+On proofing without an alcometer By: Yogi

Chang
By: Yogi Chang

On proofing without an alcometer:

you need to use ALL your senses when proofing w/o an alcometer.

the sound of the cadence of the boil will tell you what cut you're in or approaching. this will give you
an idea of the range the proof should be in. this one takes some serious practice & observation. the
better you've learned your still the easier this becomes.

for sight: everytime a drop hits the likker in the jar a bubble forms. looking at it from the top, you
want to observe how big the bead is, how fast it moves to the sides of the jar, & how fast it pops
when it hits the glass. the bigger the bead, the faster it moves, the quicker it pops = higher proof. to
get a more exact reckoning, get your eyes level with the meniscus & watch how the bubble rides
the meniscus. if the bubble is below the meniscus, it's above 100pf. if the bead sits on top of the
meniscus, it's below 100pf. if the bead sort of bounce half in-half out, it's 100 exactly. this is where
the skill of "reading the bead" comes in handy. the easiest way to learn it is to make multiple shake
test videos. get yourself a btl of everclear, some distilled water, a few mason jars, & the alcometer.
pour the everclear into a jar & shake test video it. temper it about 10pf points, & do another shake
test vid. repeat until you're down to about 60 or 70 proof. try to get a vid that's exactly 100pf so you
can see what that's like. compare the 1st video to the last one. you WILL see the difference. review
all of the videos multiple times til you get the feel for it. then start practicing. go to the bourbon
section of the liquor store & start shake testing btls. bourbons range from 80-140pf, so lots good
practice. also practice with your own jars; shake test & guess before checking with alcometer. it
takes a lot of practice, but you CAN get good at it.

smell, taste, & feeling happen in a sort of sequence.

cup hand, & let a little distillate dribble into it; like a quarter tsp-ish. slowly bring your hand toward
your face smelling the whole time. the farther your hand is from your face when you get that 1st
whiff of alcohol, the higher the proof.
slurp the product into your mouth with much aeration. roll it around your mouth for a good taste.
pay attention to the burn, & how much it drys out the mucus membranes; the drier your mouth, the
higher the proof. spit it out. when you spit do it like wine tasting. you push it out with the back of
your tongue, similar to smoking a pipe. this forces the vapors in your mouth up into the nasal
cavity, giving you another smell/taste as you exhale through your nose. if you're the swallowing
type (the spitters should prolly do this too), lean your head forward so the likker is against your lips.
empty your lungs through your nose. open your mouth ever so slightly in a small "O". start inhaling
through your mouth immediately, before any likker can escape; bubbling the air through the likker.
this aerates the likker again, making more vapors, filling your mouth & nasal cavity; giving you
another taste/smell, & giving you a chance to feel how dry the mucus membranes in your nose get.
when your lungs are full, swallow. exhale through your nose for a final smell/taste. pay attention to
the burn as it goes down & hits your belly. take note of intensity, how long it lasts, how irritating,
how dry your throat gets, & how soon you feel euphoric to Really dial in the proof.
feeling: rub your hands together. pay attention to the texture of the shine. to me, fores feel silky,
heads feel velvety, heats are like a squeaky clean feeling, tails are oily. finally, blow on your hands.
pay attention to how fast it evaporates, how cold your hands get, & how quickly. the colder &
quicker, the higher the proof. if it doesn't evaporate at all, you're in tails.
it takes preserverance & practice. & you definately need the alcometer in the begining to get at all
proficient at it. but it will be very useful when your alcometer breaks.

Cheers!

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