residues left were things with a boiling point above 100. Whereas for proper alcohol distillation, as we both know, the still would have to be maintained at 78.3 degrees Celsius, and then the result, whether flavoured or not, would be much closer to pure alcohol, thoroughly illegal, and probably best used as rocket fuel! lol Maybe Big Clive could do a deal with Elon Musk, I gather he has fuel supply problems at the moment!

[@NikkoHawkes]

I was about to comment this myself, he either needs a fractional distillation setup or do at least several dozen passes with his simple distiller to get any good separation. Although he'd also concentrate the alcohol in the process, and end up with something closer to a rectified spirit than vodka

[@H33t3Speaks]

As a chemist as well, I’m far more interested in the heavier weight alcohols (Fusel Alcohols) in the apparatus, including 1-hexanol, 1-butanol among some other nastiness. Fermentation is a stochastic process, choosing the right grains for the spirit is INTENSELY important. What I’d like to know is, what was the next morning like? For anybody else reading, you cannot attain 100% pure EthOH through distillation because it forms a higher boiling azeotrope with atmospheric moisture: either some cosolvent or molecular sieves are required.

[@AM-hf9kk]

@@yottaforce Agreed. Would need to vary the temperature of the heating element, or the cooling element, or both to do anything interesting with alcohols. This thing is a residential distiller only intended to remove dissolved solids from "hard water." I've not run a serious gas spectrometer comparison, but visual inspection of the residue certainly reveals a lot of solids remain behind.

[@panzersheriff727]

"He has taken the bottles away for analysis" Now that is a smart brother right there!

[@rodh1404]

I can't help but think it would have been even smarter if he could have taken away the good stuff!

[@Doeff8]

Yeah. "Analysis", huhuuhhuuu

[@eugenesnell6600]

I was going to say the same thing 😅😃😅😃! My thing is that he's probably just going to drink them himself.

[@chinanorthairguns]

He must approve if he feels the need for further sampling.

[@CommodoreFan64]

@@rodh1404 I'm surprised he did not go hey Clive do you have any other whisky for control sampling. 😂

[@BobbyDukeArts]

I had to go back and look at the thumbnail. Lol, excellent

[@Brad_Okami]

haha was about to do the same lol

[@TaiGell]

Bobby. Where is new videos? )

[@babyboysmooth1353]

Hello there

[@JS-bf9dw]

guilty

[@pompshuffle562]

Keep seeing you in places i did not expect

[@DaanDoornbos]

I'm a long time watcher of Ralphy's whisky reviews. And I found this channel randomly while browsing youtube and it turns out to be his brother. When you said I have to give it to my brother Ralphy, he's the whisky aficionado it blew my mind!

[@pmam1968]

"They always speak of my drinking, and never my thirst"

[@msrlapin99]

There is no part of this entire experiment that does not strike me as a bad idea. I love it.

[@lucasnunes5185]

Truly a miracle! The master has turned whisky into vodka and vodka into whisky! May all those whom have ears hear this!

[@bradshauer6286]

Might have been easier to just switch the labels

[@BilisNegra]

That Jeese guy, bah, this dude is truly a Lord.

[@rexsceleratorum1632]

Behold the Holy Whisky of Jerusalem! Cast off the Vodka, follow the Whisky!

[@CesarPerezn]

Nex up water into wine, then wine into pee, then pee back to water.

[@Da_Shark]

@@CesarPerezn and repeat said cycle until it tastes like piss

[@haggismuncher735]

Big Clive talking about soy face was something I wasn't expecting to hear today

[@stevejackson4340]

I love everything Big Clive does.... his mellow voice is just so good it makes anything interesting.

[@ncc74656m]

See, now we need Ralfy to troll you on electronics.

[@tazz1669]

I can just imagine Ralfy's tear down, have a feeling it will involve an x-ray machine lol

[@tomaskovacik]

@@tazz1669 hammer?

[@tazz1669]

@@tomaskovacik Yes

[@chinanorthairguns]

When Ralfy posted about his new book, I left a spoof Clive forward comment saying this book contains reviews on expensive ethanol blends and absolutely no information about electronic components.

