Apparatus for casting a metal ingot, comprising: (a) an open-ended direct chill casting mold having a region where molten metal supplied to the mold through a mold inlet is peripherally confined by mold walls, thereby providing molten metal supplied to the mold with a peripheral portion, and a mold outlet receiving a movable bottom block; (b) a chamber surrounding the mold walls for containing a primary coolant to cool the mold walls and thereby cool said peripheral portion of the metal to form an embryonic ingot having an external solid shell and an internal molten core; (c) a movable support for the bottom block enabling the bottom block to advance away from the mold outlet in a direction of advancement while molten metal is introduced into the mold through said inlet, thereby enabling the formation of an embryonic ingot having said molten core and solid shell; (d) jets for directing a supply of a first coolant liquid onto said outer surface of said embryonic ingot; (e) a wiper for removing the first coolant liquid from the outer surface of the embryonic ingot at a first location along the outer surface of the ingot where a cross section of the ingot perpendicular to the direction of advancement intersects a portion of said molten core; and (f) outlets for applying a second coolant liquid to said outer surface of said embryonic ingot at a second location where a cross section of the ingot perpendicular to the direction of advancement intersects a portion of said molten core, said outlets being adapted to apply said second coolant liquid in an amount less than said first coolant liquid applied by said jets, wherein said outlets for applying said second cooling liquid are nozzles projecting sprays of said second coolant liquid, and wherein the spray nozzles are angled in such a manner that the contact areas of the sprays are offset vertically in an alternating manner. (a) an open-ended direct chill casting mold having a region where molten metal supplied to the mold through a mold inlet is peripherally confined by mold walls, thereby providing molten metal supplied to the mold with a peripheral portion, and a mold outlet receiving a movable bottom block; (b) a chamber surrounding the mold walls for containing a primary coolant to cool the mold walls and thereby cool said peripheral portion of the metal to form an embryonic ingot having an external solid shell and an internal molten core; (c) a movable support for the bottom block enabling the bottom block to advance away from the mold outlet in a direction of advancement while molten metal is introduced into the mold through said inlet, thereby enabling the formation of an embryonic ingot having said molten core and solid shell; (d) jets for directing a supply of a first coolant liquid onto said outer surface of said embryonic ingot; (e) a wiper for removing the first coolant liquid from the outer surface of the embryonic ingot at a first location along the outer surface of the ingot where a cross section of the ingot perpendicular to the direction of advancement intersects a portion of said molten core; and (f) outlets for applying a second coolant liquid to said outer surface of said embryonic ingot at a second location where a cross section of the ingot perpendicular to the direction of advancement intersects a portion of said molten core, said outlets being adapted to apply said second coolant liquid in an amount less than said first coolant liquid applied by said jets, wherein said outlets for applying said second cooling liquid are nozzles projecting sprays of said second coolant liquid, and wherein the spray nozzles are angled in such a manner that the contact areas of the sprays are offset vertically in an alternating manner.