Home Distiller

Greetings all, ok so I'm obvious new to this and I hope I'm posting this in the correct area but here is my issue. I followed a recipe that basically consisted of corn, rye, six row barely, alpha amylase, yeast nutrient, sugar and distillers active dry yeast. For the record I didn't know that sugar was frowned upon till I read it in various threads here so ill refrain from doing it in the future. The mashing went well and so did the distillation; the distillate came out very clear and at 65% ABV. All cuts were made appropriately. The taste that I got was spicy \ peppery, I thought I would be able to taste the corn but I wasn't able to. Did I miss something here ? is the peppery taste from the rye ? if so, if I cut back on the rye would that help ? I followed the 80-12-8 Tennessee whiskey ratio. . my end goal is to replicate jack Daniels one day, but I know I still have more steps ahead. Any help would be greatly appreciated and thank you.

There is to much to answer there. Rye is hot or to some spicy. Leave it out and see? Recipe you followed tells nothing. Using sugar is not frowned on unless you are talking to a AG snob. Read the basic's it will all be answered.

AC

Do you mean basic distillation 101 ?

My folks owned a bar and had an old bottle of rye I would occasionally take a nip from when I wanted a peppery kick.
That rye was the only drink that had such a spicy flavor, so you may be on target with your guess. How's that for science?

Side note: Nothing wrong with sugar heads and sugar washes. All-grains and sugars each have their own magic.

Thank you so much for the input fizzix ! I'm going to make another wash and leave it out completely just for a comparison.

Out of curiosity, where's that peppery flavor hit you?

NEGaxSEGa, back of the toungue and on the exhale.Thoughts ?

Ny SAvAge wrote:NEGaxSEGa, back of the toungue and on the exhale.Thoughts ?

tails? did you read kiwistillers guide to cuts? fuesal oils are bitter and get me right there, on retrohale.

did you clean your still the 3 ways to sunday that is the suggested course of action?

*Some* people frown on sugar. You know who loves sugar?

Yeast.

I’ve made and tasted a bunch of different all grains, but I still love me some UJ. No matter what kind of experiments I have going — rum, all-grain, bananas, etc. I will always have a sugarhead barrel going right beside it.

HDNS : I cleaned the Hell out of it yes I did. And my cuts were very very very conservative. Thank you for the input

Raketemensch: hahahah it so simple and easy to throw together in a jiffy, how often do you make rum ? Straight molases ? Brown sugar or both ?

All grain nerd jumping to the defense of sugar. It aint frowned on, its just different from all grain. We all like what we like, and make what we can afford in terms of money, time, skill and equipment. Sugar has it's place in balancing that equation for each of us.

1. You aren't tasting at 65% are you?
2. Give it time, and maybe charred oak and maybe air.
3. Try nuking with JD chips, see the giant nuclear whiskey thread.
4. Give it even more time
5. Aim higher than JD, it's a fine beginner goal, but shouldnt take long to find something you like much much more.

Ny SAvAge wrote:HDNS : I cleaned the Hell out of it yes I did. And my cuts were very very very conservative. Thank you for the input

= RYE

NY Savage

Firstly well done for your report on your trials. I can see where you are coming from re sugar washes. The great thing about this hobby is that you can do it all. In the fullness of time all boxes will be ticked. I did a sugar was once and the "sugar bite" was appalling in my personal opinion, were as I do an all molasses rum that makes a great drop and has the most glorious smell of raisins from it 6 months later on. Molasses can be classed as a sugar wash. Screw the labels - make what you like.

Your spicy taste comes from the rye. Have a read of this - I came across this historically and kept it in my distilling notes. Cannot remember where I got it, but have a read in any event. For the record do not credit me with this - IS IT NOT MINE ! I am not so knowledgeable ! Here it goes -

Rye- brings a range of spice notes including pepper, nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon which are all intensified during the aging process. Think of eating a piece of rye bread. Rye gives bourbon that wonderful flavorful “bite” that it is known for.

Corn – Is what gives Bourbon it’s signature flavor and is considered the “engine” that provides the highest yield of alcohol per bushel of all the grains. The flavor of corn is very prevalent fresh off the still in the White Dog. But over years of aging, corn becomes neutral, and lends mostly in the over all sweetness to the finished product.

Barley – Prized mainly for it’s enzymes for converting starches to sugar for the fermentation process so the yeast can feed on the sugars. Where corn is the “engine”, malted barley is considered the “work horse” that delivers these enzymes. Barley provides some flavor with the underlying malty and chocolate notes along with some dryness. The use of barley is mainly for those enzymes, and gives it that biscuity texture.

Rye & Wheat – contribute most significantly to the flavor of mature bourbon. They are referred to as the “flavoring grains”. Any grains can be used like oats, or rice, but these two are only ones used, with Rye being the dominant flavoring grain with distillers.

Wheat – Wheat results in a sweeter tasting bourbon, but not because the grain is sweeter. Wheat is not as rich as rye so it allows more of the sweetness of the corn and vanilla to show through, compared to rye.

Hope the above helps. Let the master distillers elaborate on the above. (Should I run for cover !!)

Jimy

What was the %'s of your grain bill.

BG

I think Fizzix nailed it: try a shot of rye whiskey, is that what it tastes like? The suggestion to make a batch without the rye is good too, but going to the liquor store, buying a pint of rye, and trying it is quicker..... Your description of the flavor sounds like it's the normal taste of rye coming through. I like that flavor, you may not........

thanks for all the good insight, what I did was I placed a coffee filter over the finished product and let it air out for a few days, and then the taste changed and was less spicy. I'm going to be making the same recipe without the rye to compare the differences. on another note I never woke up with a head ache and everyone that I gave some too loved it. on to the next one !!!

Some time back I made an all rye mash just to see what it tasted like. (I have a bottle of Bulleit for comparison). It WAS spicier than an all corn recipe. I kept it and mixed it with other experiments and danged if I REALLY liked the blend. Pros and I am sure more experienced HDers could probably fashion a mash to one-step a taste profile. Me, I'll just have to keep experiementing.