[@mikedrop4421]

I can here it now "HELLO my exquisitely exciting Extraordinarily Egg-headed Equals and thank you to Dickins Hyde for that Electronic Entrance ."

[@73North265]

So essentially you de-glazed the whisky residue with the vodka - so by all foodie logic, you have made gravy!

[@squirlboy250]

I like this kind of gravy! HAHA

[@garethhanby]

He forgot the finely chopped shallots.

[@WashupCyclone]

“He has taken the bottles away for analysis” 😂 I think he just didn’t want to admit he liked it!

[@ffmag9501]

I am a Chemist I can try to explain: The flavour of any snaps is provided by many different molecules. And some of them do have a relatively low boiling point (e.g. alkenes). When destilling, a mixture of liquids can be separated. Technically they are separated by their vapour pressures and not as commonly thought their boiling points but lets keep taking the boiling point. Besides water and ethanol (the drinkable alcohol) also the low boiling flavour substances (alkenes) will be vaporized and transfered to your bottle so the clear condensate will have a taste very close to the original whisky but of course not exactly as it used to be. It should taste something like after it has been distilled orginially for the first time before put into casks to mature. The colours (and other flavours with higher boiling points) usually come from the cask and might have higher boiling points so they are not transferred to your distillate and remain as an oily residue.

[@martinXY]

"This distillate still smells like whisky" "This vodka + residue smells of whisky" Maybe it's the room that smells of whisky.

[@paulcarter7403]

Maybe it's him that smells of whiskey. Some people will use any excuse to get pissed!😎

[@DoctorX17]

I wish I could smell whiskey Whisky? I can never remember the difference XD

[@railgap]

maybe it's the beard! ;D

[@paulcarter7403]

He'd doing it so we don't have to, for the benefit of science. By the way, where can I get one of those distilly things?

[@DoctorX17]

@@paulcarter7403 I'm curious about this as well... It's much more compact than the still I built!

[@Ultimra]

That look into the camera after 'oh sorry, that's the cask.." I laughed so hard

[@arson8582]

Ditto!!

[@madseeker2188]

as did I his sacrifice will be long remembered

[@f.f.s.d.o.a.7294]

I did a double-tap double-take.

[@russellslater4037]

I fell off my chair, superb moment

[@Deliquescentinsight]

So that is how they make Iron Bru!

[@jm.varian911]

Discovered your channel through magical algorithm of KZbin, watching undervolt LED lamps of Dubai, and somehow ended up watching re-distilling whisky! Happy accidents! Subbed, too!

[@khaid12345]

BigClive has the greatest and manliest beard I have ever seen. Its brilliant, well done m8

[@lonestar1775]

"Hold on, I'm just going to chug this". Spoken like a true man.

[@brendonelton]

I have to admit, that bit made me laugh :D

[@metatechnologist]

I think that might be dangerous.

[@megamanx466]

@@metatechnologist Lol, how so? 🤔

[@metatechnologist]

@@megamanx466 He could be unintentionally concentrating the alcohol. So it'd be like drinking Everclear straight. Alcohol poisoning is easier to do than people think. Also, when distilling it's possible to end up with wood alcohol which is poisonous.

[@lonestar1775]

@@metatechnologist Gotta live life a little bit.

[@fluffycritter]

I hope that you film Ralfy's reactions to drinking vodka-colored whisky and whisky-colored vodka.

[@tonysolar284]

-- Ralfy was unimpressed. He said it was an intriguing experiment and that the results tasted "interesting". But that was all. He has taken the bottles away for analysis ~Clive --

[@agustinusreynaldi7101]

*Vodkey or Whiska* New type of liquor combination

[@fluffycritter]

@@tonysolar284 That bit wasn't in the description when I posted my comment 4 days ago, before the video went public.

[@tonysolar284]

@@fluffycritter That's why I posted it here, for you to see.

[@fluffycritter]

@@tonysolar284 Yeah, I appreciate it! Just explaining why I didn't know that at the time.

[@loganlutz5396]

First time watching anything from this channel. Very happy i clicked in. You have such a mellow soothing voice. Makes it easy and enjoyable to sit back and watch. Easy like an subscribe from me.

