HisNamesDoom

hey, thanks for the AMA.

what is the one misconception people have, or you had, about NK that is total bullshit?

...good luck with that.

yes, methanol and alcohols heavier than ethanol (called fusel alcohols) are distilled, however this is due to the varying boiling points of the alcohols--for this reason distillers cut off the heads and tails from the run because they contain the unwanted alcohols. heads and tails are the first and last segments of distilled spirit that come out of the condensing coil. methanol is highly poisonous and caused death in severe cases, never mind the hangover

master blenders aim to consistently recreate the same flavours in their spirits despite varying ingredients, or in some cases, blend new spirits given a mandate from marketing or discovery of a forgotten barrel, new botanical etc. they're the reason that distilleries maintain certain hallmark flavours and styles over decades, most scotch master blenders have decades of experience at their distillery.

brennivin, brenevin, akvavit, schnapps, genever and gin are all basically north europe's distilled, flavoured spirits. the major differences are the botanicals used, the method of production for most of these spirits is incredibly similar, genever being the exception to that. northern european countries take high proof, neutral spirit, water it down and redistill it in the presence of their local botanicals--this is how 90% of these spirits are made.