Cane or beet

[Opus 27]

I know this has come up before , I think on a post Jimmy started but it\'s worth another look. I\'ve been using both cane and beet sugar with Alcotec 48 and the finished product (spirit) is identical in flavour or lack of and smell or again lack of.

However the initial wash does smell more with the beet sugar so I would suspect if you use an air-still you may find a difference as your working at a lower ABV and therefore retaining more ingredients/impurities.
In conclusion I would say that with a reflux producing 93% ABV it does\'nt matter which sugar you use either will give good results.
Opus 27

[hoppinmad]

hi opus, i have used both for washes and the distillate my air still produces is exactly the same after carbon filtering. imo its the yeast that affects the smell and flavour more than anything. i generally use vodka star or allinsons bread yeast both are good but i have bought some alcotec48 to try based on yours and others posts,
cheers, hoppin

[phlogiston]

Hi opus, I don\'t think the sugar is a variable here. Sugar -- both whether from cane or beet -- is the same chemical product of a very high degree of purity. I guess that what comes in a yeast packet is likely to be much more variable.

[Phantom]

Hi opus, I don\'t think the sugar is a variable here. Sugar -- both whether from cane or beet -- is the same chemical product of a very high degree of purity. I guess that what comes in a yeast packet is likely to be much more variable.

Hum? I\'d disagree with that a little bit. Yes it\'s entirely possible that the basic chemical analysis would show that the sucrose element of sugar is the same - equally, it might just taste the same.
Because the very nature of the types of plant that sugar can be derived from, there\'s almost definitely a completely different chemical signature of both types.
After all, cane is a grass like plant, beet is a root crop. We humans would normally be more able to cope with the fibre in a root crop than a grass type plant and I\'m thinking that it\'s probably not the sucrose that might make a difference, but the other elements in the products.
It\'s been said, in a number of articles, that sugar from cane gives a "cleaner" product - now if that\'s correct, then how much "cleaner" it might be would need an entire lab to demonstrate.
It just happens that I usually get my sugar from Lidls, their brand happens to be a cane sugar (different name but the same as Tate&Lyle, or Whitworths). I\'ve also used British Sugars "Silver Spoon" which is a beet sugar and not been able to notice any obvious difference......
Though, why is it that the waste from sugar cane processing becomes Rum, while waste from beet processing becomes animal feed.......... apparently......... There might be another reason, but I don\'t know what it is......