[@petermaxwell787]

Man this made me laugh! Especially at the end where Clive is not looking into the camera and then seem to notice it. Cheers Clive! You are truly enjoying life...

[@kaylaandjimbryant8258]

"Whatcha doing Jim?" "Watching Big Clive slamming down shots" Interesting experiment!

[@phipli]

For the "saké" of science.

[@shaneshannon6874]

Jim, as in Beam?? I'm Beam, Jim Beam...

[@kaylaandjimbryant8258]

@@shaneshannon6874 actually, I prefer tequila anejo, canadian whiskey, good wine, and good stout or porter. Not much for bourbon.

[@hjdorn]

"He has taken the bottles away for analysis." Right on.

[@bigboyyesyes184]

been watching for years, and your videos are always in my homepage and recommended. Id actually watched you so much that i assumed id subscribed, but just realised i hadnt. sorry for being late, big fan, keep doing what you do.

[@maximusironthumper]

Big Clive does clickbait!? These must be the end times (I clicked straight away - couldn't help it).

[@SBCBears]

So, it's a sad verity that in the end times, clickbait still works. ☹️ 😄

[@Peter_S_]

Seemed quite an honest title to me. He just knows what the people want. Maximus, fantastic channel! Your videos are ace!

[@JamesAllmond]

guilty...and we don't even have supermarket whisky and aren't allowed to distill it anyway...

[@DarkMetaOFFICIAL]

The combination of thumbnail and beard is his final form 😄

[@Skund79]

You have to please the algorithm otherwise you get punished and yes even if you subscribe it could happen that his content doesn't pop up on your feed, if you don't ring the bell KZbin is a nightmare

[@greeftish]

When you give it to Ralphie you should put the dark vodka in the whiskey bottle and the clear whiskey in the vodka bottle, making sure to wash out the bottles as you transfer them, then we can have a psychological test as well as just taste.

[@tonysansom]

I was thinking absolutelt the same thing!

[@davidatkin5900]

You are a Genius sir, the skill is thinking up these educational and entertaining videos, This is what KZbin is for.

[@MARKE911]

How in the world did I miss this video??? Thank goodness you made mention of it on the other video so I could go back and watch it.

[@NotJustBikes]

Next time you empty an entire bottle of liquor into a larger container, spin it, so that a vortex is created. Then the air goes up the middle of the vortex and the liquor down the sides, and the bottle empties a lot faster and cleaner. This tip proves that I did, in fact, take some useful information away from engineering school.

[@robertkustos2931]

Exactly how I empty my pop bottle when I wash it out

[@thevideoman12]

You also learn that if you like to drink a lot. I've heard. And Robert, why are you washing out your soda bottles?

[@wannabuyabridge]

When I empty a bottle of whisky, a vortex is often created

[@tissuepaper9962]

@@thevideoman12 reduce, *reuse* , recycle, guy. Everybody always forgets about "reuse". Most plastic soda bottles are easily durable enough to last months or years as a daily-carried water bottle.

[@jindivik321]

this tip was on the kids TV show "How 2" in the 90s

[@nickk8762]

Nurse! He's out of bed again!Thanks Clive, made me smile!🤣 Interesting too....

[@s9enny]

And he’s wearing that hat again I smell trouble 👿

[@coolguy9651]

"A soy face." This man has earned my subscription.

[@59jalex]

I'm overseas now, so I had to search for Crag and Glen 3 year old. The reviewer on whiskybase seems to like it. When I lived in the Philippines, I used to pass the alcohol section in the supermarkets. Unheard of, if not creative, brands of whisky. I often considered buying one. For the price, I couldn't see how you could go wrong. But, fortunately for me, they had my favourite whisky, The Macallan, at unbelievably cheap prices. You have convinced me to try the supermarket stock. You deserve a Nobel Prize for culture. My dad was from Bridgeton, I do believe I have the water of life flowing through my veins. Cheers.

