Alcohol production requires many different ingredients in order for fermentation to occur successfully, otherwise you risk ending up with a sticky wash instead of alcohol. Common reasons for failed fermentations include using the incorrect yeast strain (bakers yeast) or not providing enough nutrition, or excessive heat levels during the fermenting liquid causing its fermentation to cease altogether.
To achieve successful fermentation, the water you add must be of very high quality, free from bacteria or microbes that could contaminate and kill off yeast. Furthermore, your mash must also be at the appropriate temperature; too cold or too hot temperatures could kill off the yeast altogether.
There are various Yeast Packs available and each one is tailored specifically to produce certain kinds of alcohol, for instance the Prestige Turbo Pack is best used when crafting mash and alco base alcohol but should not be used when creating fruit Schnapps.
Black Label Turbo Yeast is one of the most sought-after yeast packs, easily fermenting 8 kg of sugar up to 18% and providing superior stress and temperature tolerance.
All Yeast packs include both yeast and nutrients formulated to assist it with fermenting a pure sugar/water solution. They include ingredients designed to reduce fusel oils and byproducts, stabilize pH levels in mashes, prevent foaming, boost temperature tolerance and promote fermentation.