Originally Posted by
Rowan
As an OT comment, I bought some denatured alcohol in Edinburgh at an outdoor shop that was dyed purple, and it was lousy when used in my Trangia. It also left the jets in the burner clogged. It was messy. And it was available only in 500ml bottles. I'm not saying that was the norm, but it was an outdoor shop, after all..
Many decades ago when I worked in an outdoor store, we sold Coleman white gas. It was after all the company that made iconic white gas stoves. That stuff burned so black it was disgusting. But in comparison, the junk from the hardware store was great.
With alcohol, it gets real specific. Water content can make a huge difference, and different alcohols work in different stoves, and the alcohol can accept more moisture over time. So who knows.