[@wizdude]

“I’m going to have a wee taste of the whiskey again” ... “just to verify” 😂 😂 😂

[@dodgydunc7]

Made me laugh. Sort of thing I'd do

[@ivanstefancic3151]

And then he adds "that's odd" which gives him another chance to try lol

[@user-bg2oi4bz3p]

I thought whiskey was taken in micro sips, not gulps?

[@TheLuftpolsterfolie]

@@user-bg2oi4bz3p depends on how good your tastebuds are. I always need to chuck the whole glass sadly 😊

[@user-bg2oi4bz3p]

@@TheLuftpolsterfolie Well, yes but, gulping and chucking is bypassing the tongue entirely. That is the purpose of beer because it's cheap enough to do that especially when you brew your own. Plus beer you can fill up on. It's like a highly nutritious meal. Whiskey you can't make a meal of...or can you?

[@ralfydotcom]

O.M.G. it's a malt-moment !

[@Thermalions]

Well I was half right. I was expecting a comment "O.M.G. How could you?"

[@danpalu2308]

OMG FACE REVEAL!

[@ROKNRED]

I expected a bit more contempt from you on this, but it made me laugh. :D

[@christeamhound]

@ralfydotcom you should have been there for tasting notes!

[@billysgeo]

why not do colab and try and make some DIY whiskey. Small still and some ultrasonic "aging" maybe

[@richardhasler6718]

Ha ha ha, this is a superb video and the thumbnail was sublime, thank you so much Clive, I hope Scotland honours you as a national hero!

[@AsAboveISoBelow]

Clive I just wanna say your voice is beautiful, and I love hearing it every time I wanna laugh at bad electronics!

[@anotheruser9876]

"What would you like to drink Mr. Clive?" "Whisky. Shaken, not stirred"

[@ahashdahnagila6884]

@another user Indeed! Just like Sean Connery's character... old what's his name.

[@lacdirk]

"Distilled and clear, please"

[@georgenewlands9760]

@@ahashdahnagila6884 Whishky, shaken not shtirred.

[@ahashdahnagila6884]

@@georgenewlands9760 Yesh! Yesh, indeed!

[@terrymarsh1255]

I’m humbled by the personal sacrifices you make for our education and entertainment.

[@d.e.potter4923]

I agree: Humanity is in perpetual debt to you. I doff my hat to you, Sir!

[@youcan2657]

Your talking is pure art. Just came across your channel but had to subscribe immediately. Thanks for sharing your experience

[@LALATheClown]

What Distillation machine are you using?

[@DerCrawlerVomUrAnus]

The freaking hat kills me, it looks like the cheap supermarket version of Ralfy's hat, very fitting.

[@baileyanderson6824]

Poundland version

[@77thTrombone]

I was thinking so. Quite sporting, PoundLand style!

[@user-df2ij2np4s]

Looks great

[@jazzswinglish]

Looks like a tribute to Chick Murray. Loved it.

[@TheRealColBosch]

I was going to say that it's the most-Scottish hat I've ever seen. Yes, even more than a tam o' shanter.

[@_BangDroid_]

Jesus turned water into wine. BigClive turned whisky into vodka and vodka into whisky. Needless to say, I'm more impressed with the latter

[@eyeswideshut2800]

I cannot concur there.

[@scabthecat]

Jesus provided no proof of the feat, while Big Clive made a KZbin video. If there was any justice in the world, people would worship Big Clive.

[@Nicmadis]

Haha, I will concur. At least until Jesus posts a video where he turns water into whiskey, or at the very least vodka. Might change my mind then.

[@Bryan1342]

I can turn whisky, vodka, wine, spirits, and many other kinds of fluids into salty water. Checkmate, Jesus.

[@Grim_Beard]

Big Clive also has the distinct advantage of almost certainly existing.

[@MkeKen67]

Here's to ya for talking about "residue." My wife thinks I use that word too much, but there's usually not a great alternative available. My favorite residue is the dried bit of Guinness (although other beers often have the same effect) at the bottom of a pint glass about three hours (or a day) later. It smells like sweet wood smoke, like when you are taking a walk in the winter and someone has a fire going.

[@ShubhamGupta_006]

This man has the ability to confuse even the greatest Whiskey experts and oh of course I almost forgot, it includes Vodka experts too!!

