Question on Millet Whiskey

[Odin]

Hi mentors,

Ever since I read Ian Smiley's book on pure corn whiskey, I am intreaged by Millet and making millet whiskey. I found a tread from 2007 in which UJ and Dnderhead play a role among others:

viewtopic.php?t=5029

And the opinion of the OP is very positive on the outcome of his millet whiskey is very positive.

Now I have a question I hope you can help with. Is millet the same as spelt? I see it being used both ways in translations between English and Dutch ...

Just wanna make sure to buy the right stuff ...

Odin.

[Peter_Muir]

Hi Odin,
No millet is not spelt, although I think spelt would make an amazing whisky. Millet is a roundIsh grain found in bird seed and stock feed. It should also be a hell of a lot cheaper than spelt. Stock feed suppliers should have it.

[Odin]

Funny enough I can buy bio grade flaked millet as well as spelt. Millet (gierst) is a bit more expensive ...

Edit:

... just got a call and the first 5 kilo's will be delivered on Thursday. Not much, but enough for a first experiment. If I don't like it, spelt is next.

Odin.

[Prairiepiss]

Odin thought you mite be interested in this post by Rubber Duck.
viewtopic.php?t=3712

Has anyone heard from Rubber Duck?

[Odin]

Thanx Mr. P.

Looks like a lot of guys talked and thought about it. And there is rumours of getting good to great results, though the grain (when milled) is an ass to work with. Now I know LikkerLuvver has done some strippings already, but no spirit run as of yet. I expect to get started somewhere after the weekend. First as an UJSSM style. Gen 1 will be turned into a vodka (should be something good with all that mouthfeel I read about), backset from gen12 I will use for gen 2. And that's the one I will double distill. Curious to see how it turns out as a white dog. And after that ... some aging on wood.

Keep ya all posted!

Odin.

[Odin]

Millet whiskey UJSSM style on its way. 3.9 kilo's of millet (flakes - really small stuff), 3.9 kilo's of sugar. Melted the sugar and pretty much seem to have dissolved the grain. It is cooling now. Yeast I will pitch a bit later. Question comes to mind: this stuff is so small, how am I going to get the beer of the grain & yeast bed? And keep the yeast & grain intact for future generations?

Odin.

[jcrawf]

Hey Odin,
Im just finishing up a Millet mash right now. This and flaked maize is definitely the easiest stuff to mash that I've encountered. I think it would be a great starting point for anybody nervous about trying their hands at mashing.
Anyway, to address your question about seperating from the grain...

I've been using a straining bag that I got from my local store. It fits over a bucket and I pour into the bag and squeeze the liquid out with my clean hand. Ive been using this method with flacked maize and it seems to work well. It leaves enough yeast in the grain to continue your ferments. Before I got my straining bag, I was using a cotton pillow case. It wasnt as good as the straining bag but worked ok. that is, until my wife found out.

My mash has a mild aroma but a very oaty/earthy taste. Can't wait to run it.

Have you run yours yet?

[Odin]

J,

I did 3 generations so far. And as with corn, there are different kinds of millet, as it turns out. And as with corn, in Holland only the ones without taste are available.

I just stopped the recipe today. Changed it into a vodka and will continue with rye. Now that is a very "Dutch" grain, and if that does not give me the strong & intense taste profile I am after ...

BTW could you provide a picture of what your millet looks like?

Odin.

[jcrawf]

Yup, lots of millet out there. I'm not sure if this is the best stuff but I like the smell and taste. And, if its good enough to feed to the birds, its good enough for me .

Here's the millet that I'm using. Its sold in 2 kg for about $2.50 so its pretty reasonable.



It mashed pretty well. Its pretty soft so I didn't crack or mill it. I just threw into some water around 88-90 c and stirred. Lots of aroma and color almost instantly. they stayed intact for about 20 mins then they all started breaking open and letting out the starch. It turned into porridge almost instantly. Next time, I think I'll break them up a little more, should speed up the process. Here's what it looked like when they broke open. Pic was taken a few minutes after adding my 6-row for conversion.



I'll let you know how it turns out. I'm going to mash and strip 3 batches then combine them for a spirit run. I'm going to skip the backset and try using feints from my previous runs for added flavor and depth. Hope this helps

[Odin]

Looks good! I used millet flakes. But the stuff is so small & soft, that it almost became a meal. Maybe the hot walsing / flake making took away a lot of my taste ...

Odin.

[Kiwikeg]

hi Odin & Jcrawf- how is the millet whiskey turning out?
do you think if i just pour hot ujssm backset on the millet (its birdseed like Jcrawf is using) will that cook it enougth? i plan on adding about 25% millet to my existing cracked corn ujssm grain beds.
will I need to add malt or emzymes
kk

[Odin]

It will definately be enough to open it up. It is the softest grain I met. But ... will it give you extra taste? Dunno. Depends on the kind of millet, I think. What I can purchase here, in Holland, is just ... almost without taste. Really sorry to find that out. Expected so much from this grain, but in my version, the taste is just not there. Maybe even less taste than in my corn UJSSM. Also due to the sort of corn available here.

For me barley works good. Rye seems to be the best thing. Lots of taste, all over the place.

Odin.