How to Make Whisky
Step 1: Choosing your base
First off, you'll need a base to start off with, and whiskey is by
definition a grain-based spirit. So, you can start off with corn, rye,
wheat, or barley -- or a blend of multiple grains. It doesn't really
make a difference in terms of creation (though it obviously makes a
difference in taste). But for the sake of this article, let's just
assume you would use corn. "Corn would probably yield the most sugar,
and that's what we're after. It will probably make things 'easier,' but
that's a relative term here," Katz said. Meaning, no matter what, it's
going to be extremely difficult. But corn is likely the least expensive
grain to buy in bulk, and probably the easiest grain to work with on a
small scale. You would need about 10 pounds to expect a reasonable
amount of volume. That amount should equal out to about 5 gallons of
final product.
Step 2: Cooking your base
You would have to cook the corn at an exceedingly high temperature to
expose the sugars in the grains, and you'd want to cook it in water.
While master distillers like Katz usually have apparatuses that can do
this with exactitude (and on a much larger scale), it's a lot harder to
time and to gauge the cooking on your own. "The easiest and simplest way
to do this," Katz said, while also reminding everyone that you probably
shouldn't do it anyway, "might be to get a home brewing kit for beer,
and just use it as a distilling kit in the initial stages." For much of
the process, you are doing this same thing, anyway. And with a kit, you
can regulate the cooking and entire ordeal with an extra, guided hand.
Step 3: Starting fermentation
Once your corn is cooked and mashed (using a rolling pin is fine), it's
yeast time! Meaning, this is when you add the all-important yeast to
your cooked corn mush. Again, you might want to opt to repurpose a
home-brewing kit to streamline the process. "You can ferment in any type
of sealed container, technically. But you don't want it to be too hot,
or the yeast will die. Most home brewing kits have made it easy to
ferment alcohol in a controlled environment, so again, that might be the
easiest option," Katz said. The fermentation period will probably take
at least several days, and your pre-whiskey mushy mash will start to
change in new and exciting ways. It's like puberty for whiskey bases.
What a confusing time!
Step 4: Getting your fermentation just right
"At first, it will go from the sweetest oatmeal you've ever had, to
something that is fairly sour. That's the first sign that you are
converting your sugar into alcohol. The absence of sugar means the yeast
has done its job," Katz said, describing the fermentation process. On a
larger scale, this should only take a few days. But at home, on
a smaller scale without precise temperature management, it could take a
little bit longer. Unfortunately, when you're working from home, it's an
inexact science. But yet again, a home brewing kit might be able to
help you keep things consistent and (at least a little bit more)
precise. You probably shouldn't ferment for more than a week, and you
can certainly taste test your product along the way as much as you'd
like. Katz even recommends heading to your local distillery to figure
out how your mash should taste before you start the distilling process.
Step 5: Putting your mash in a still
You need to strain your mash into some type of still. This is where
shit can get extremely dangerous. In Katz's words, you need to be "damn
sure" there are no leaks in your still: once alcoholic vapor is
produced, the whole operation becomes extremely combustible... which can
result in explosions. Luckily, some companies actually do sell small-scale stills for this very purpose, which are probably safer than something you make at home based on a YouTube tutorial.
Step 6: Playing the waiting game
Once your mash is securely in a still, it's kind of out of your hands
for a while. You need to make sure your mash is at a piping hot 80
degrees Celsius (if you buy a still, it should have a built-in
thermometer), as that's the temperature where alcohol evaporates.
Step 7: Shocking the vapor
At that level of heat, the alcohol inside the mash will be converted to
vapor, and turned into a "refined distillate" with the help of a
condenser, which should have cold water running constantly around it.
"You are quite literally shocking the vapor back into liquid form,"
Katz said. The vapor that rises inside the still, is basically converted
back to liquid which pours into a new container. That's your liquor!
It's really just basic science. If you don't get it, you should have
paid more attention in chem lab.
Step 8: Making sure your liquor is tasty... and safe
The first 100 milliliters or so from a 5-gallon batch should probably
be tossed. Not only is it potentially dangerous to drink (in some cases
it can be comparable to pure methanol) but it also might not be that
great, taste-wise. "On a smaller scale, tossing this first yield is
going to be primarily flavor-focused," Katz said, "but you take that cut
for a couple reasons. One, you're flushing the still of its previous
run -- whatever was distilled before is through the system, and you're
on a clean, new run. And that can also impart off notes and off flavors
and aromas. Also, it could be unsafe to drink, '
1in general." So for
safety and flavor, you would probably want to toss the first 100
milliliters or so you collect from your still. Just do it. I know it
feels weird throwing away alcohol. But you have to do what you have to
do.
Step 9: Bringing it all back home with barrel aging
If you want to call your fresh new batch of alcohol real "whiskey," you
need to let it age in a barrel first. For a smaller volume batch of
alcohol, barrel size definitely matters. "A smaller barrel means a
decreased surface area. So the alcohol will be able to absorb the
qualities of the wood, like the notes of oak, cedar, or other components
that come directly from the wood itself," Katz said. So, small batches
require smaller barrels to be fully effective. It should be obvious. But
it will ensure your whiskey absorbs flavor in a shorter amount of time.
You can leave it in as long as you want, but if you are making your own
small batch, you probably want to try it sooner than later, right? This
will give you the most flavor, in the shortest amount of time.
The big, final piece of advice
Don't try this at home. if you have a knowledge of something its good to express in front of friends but don't experiment with your or someones body. Sometime damage does not recover for a lifetime.
No comments