First attempt at yeast washing. Am I doin' it right?

I decided to see if I can wash and reuse some yeast, and what better time than now to try it? I read up on yeast washing, so I know the general procedure. But I'm hoping for a little guidance and to how it's going.

I just racked and bottled some hard cider tonight, and I used Nottingham yeast in that batch. I boiled some water right in my Erlenmeyer flask, cooled it to about room temp, then tossed it into my carboy, swished it around to make a slurry, and then poured it right back into my flask for settling/separation. Is it normal for yeast to settle quickly from any trub? They said about 20 minutes before pouring off the top, but it was noticeably settling within the first several seconds. It was almost like watching the head on a Guinness fall to the bottom.

And, I'm supposed to keep that lighter layer on top, right? (You can see it in the photo, above the darker, clearish layer.)

Well, I ended up waiting well past the 20-minute mark, then transferred to another sanitized glass dish. After waiting a while again, I then transferred to a pair of sanitized half-pint canning jars. My only concern was that, as I was pouring, the liquid ran down the outside of the dish before it made it into the jars. I hope that didn't contaminate the yeast. I guess we'll find out.

Is there a visual way to find out if the yeast went bad in the jar? Or is it primarily smell that will tell me?