Can You Distill Without A Still
No matter what you may have seen on the Discovery Channel, home distilling in the United States remains very much illegal. Its perfectly legal to own a still, and you can even use it, as long as youre not making alcohol so, you can make essential oils without a permit, or perfume, or distilled water.
Equipment And Learning The Ropes
Like many, Hyde turned to distilling after years as a home beer brewer. Other than the still itself, many who make their own beer already have some of the equipment necessary to expand into whiskey production. But how easy is it to turn that interest in drinkingwhiskey into actually making it?
Distilling isnt very hard to learn, Hyde says. There are numerous aspects to the process, and the distillation of an alcohol into a spirit is only one. Mashing grain, fermentation, aging, blending and polishing are other steps youll likely use, depending on the type of spirit you want to make.
Here are some things you may need to get that moonshine mission underway:
- 5-gallon bucket with airlock $20 or less
- Comprehensive brewing equipment kit with cleaner, sanitizer and a racking cane with tubing to help transfer liquid $70
- Sugar, yeast, yeast nutrient and other ingredients $25-$30
- 1- to 5-gallon stovetop still $250 and up depending on size
- Those looking to age their newly distilled spirits will also need oak chips and a glass jug as well as a small charred-oak barrel .
Got all that? Even with a simple operation, starting that first batch could cost around $300 quite a bit more than a fifth of Jack Daniels. But for distillers, the process is all part of the fun.
Making Your Whiskey
A Word of Advice
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Three Factors Of The Aging Process That Change The Flavor
Although aging whiskey is complex, there are at least three factors that change the flavor. Enter: water. Before whiskey is bottled, water is added to dilute it to about 40 percent alcohol by volume. The mixture of water, alcohol and congeners react with each other over time. These ingredients then react with oxygen in the outside air through oxidation. The final factor is that water absorbs substances from the wood as it moves within it. And even though whiskeys are already diluted below 45 percent ethanol , adding a few drops of water to your glass to dilute it even more can help the overall flavor by encouraging the other chemicals to evaporate, enhance the aromas and produce a whiff of flavor each time you take a drink.
As with everything in life, too much of a good thing can be detrimental. But when it comes to whiskey, water is the main character.
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Aging Spirits With Glycerine
Proper aging of a whiskey or bourbon can take years, the quality whiskeys you buy in stores are aged for 10 + years before being consumed. Its possible to get a similar taste and quality of sprite by artificially aging your spirit to smooth it out. Glycerine is used to accomplish this and can be purchased at your local Home brew store. Try adding a 1/2 oz to 40 oz of homemade whiskey before drinking. I wont go into detail on how this all works as Ive already done this in this article : How Glycerine Is Used To Age Homemade Moonshine
How To Make Whiskey
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Store bought whiskey can be incredibly tasty, especially if it comes from a local brewhouse or high-quality distillery. However, preparing your own whisky at home will allow you to control exactly what goes into it and find a flavor that suits you perfectly.
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Can You Make Your Own Whisky
Thanks to the laws here in the United States, though, distilling and bottling your own spirits is difficult at best and an illegal and impossible task to accomplish at worst. But you can still technically make your own whiskey at home, unique to your personal taste and style, without breaking any laws.
How To Make Rye Barley Whiskey
Ingredients
- Bring the water to a rolling boil.
- When the water boils, add rye, barley and malt.
- Heat the water in such a manner that the temperature will rise by 5° F, every 2 minutes as you continue to stir the mixture.
- Keep the temperature stable at 160° F and stir constantly for 2-3 hours. This process will convert starch into fermentable sugar and dextrin.
- Use any filtration device to filter the liquid.
- Then pour the liquid into the fermentation device.
- Let the liquid cool down to 70-80 ° F.
- Add yeast to the liquid.
- Subsequently, add ammonium-fluoride as it will make sure that there is no secondary fermentation and contamination.
- After adding yeast and ammonium-fluoride, stir well for a couple of minutes.
