StillSmart

You'd think an old dog like me would have learned no to do silly things at my age but not so.

Last week I mixed up a 1 litre batch of "Chemipro Oxy" No Rinse Cleaner and Steriliser, which I use in a spray bottle that formerly contained Milton. I mix the Oxy as a 1 litre batch because it takes only 4g per litre and I put what doesn't fit in the Milton bottle into a plastic screw-top bottle until needed.

Last night a friend was due to call and I had promised him a bottle of the latest batch of my Bourbon type Whisky. Out I went to the 'distillery' and drew off 600ml from the latest filled Cornie Keg and prepared to filter it into a ready cleaned and labelled bottle.

The Whisky is Oaked at 55% and had to be let down to bottle strength with the addition of filtered water that I keep bottled ready for such purposes. I took the bottle of filtered water from the shelf and measured out 225ml which I added to the Whisky and set it aside while I got the filter materials and funnel ready.

You can see where this is going, can't you

When I poured the "Whisky" into the funnel it was black as the Ace of Spades.....I stopped pouring, trying to figure out what was going on when it hit me.

You guessed it, the 'filtered water' I added to dilute the Whisky was, in fact, the No Rinse Cleaning and Sterilising solution of Chemipro Oxy

After administering several slaps to the back of my own head I poured the jug of
'not Whisky anymore' liquid down the sink and started again but not before I got an adhesive label with "Steriliser" written on it and stuck it on the bottle.

In a way I suppose I was lucky that the steriliser did have such a dramatic effect on the Whisky or my friend could have become a 'former friend' or worse.

Salutary lesson - label all chemicals just in case, like me, you forget what it really is.

AM

I am sorry for your loss. I too have a tendency to forego labels, but usually on what I produce. This leads to a "what on earth is this?" guessing game.

Whats this? *sniff* hmmmm not sure - has been uttered rounds these parts many a time.

A while back i bought some nice bottles from a supplier, so now gin only goes into the style of bottle I use for gin, vodka in to the vodka bottles, rum etc.
everything else gets labeled. No more accidental white rums and tonics.

also ran a batch of gin with the last gal of white rum that I was saving mistaking it for neutral - it wasn't an improvement.

I use the heads from my heads run as solvent around the shed, this is always clearly marked as ***POISON****SOLVENT******.

I now also never mix or store chemicals / unsavoury things in anything that i use to store alcohol in, its too easy to get mixed up.

Having a methodology only comes from making lots and lots and lots of mistakes

I believe that I have already owned up to the occasion that I "fried" battered fish in a strong sugar syrup solution,believing it to be vegetable oil?
Try that one Heston Bloomingthing.
These days permanent markers clutter my life,that I may write directly onto bottles,and KNOW what they contain.
Once bitten,twice shy.

Robert.

In my earlier days I accidentally mixed some navy rum essence with a litre of filtered water for a mates ex navy pals........they weren't very impressed !

I routinely store water from my RO filter for spirit dilution but, following this incident, I bought a 20lt stainless steel Swan Water Boiler to store my filtered water from here on. I picked it up off a site called Done Deal for €20. (The element doesn't work but who cares) All I have to do now is plumb the mini ball cock fitting into the top of the unit and I won't be able to make that cock-up again

AM

Easydrinkers post reminded me of another "unfortunate incident" when I was 17 or so and staying at a friend's house whose parents were away on holiday for a few weeks, doing the sort of drinking you can only get away with as a teenager.

I awoke one morning, still very very drunk, and having used up all the moisture in my body desperate for some fluids.
Staggering into the kitchen I see a glass bottle of Irn Bru sitting on the floor by the fridge, the absolute best thirst quencher for an over-severed Scot.
I'm on my second large glug of the liquid contained before my brain realises its not actually Irn Bru but old chip oil has been used to fry breaded fish, hence the orange colouring.

It didn't stay down long.

I blame improper labeling.