[@kempy666999]

Maybe decant it into a mega-expensive single malt bottle before you get Ralfy to try it? :-)

[@avramlevitter6150]

"Sorry, that's the *cask* that colors it." Me, glancing at the two bottles of cask strength scotch on my shelf: "Yes. Definitely the cask and nothing else."

[@penergrastmanilow8731]

The cask use to do that 100 years ago. Today it is caramel colour (E150)... which gives you a terrible hungover and a lot of vomit

[@MultiAndrew1971]

A decent single malt still is the cask that adds the colour and some of the flavours. A cheap supermarket whisky probably has some artificial additives in to keep the price down

[@AdeptPaladin]

@@MultiAndrew1971 can confirm, the barrels do colour it in single malts! Visit any distillery worth their salt and you can see the process and how the whiskey darkens over time.

[@psr0459]

Yep ! Definitely an Aha ! moment and the sound of my delusions popping.

[@AdeptPaladin]

@Bob Watters Some correction, a blended malt isn’t “several distillers”, it’s usually the same distiller but different distilleries (ie: Bell’s has multiple distilleries but they are all the same company). Blended scotches are just combined single malts, typically only aged 3 years so they barely have any colouring. Raw spirit is just clear and after three years has absorbed barely any of the barrels tannins. By using shorter aged alcohol, there’s higher turnover, reduced loss due to evaporation all of which makes it cheaper. By mixing barrels and proportions you can get some good flavours at a fraction of the cost of longer aged scotch. So while a 12, 25, or 50 year single malt will have a distinct colour and flavour based on the cask they’ve aged in, a blended scotch will have artificial colourings most likely as they’ll have almost none of that.

[@MattDavis_BeechingsGhosts]

Brilliant! Fantastic humour, had me giggling out loud but also very interesting. Subscribed!

[@wisconsingoldrush8270]

Very interesting! You saved heads, hearts and tails so I'm not surprised the distillate tasted a bit like whiskey, as opposed to what might be expected from a fractional distillation. However, I have always wanted to make a whiskey concentrate, and this was super cool to watch for that reason!

[@shoestringeng6473]

I was thinking the same thing, with a simple still like that I would think you would need to take 3 samples head, heart and tail and compare those? cool expermint!!!!

[@mickd6942]

He has taken the bottles away for analysis killed me 😂

[@krap101]

I'm not having a glass of wine! I'm having SIX. It's called a tasting and it's classy

[@TexasVexes]

Just have to make sure this bottle is consistently tasting the same the whole way.

[@gargoylets]

If you like Whiskey, please make sure to go watch Ralphy's video too. He REALLY knows his stuff and gives a fantastic breakdown of what this process has done to both liquors. Fantastic job Clive, going outside the box like this is real creativity!

[@richardpowell4281]

Another experiment you could run is getting a 1 liter mini charred oak barrel, mine cost like $30 US. Pour one bottle in the barrel, keep another bottle as a control, and maybe even get some new make whiskey, and see which tastes best after 9 months.

[@oil_moon]

Now I can die peacefully having heard Big Clive use the words "soy face"

[@KasGikes420]

based Nanami poster

[@eviethekiwi7178]

I thought i misheard him...

[@pov_music]

definitely funnier hearing it from him than PJW or hbomberguy

[@qwertyTRiG]

@@pov_music I wouldn't imagine that there's a great deal of crossover between Big Clive and Hbomberguy fans. There's me, and apparently you.

[@Treakorizor]

@@qwertyTRiG well threes a crowd right?

[@draw4kicks]

Probably the most entertaining video I've seen in a long time!

[@Speedi1103]

"He has taken the bottles away for analysis." XD

[@humdrumyokel9890]

And before that ... tasted them and called the result interesting ... well, he felt a need to confirm his result, repeatedly over some time, obviously. For such noble endeavor one would need an amount of samples.

[@monty3854]

@@humdrumyokel9890 He takes pride in his work!

[@manictiger]

@@humdrumyokel9890 It's bizarre. The more you drink it, the better it seems to taste. More study is required.