- Now cover the liquid and seal in an airlock casket.
- It will take about 7 to 9 days to ferment.
- After the fermentation process is complete, filter the liquid through a pillow case to remove all solids and impurities. You can age the whiskey further to get a more mature flavor.
If you are fond of sour whiskey, you will have to use a sour mix for the same. The process mentioned in this article is the general procedure. You can also let the beverage ferment for a longer time, according to your taste.
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Getting Started: Picking Your Type Of Moonshine Mash
There are several types of mash we can choose from when getting ready to produce a batch of moonshine. For the purists, a corn whiskey mash is the route to a true-to-history, smooth, full-flavor moonshine.
Clever corn farmers caught on to the fact that they could distill their own crop to increase profits. This realization led to the creation of our beloved hooch.
Next, is the Sugar Shine approach that is gaining in popularity, especially amongst beginners. By eliminating the corn flavor tones, creative distillers can create anything from apple pie to chocolate-flavored moonshine. This has led to the rise of flavored moonshine that is becoming increasingly popular.
Finally, there is the hybrid approach where we augment our corn mash with added sugar. This can double your production of mash with the same amount of corn. A hybrid mash tends to be more convenient and economical while still achieving more traditional flavor profiles.
For this guide, well walk you through the traditional Corn Whiskey Mash. However, feel free to use one of the other methods using guides you find elsewhere in its place. For a guide on making apple pie moonshine, check out our apple pie moonshine recipe.
How Do You Make All Grain Mash
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Considerations For Adding Flavors
Another option that you have is the ability to add flavors beyond just the charred oak.
One option is to smoke your barrel with some local wood before adding the whiskey. This is something that Ranger Creek in San Antonio does with some of their whiskey, adding a mesquite wood smoke to the barrels that then seeps into the whiskey and makes for some amazing flavors.
Another option is to add flavors to the whiskey by maceration. Basically you grab a bunch of fruit and/or spices, put them in a big tea bag, and make a whiskey tea by letting the components steep in the whiskey. You can speed up the process by adding some heat, or just let it naturally leech out into the spirit. This is actually the exact way that some gin is made, as well as spiced rum.
Adding artificial flavors is possible as well but allowing the real fruits and spices to interact with the whiskey will typically get the best results.
What Is The Process Of Distilling Alcohol By Ld Alcohol At Home
A home distillery that produces home distilled spirits. The United States Code strictly prohibits individuals who are over the age of 21 from producing distilled spirits at home for personal or family consumption. Although individuals who have reached legal drinking age may produce wine or beer at home for personal and family consumption, the Federal law strictly prohibits people who are over 21 from
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Four Variables Affecting Flavor
1. What Species of Oak Wood Chips or Barrel Should I Use?
Oak commonly infuses hints of caramel, toasty, nutty or vanilla notes into the alcohol it comes in contact with. Different species of Oak will give different flavor profiles. So some experimenting is necessary to achieve the desired flavor. Below is a list of the most common oak species used in flavoring bourbon and whisky and an explanation of what flavor you can expect from each.
- American White Oak By far the most commonly used often described as having an intense oak flavor with high vanilla and aromatic compounds. These compounds include aldehydes and acids such as vanillin, vanillic acid and syringaldehyde. American white oak chips release these aromatics faster then other species so the wood needs less contact time with the alcohol.
- French Oak Imparts a much softer oak flavor then the American White Oak. Youll notice a sweet spice flavor with hints of allspice and cinnamon. French Oak chips have more flavor compounds and tannins then American white oak.
- Hungarian Oak Chips Imparts a more pronounced oak flavor then American White Oak. Youll notice hints of black pepper, roasted coffee, bittersweet chocolate and vanillin
Where to Buy Oak chips and Cubes?
