soaping questions

Hey y’all! First post yay! I’ve been rendered my own tallow from Galloway cattle we raise on pastures and when I’ve rendered that it comes out white and smells like sugar cookies. I recently got 30+ lbs of tallow from a great friend at a butcher shop that smelled different and as it warmed up...

Whatever you can answer would be super helpful. GENERAL SOAPING QUESTIONS: 1. Regarding lye. I’ve read that there are several different methods that can be used to create sodium hydroxide. Some of which leave traces of asbestos, mercury, or aluminum in the final product. Not a lot, but still...