[@wayahedia9989]

I absolutely love watching this man have a drink.

[@alexdelara9858]

I love the how expertively your subjective tasting test plays out ! ! Thanks for taking the lead.

[@aquarius5264]

it's oddly satisfying to see him pour out an entire bottle of whiskey

[@number3stunner118]

That's how it's supposed to feel. This is an ASMR video. Right?

[@MaverickBlue42]

You can tell Clive was really feeling his samples, he's liked some 9000+ comments, give or take a handful........

[@NeathVideos]

Hi Clive -what is the brand of distiller you are using? I’ve read reviews on Amazon of similar looking ones,and one comment said they had theirs PAT tested,and it didn’t appear to be earthed! Is this safe for UK use if so ? Or could I add an earth connection for safety

[@tomservo5007]

Nice Clive, you entertained and distilled knowledge to almost a million people with one video

[@FragGile]

I can’t wait until he reaches 1 million, one of the few channels on KZbin that have truly earned it

[@bigclivedotcom]

I'm not so keen on that. If the channel gets too big it will get less personal. (Like this response.)

[@stephenrowe2927]

All you need now is some whiskey barrel chippings and a ultrasonic cleaner, apparently its a way to 'Age' whiskey quickly

[@bigclivedotcom]

I do have an ultrasonic cleaner here too.

[@vermillionreaper]

yes, actually true!

[@brolohalflemming7042]

Throw in some plastic gloves for a hint of grape. Or collab with NileRed to do that part? But needs a name. Whisky and Whiskey are taken, so I propose Whiskish. And keeping results away from the revenuers. Presumably scope for refinement depending on how good the thermostat is in that distiller as presumably it's distilling water along with the good stuff. Which I guess is why the caramel syrup's left over with it's higher boiling point.

[@mikedrop4421]

That is such an amazing process. Thought emporium right?

[@Nicmadis]

"Big Clive Ye Olde Barstool Whiskey."

[@Paganbeliever]

This has for some reason become my new favourite thing on KZbin.. 70% because of his beautiful accent

[@elektro3000]

This is the best science I've seen all week. Thank you so much for this.

[@fredjones7307]

Now that's what I call a bloody sensible experiment.

[@bikerchrisukk]

"...the cask colours it apparently". I did laugh on my own when it was combined with the look 😂😂👍

[@michaelwise1224]

I was bitterly disappointed to find out in a tour of the distillery of my favourite rum that OP is only darker than UP because they use less water after the caramel is added to the white spirit.

[@robfut9954]

Anybody have a link to that water purifier? Been looking for a similar model.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Megahome.

[@Avantgardist]

Mate, I really like your style and you're a pretty sympathic fella. That being said : I have no idea why I am watching this and why I find you so entertaining.

[@simonoleary9264]

To paraphrase Ford Prefect: "Oh don't give me none more of that Old Manx Spirit No, don't you give me none more of that Old Manx Spirit For my head will fly, my tongue will lie, my eyes will fry and I may die Won't you pour me one more of that sinful Old Manx Spirit"

[@damonedwards1544]

I didn't get the reference. I thought he said "Mank spirit."

[@simonoleary9264]

@@damonedwards1544 Hi Clive was talking about "Manx spirit", which is a clear 40% alcohol spirit. Ford Prefect, from "Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy", sung a song (when drunk) called "That Old JANX Spirit". I just combined fact and fiction, given the chance to be a bit daft 😁.

[@markdonnelly1913]

Lol, I have never heard of Manx spirit before, but when he mentioned it, my first thought was of Hitchhiker's.

[@JasonPullara]

In this video, Clive finds unique nerdy ways to get sick.

[@jamesplotkin4674]

He's killing bacteria.

[@chartle1]

So much better than drinking methylated spirits 😝

[@paulmurgatroyd6372]

So this is the spirits version of snakebite?

[@Boodoo4You]

The world has peaked. Big Clive has called out the soy face KZbinrs. I want this man to be my uncle.

[@crsc3095]

timestamp?

