# Water filter + cheap liquor = better liquor? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 20, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818 "2005-01-20T23:39:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818/41 "2005-01-25T21:30:44Z")
> [@Madd Maxx](#): > > I have a Brita pitcher already, along with a number of vodka’s, rum’s, and tequila’s all of varying qualities. I am also having a Super Bowl party in a few weeks. I will conduct a scientific double blind taste test, record the results, and report back. Be aware that charcoal filtering may remove the color from liquids, so don’t freak out if that happens. In an aquarium, charcoal is often used to remove cloudiness and coloration from the water, particularly after medications are used. Blue or yellow water doesn’t look too great in a fishtank. ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818/42 "2005-01-25T21:48:53Z")
Good Tequila is made from 100% blue agave, no ammount of filtering would improve the amount of Blue Agave used, also filtering will tend to remove particles and large molecules. Those large molecules are often important for the falvour. Vodka is good, because it’s flavour is very bland, and quality is marked more by smootheness. Also Vodka is usually made from wheat which is I believe pretty easily available cheaply in high quality just about evrywhere. White Rum may well improve, though it will probably also lose some of its flavour. Gin may be worth trying, since dried juniper berries are quite easily available, significant filtering followed by allowing the Gin to rest for a month with a few Juniper berries in the bottle would be a good experiment for Gin drinkers. It may be interesting to find the effect of filtration on something which is too strongly flavoured to begin with, if the flavour reducing property of filtration could be used as an advantage? I would fear though that you risk exposing anything else filtered through the same filter to the flavours of what you have filtered before. So though Pastis amy be interesting to filter, everything after that will probably pick up a little anisseed flavour. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818/43 "2005-01-25T21:59:42Z")
Wow **Bippy** , you are really taking this project to heart. Think you’ve found your calling? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818/44 "2005-01-25T22:10:08Z")
Don’t ya think that if it was that simple and cheap they would be doing it? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818/45 "2005-01-25T22:20:44Z")
> [@justwannano](#): > > Don’t ya think that if it was that simple and cheap they would be doing it? Maybe they already are and not selling the results as the cheaper brand. ---
**Author:** ![Josh\_dePlume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Josh\_dePlume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Josh_dePlume)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818/46 "2005-01-25T22:41:50Z")
> [@jester21](#): > > The only way for it to be ‘proven’ to you is to do a double-blind taste test yourself. Reading about _other’s_ trials (double-blind or not) will never _prove_ it to _you_ . Not so, assuming that I was confident that a proper blind test had been done. I assess the effects of drugs and other medical interventions that way all the time. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818/47 "2005-01-25T23:00:01Z")
[QUOTE=Quercus] Well, that’s where you’ve perhaps made one too many assumptions. Now, I’m not saying that there aren’t _some_ water supplies that benefit taste-wise from a Britta (mostly small wells), but I’m skeptical that all or even most Britta users could really detect a difference in a blind taste-test. QUOTE] Have done blind taste test on water from Los Angeles (not small well, sadly) using to drink plain and to make coffee and the three testers (victims?) all agreed that the water was better and the coffee was LOTS better. Don’t know why the LA water makes the coffee so nasty, but… ---
**Author:** ![Sengkelat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Sengkelat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sengkelat)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818/48 "2005-01-25T23:05:24Z")
> [@Wonko The Sane](#): > > I’m not one to yell “CITE” but what kind of bacteria can live in 40% alcohol? Good question. I wasn’t thinking about how strong vodka is; mea culpa. I’m definitely interested in double-blind test results, but none of my friends are vodka drinkers. (Nor am I, for that matter) ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818/49 "2005-01-26T01:09:00Z")
> [@Dead Cat](#): > > Consciousness: lost. A perfect post! 10 from this judge. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818/50 "2005-01-26T01:51:18Z")
I just took a look at the Ketel One web page, which is all flash and unlinkable. Interesting quote: “Ultimate clarity is ensured by filtering the distillate through charcoal, using nothing but the force of gravity.” ---
**Author:** ![justwannano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7ab992/32.png) [@justwannano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justwannano)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818/51 "2005-01-26T02:00:22Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > Maybe they already are and not selling the results as the cheaper brand. Naa They will do things like filter it through charcoal and call it added value. Something like a water filter ain’t no big deal. ---
**Author:** ![tadc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f07891/32.png) [@tadc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tadc)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818/52 "2005-01-26T02:02:48Z")
Given that various vodkas brag about being charcoal filtered, it makes sense that a charcoal filter would improve the flavor. Couple of points: since the Brita is soaked with water to begin with, are you not causing the post-filter vodka to be diluted (at least slightly) with straight H2O? Wouldn’t that effect the flavor? Re: Tequila, I’ve read that cheap Tequila need only be 51% Tequila, and the remainder is made up of (I assume cheap) vodka. Using that logic, I’d guess that the filter would improve the taste of the vodka portion, and perhaps also filter out some of the “Tequila” taste. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/water-filter-cheap-liquor-better-liquor/285818.md?page=2)