Straining The Mash And Wort
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How Do You Make Your Own Whiskey
How Whiskey Is Made: Three Ingredients Are Needed
Just three ingredients are needed to make whiskey: water, barley and yeast. The kind of grain used varies with the different types of whiskey being made, but all whiskeys need a small amount of malted barley to begin the fermentation process. The water you use for whiskey is often considered the most important factor in making a good whiskey. Clean, clear and free of bad-tasting impurities like iron are the driving factors in selecting water for whiskey. Kentucky, as well as Maryland, Pennsylvania and Indiana, is an area rich with limestone so water there contains carbonates, which can alter the flavor. Scottish water, known for making fine whiskey, is famous for mysterious reasons. Because of the importance of water in how whiskey is made, a large number of distilleries are located next to a river or lake.
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Is It Legal To Make Whiskey At Home In The Us
Moonshine, or home-made whiskey, has a long, time honoured tradition in the US, ever since the first Scots-Irish immigrants arrived in North America from the old country across the Atlantic. There was already a tradition of brewing grain alcohol that was several hundred years old by the time and the poorer farmers in Appalachia and elsewhere within the new colony found use for their surplus corn, rye and barley, making it a popular occupation.
However, contrary to popular notions, it is not legal to make whiskey at home within the US. There are urban legends and TV shows such as Moonshiners. But make no mistake you are in violation of a host of laws if you brew whiskey at home without a permit.
Is Making Mead Illegal
Legal in all states. Individual states remain free to restrict or prohibit the manufacture of beer, mead, hard cider, wine and other fermented alcoholic beverages at home. Because alcohol is taxed by the federal government via excise taxes, homebrewers are restricted from selling any beer they brew.
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Can You Make Whiskey At Home
Unfortunately, making whiskey at home is illegal in the United States. In fact, the distilling of any spirit at home is illegal under federal law. You can make wine and beer at home, but liquors like vodka, gin, moonshine, and whiskey cannot be made at home for personal use.
It is perfectly legal to own a still, which is what whiskey is distilled in. You can make essential oils, perfume, or even distilled water in it, so long as youre not producing liquor. In fact, its even legal to make ethanol for home fuel uses, provided you have a permit. Making whiskey at home is possible but not recommended, as it is illegal and potentially dangerous.
Heres How To Make Your Own Signature Whiskey At Home Easily
Most of us are aware, that we can make wine at home. If you know how to make wine, you will be able to make whiskey as well. This write up will talk about the steps to make this beverage at home.
Most of us are aware, that we can make wine at home. If you know how to make wine, you will be able to make whiskey as well. This write up will talk about the steps to make this beverage at home.
Whiskey, also spelled as whisky, is an alcoholic beverage made from grains. It can be made from different grains like wheat, corn, rye, barley, etc. Wooden casks are used to age this beverage. These casks are made normally from white oak. Apart from the ones made from corn or maize, all other whiskey types are aged. It is one of the most strictly regulated spirits all around the world. Variation in the quality and taste of this beverage occurs because of the duration for which the grains are fermented, distillation process used, type of wood used for making the caskets and the duration of aging. Although one can buy the best whiskey in the market, nothing beats the taste of that made at home.
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How Long Does Oak Aging Take
Fantastic results can be achieved in a relatively short amount of time with home aging. This is because the surface to liquid ratio of DIY aging kits is much higher than that of barrels. The commercial whiskey industry ages their product in 53 gallon barrels to achieve a better economy of scale. In small batch aging using oak sticks in a small container there is more wooden surface area in contact with the whiskey. It’s less efficient from a materials standpoint but much more efficient from a time and aging standpoint. All of that extra surface area rapidly accelerates aging of the spirits. Aged perfection that takes years to achieve in 53 gallon barrels can be accomplished in a matter of days/weeks with charred oak sticks.
The benefits of aging can be negated if too much of the wood flavor is imparted to the whiskey. “Over oaking” your spirit is a definite possibility. Every few days or weeks, a small sample should be drawn from the vessel to ascertain quality of aging. Once the whiskey has achieved the color and smoothness of your liking, transfer it to a glass bottle or jar for long term storage.