[@HoboVibingToMusic]

@@crsc3095 The thumbnail :V

[@molletts]

5:08 "I'm just doing to have a wee taste of the whisky again... just to verify..." Ah, a man who understands the scientific method and the importance of repeatability when performing an experiment.

[@Nono-hk3is]

I imagine it would be possible to control the temperatures so precisely that you could control which chemicals (alcohols, flavors, water) carry over, although filtering through activated charcoal might be more effective if your goal were to make it neutral.

[@TDOBrandano]

It's not that easy. Alcohol does not distil with a clean boiling point when mixed with water, its boiling point changes with concentration, so that you can't obtain 100% alcohol by distillation alone. It's technically called an azeotrope, wikipedia has a page on the phenomenon. You could use a fractioning column and separate the single portions of the whiskey with it. But the compounds that carry the various flavours and smells are also quite volatile, and difficult to separate. Vodka has almost no flavour because the alcohol is distilled to about 95% and then diluted back to 40% with water.

[@racistpandagod]

Distilling is tough coz it's not consistent. Watch videos from still it or the whiskey tribe to understand why it's more of an art than a science. Not that good science doesn't help with the process.

[@thereaper489]

This is false, alcohols distill at different temperatures, in a fermented soup the alcohol contained is in every form, ethanol is your hearts but your heads (what comes before the ethanol) is a mix of rubbing alcohol and acetone. The tails are a mix of ethanol and basic water. Listen to TDO, as an irish man grown in the land of whiskey farms I can tell he knows the way as well as I.

[@blahorgaslisk7763]

@@TDOBrandano I was going to post something about this, but you saved me from spending time trying to compose something readable. I was wondering why he didn't test the alcohol content, but then I saw the bottle was almost full and there were very little left in the still. Sure signs that he had just taken head, heart and tail all, leaving just the absolute dregs. So of course a lot of the taste will still be in there.

[@roblamb8327]

@@blahorgaslisk7763 and, of course, the original distiller will almost certainly have removed all the nasties (near enough) in "his" first couple of distillations to make "his" product street legal.

[@crazyorse9925]

Whisky is clear when initially straight from the still and is known as "clearac". It is put in casks to age and that is where it derives its colour. The whisky has just been distilled again and reverted to being clear. As a youngster I got drunk on "clearac" straight from the distillery, was ill for three days and couldn't touch whisky for years. :)

[@mikethered123]

If you're interested in repeating this experiment, his still is MH943SBS Megahome Countertop Water Distiller. It is available for purchase in America, and is about $200.

[@bigclivedotcom]

Mine cost a fraction of that because I bought it before it's other use became popular.

[@Aqvavitae]

Fascinating. Get Ralfy on the case 🙌

[@precariousdave]

But please keep the bonnet. Ralfy doesnae need that one.

[@BigJimmyJazz]

So that's what E-150 coloring looks like. Making Vodka look like a Dalmore

[@DonnerPassWhisky]

@@BigJimmyJazz LMAO !

[@anthonygarcia5375]

This is great keep up the good work loved the thumbnail had to go back and look after you mentioned it I got this in my recommends I didn't even realize it was you before you spoke and I checked the channel

[@robinbrowne5419]

I love the super-computer calculating away in the background.

[@bigclivedotcom]

It was analysing the whisky.

[@Pondus]

@@bigclivedotcom Is that something you made yourselves?

[@jamesg1367]

@@bigclivedotcom It appears to have sampled a slight excess.

[@SharkoonBln]

@Robin Browne: It obviously has some parity errors, hence the red lights ;)

[@robinbrowne5419]

@@SharkoonBln Those are sampling errors ;-)

[@BRUXXUS]

That thumbnail bit had me cracking up! Also, this is a fascinating experiment! Looking forward to hearing Ralfy's thoughts.

[@134StormShadow]

IF poor old Ralfy can formulate any after shampling/ teshting boths bottlesh - hic

[@brianfia]

Do you have a link for that distiller that you used?

[@RJH80]

Literally the first blog/channel by a scotsman i've ever come across and funny enough its a hairy man making/drinking moonshine alone in his house. Hilarious.

