Aussiedistiller, Home Distilling, Moonshine, Home Brew

You may call me paranoid or ocd :laughing-rolling: but it occurred to me in a few threads ive seen people aging alcohol in glass jars with lids that contain plastic seals. I figure that over time your aging alc goes through many stages of evaporation and condensation meaning your harded earned is coming in contact with this plastic. The effect may be so minute it doesnt matter but wondered what the science nerds thought. I remembered what my high school science teacher told me about how your clothes dry when on the line. Water boils at 100 degrees but thats 100 degrees average temperature. So when your clothes are on the line the average temp might be say 25 degrees however some of these moleculess of water are at 100 degree evaporate off slowly one by one molecules reach 100 degrees and evaporate off without the average temp rising above 25 hence your clothes slowly dry. So i figure these cycles in a closed vessel must be happening over and over and more often because of ethanol having a lower boiling temp of 78. May be the uj talking but whats everyone think?

The thought has crossed my mind as well :think: Hopefully not to much to worry about. I only store feints this way, in old spirit bottles with whatever seal they came with. Ageing stock is in glass with either natural cork or coffee filter paper and the stuff my friends and I drink go in cork sealed spirit bottles. Sailor jerrys in my usual because they have no branding on either the bottle or the stopper, but I've got some nice ones put away for special brews :D

I am anal when it comes to plastics and avoid everything but EPDM, teflon (not very compressable for bottles/jars), silicone or natural cork - NOT MANUFACTURED CORK- for spirits

You can buy a big bag of bulk natural corks for pretty cheap, why take the risk. Vapours can cause deterioration and leeching albeit slower than immersion, I don't chance it personally.

No seals on my 5lt mason jars, its short term for first 4 - 6 months, bit of breathing as it mellows, then into a SS keg with oak bungs.

As mentioned I wouldn't put a synthetic seal any where near long term storage regardless of mtl. epdm included.

bt1

I my jars and demi's I use a piece of paper towel and an elastic band to keep the alcoholic cockroaches out.