Except that evaporative and freeze distilling do not necessarily remove the same non-alcohol components. There is much more in wash/mash/beer than just water and alcohol. I have no personal experience with freeze distilling so I can't say which congeners stick around, but it could, and probably does, produce a much different product.

Perhaps the oil level became low and the phases ceased to be insulated from one-another causing a phase-to-phase arc flash. That will certainly detonate a transformer, though I don't know how the oil behaves at the temperatures it would reach in those conditions. Inrushing water could have boiled with explosive results when exposed to an arc flash, perhaps.

Don't simply look to optimize your track to graduation and a career, but use this rare chance to learn about things you'll never again have such an opportunity to encounter. If you work reasonably hard and stay reasonably focused, you'll do well with your time in school and have a good career beyond. Don't be afraid to take a couple things off your track to broaden your experience. Often, the single courses that don't necessarily directly contribute to your core path are great experiences.