[@JxH]

When distilling, you have to separate the start, the heart, and the tail end. It's because the "contaminants" are at one end or the other.

[@naajohnnorthcott8267]

The foreshots and feints will have been removed following the first distillation.

[@GSX1402]

That already happened at the distillery.

[@naajohnnorthcott8267]

@@GSX1402 That's what I wrote.

[@TheFreak111]

Would have been intersting if he did separate them, and taste the three. I guess the heads would taste like concentraded whiskey flavour with less alcohol?

[@physiocrat7143]

When distilling a new fermentation the low temperature distillate is useful for cleaning or adding to petrol for your car. Just don't drink it or inhale it.

[@markaudley-thewles5920]

You deserve a blue plaque on the front of your home . Complete legend !

[@chuckoneill2023]

That sounds impressive, but could you enlighten a non UK citizen, as it's not something I've heard of before?

[@samanthafox8273]

@@chuckoneill2023 Here in the UK, there are several heritage/historical preservation groups both official (government) charity and also independent charities. The blue plaques are used by these charities to mark an important location, such as the birthplace of a famous person, or other historically/culturally important things. I don't know why they're almost all blue with white lettering, but that's by far the most common type.

[@jimdent351]

In order for Vodka to have a neutral flavour, it really helps for it to be fermented from ingredients that are lacking in flavour. Then you need to distill it several times. Each time you remove more and more of the volume. For instance, if you had used 10 bottles of whisky as a starting point, and you only kept 8 of those bottles the first time it goes through the still. With the second run through the still you keep 6 bottles. Then your 3rd run through the still you would keep 5 bottles of product. When whisky is distilled there is a lot of flavour in the beginning of the run and the end of the run. The stuff in the middle of a single pass through the still has less flavour. That's why vodka is distilled so many times. In other words, you can't run whisky through a still and keep everything that comes off and expect it to change much in flavour.

[@pattayaguideorg]

FIRST BIT OF LEGIT SCIENCE I've SEEN IN YEARS

[@SimonZerafa]

"He has taken the bottles away for analysis". OK, I bet it's analysis, more like he's chugging the stuff and getting rat arsed! 😂

[@speckledjim_]

Never in a million years did I have you down as having a smashing big beard like that. Bravo man 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@Case_]

(How, though? He even has it in his logo/icon...)

[@speckledjim_]

@@Case_ never noticed

[@skripnick1]

The new channel I never new I needed in my life.. Haha, excellent.

[@AussieTVMusic]

In the next episode we turn Beer into Cider.

[@orobica96x]

5:55 The alcohol is starting to have the first effects on Clive

[@rickseiden1]

It's like some sort of bad magic trick. "Nothing up my sleeve, nothing in the distiller. Watch me turn Whiskey in to Vodka. Now, for my second trick, Vodka becomes Whiskey!"

[@graemejwsmith]

It's Scotch - it's "Whisky" without the "e". Leave the "e" to the Irish and Americans..... ;-) Peace

[@rickseiden1]

@@graemejwsmith I apologize. I'm an American that doesn't drink Whisky.

[@alessandrozonfrillo7806]

Really interesting video. I just have one question, when you redistill a finished product, like vodka, bourbon, and adding some flavours, do you still need to cut away heads and tails and keep the heart or there is no need to? thank you

[@bigclivedotcom]

If pure vodka it has already been purified.

[@brittakriep2938]

In Germany some breweries sell destilled beer , either as Bierschnaps or somehow sweetened as Bierlikör.

[@unkleturpis9253]

I don't know why this popped up in my feed, but that magnificent beard was worth the viewing. And then the rest just made it even better.

[@MYJ61]

So as they used to say in “Keeping up Appearances” you’re going to call “Your Ralphie” to check the whiskey. Loved the video!

[@justinjustin6887]

I just bought one of these countertop distillers, until I decide what my first mash is going to be and make it (Homebrewer and wanting to make an isle style, I just watched your video on that) what do you recommend I re-distill first?

[@bigclivedotcom]

I'd recommend testing it with water first.

[@justinjustin6887]

@@bigclivedotcom well yeah, not only to test it but also for a cleaning run but you know what I was asking right?