Math Nerds please help
 

Maybe chemistry nerds too. Here's your problem, to settle an argument.

Lets say a person has a quantity of a distilled product. Let's say that distilled product is barrel proofed at 100, or 50% Alcohol by volume (ABV). Said person wants to reduce the proof to 80, or 40%ABV.

How much water would you need to add to a gallon of said distillate to reduce it to 40% ABV?

I am thinking it's not 10%

Add 0.25 gallon.

Final Mix:
.5 gal Alcohol
0.75 gal H20
1.25 gal total

0.5 / 1.25 = 40%

(50/100)+ X = 40/100

Send us each a gallon of your moonshine and we'll decide if it needs watered down...

If "x" is the amount of water to be added, the equation for the amount of water needed to yield a mixture of 60% water and 40% alcohol is:

(0.5+x)/(1+x) = 0.6

x=0.25 gallon

2 C(s) + 3 H2(g) + (1/2) O2(g) → C2H5OH(l)
(50/100)+ X = 40/100

I may actually only hit it to 90 proof. Presumable that would be .125gal. or half a quart of agua. It's un-barreled single malt rye. Clear as vodka and quite tasty as is but I'm going to put it into a used medium french oak barrel that last had a port style Zin in it, and let it rest for a while.

I could definitely come up with a number after sampling the aforementioned beverage. Not sure of accuracy though

Take 64 (oz. of product that = 50% ABV),

multiply by 2.5 (100/40), and that comes to...

Sub-A: 160 (oz. of total product when all will be said and done (at 40 Proof))

Subtract 128 oz. (Original amount of product) from 160 oz., that comes to...

A: 32 (oz. of water required to be added to the original 128 oz. of product, in order to bring your ABV down to 40% (80 Proof) from 50% (100 Proof.)

BTW...

How many people can tell when their "drink" has been watered and at which point do they get p!55ed enough to tell you that your drinks are "watered down" or just forget the "niceties" and punch you in the schnauze? :eek: :D :cool:

The vast majority of commercial whiskeys are 80 proof. Those 90 and over are not the norm, although straight rye whiskeys tend to be in the 90 and over category. I have one in my stash, Old Potrero, that's actually bottled at barrel proof, 126 I believe. The makers recommend a splash of water or an ice cube to open it up a bit. It makes a killer Manhattan. 2 measures Old Potrero, one measure Lillet, 2 dashes Peychaud's bitters and a lemon twist.
In a bar, anyone who drinks 80 proof whiskey straight is going to notice their drink being watered pretty easily. The higher proofed stuff, especially in a rocks cocktail, can be hit with water and the average drinker will not know. Wild Turkey 101, let's say a bar wants to get 27 shots out of that bottle, at 5 bucks apiece retail. If the bar manager can weasel two shots worth of water into that bottle, nobody's going to know and that's 10 bucks pure gravy. It happens all the time.
The stuff I'm going to barrel is from a test batch made at a small distillery that is experimenting with rye but aren't marketing it yet. Anyone who gets any of it isn't going to complain about it being watered I don't believe. ;)

Hey...no problem. You're not going to tell everyone that it's 100 Proof when you know you knocked it down to 80 Proof (40% ABV)...and 80 Proof ain't nothin' to sneeze at any way you look at it. :thumbsup:

Imo take away your math license. Solving for x, you get negative .1

I too think it's 1/4 but nowhere was the original volume specified in the OP. Here's my equation:

x(.5) = (x + y).4

where x is the original volume and y is the amount of water added. Solving for y I get x(.25)

Forget all the math and the heebus jeebus and just make a drink with the 100 and use your mixer for the same effect. :cool:

And that boys and girls, is how you make rockets to go to the moon. :rolleyes:

IOW: NOT MATH.

I used a gallon in the OP as an example. The actual volume is a number of gallons. .25gallon is 32 oz. A quart. Seems like a lot of water. I may have to do some experimenting tonight with various ratios. :D