Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

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Bryan1
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Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Post by Bryan1 »

G'day Guy's,
Today I took some of my brandy samples with me and on old friend was at the place we went, so I pulled out the box and said well it time for you to try my brandies. All three the Orange Mulled Brandy, the Apple brandy and a sample of a bottle of chilli vodka where I put put a couple of oak chips in and left it for 5 years. Being only 40% the oak didn't darken the spirit but the taste compared to the straight chilli vodka is polls apart.

Now the discussion got on medieval distilling and basically the peat bogs in Scotland are only this moss compacted over time and it was only local to the area. So what locals down south would do is make some whisky then add some of this moss and let it soak up and macerate for a month. Then they would strain it and run it thru another distillation and the final product would have that earthy peat taste.

This recipe is out the 1700's and I do think it is time to revive this old trick to get a peaty whisky without being in Scotland.

So the plan go to the garden shop and buy some dried moss and macerate it with 3 bottles of my cornflakes whisky, I still have a couple more of the same batch to compare the result. Now if it is a total loss it was on cornflakes whisky and on sampling my all grain on oak there is noway I'm going back to using breakfast cereal to make my hooch.

For distilling this I'll use my minime pot still and do several runs so I can different things in the thumper, like some of the moss in 40% neutral and the moss in some of the macerated product and finally just some 40% neutral.

It will either be an interesting adventure which may prove successful or a total failure, but anyway this first trail is only with cornflakes whisky.

Cheers Bryan
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tubbsy
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Post by tubbsy »

I wonder if adding a lump of peat to the still during the spirit run would have a similar effect? I have a bit of a peat bog behind my place but it's taking forever to dry enough to smoke.
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NZChris
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Post by NZChris »

These kinds of experiments are what mini stills are useful for. You can put a bit of heart cut new make through the peat, whatever, to make an essence that can be blended with the rest of the new make to suit your tastes.
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SaltyStaves
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Post by SaltyStaves »

Peat smells like nothing and tastes like nothing you'd want to drink. Only when it is burned that it creates a smoke that imparts desirable qualities.
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Tummydoc
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Post by Tummydoc »

If you're going for peaty whisky, buy peated barley. If you want DIY, smoke your barley with that moss and see how it turns out. I think maceration will be an epic fail. But keep us posted.
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8Ball
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Post by 8Ball »

I’ve malted my own barley and cold smoked it with pecan and oak wood with good results. I agree that macerating with moss from the garden store probably isn’t a good idea, but hey, if that is what you want to try, then go for it.

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Chauncey
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Post by Chauncey »

Yea id be more about the malting or smoking of a malt with it personally. I think macerated is just gonna make the taste of dirt.
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Post by bubba »

i will drink dirt
Bryan1
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Post by Bryan1 »

Well the fun started today SWMBO bought some moss so I used 5 grams and boiled it to sterilize it then dried it out, while I was drying it I cut moss up with my scissors then put a litre of CFW in a beaker with the moss. Every few hours I do give it a stir and tomorrow I'll run it thru my minime.

All good fun and as the saying goes if you don't have a go you will never know and as far as the CFW goes I aged it for 12 months and it isn't a patch on the one I aged for 18 months so no great loss if it doesn't work. Got more of the same CFW to use as the standard so it will be interesting to see the outcome.

Cheers Bryan
Bryan1
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Post by Bryan1 »

Well this project has been on French Oak for a week now so today first had a dram of the plain CFW and about an hour later decanted a dram going 5 points on my wine thief to 1 point of water which should of gotten it close to 40% and man what a different taste. No taste of dirt but a whole new flavour, now as I've never tasted peated whisky before I can't say this one is peated but it sure has improved the CFW.

Cheers Bryan
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tubbsy
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Post by tubbsy »

The problem with peat moss is that it isn't peat. It grows in peat bogs, hence its name, but peat is mostly decomposed plant material including heather, peat moss and other peat bog plants and organisms.
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MartinCash
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Post by MartinCash »

As tubbsy says.

Also, peat moss in Australia is a totally different product than the northern hemisphere stuff. European and Canadian peat comes from Sphagnum moss, whereas Australian peat is sedgeland peat. Totally different composition, derived from different plants, and it looks, feels and smells completely different. Not necessarily bad, just a different beast, though potentially pretty unique.

IMO peat character comes pretty much from kilning malt using peat as the fuel, or purposely smoking malt with peat smoke, not from the peat itself. The term 'peated' when applied to whiskys means whisky made from malt smoked with peat, and not spirit exposed to actual peat. That said, water in Scotland and places like western Tassie can be pretty rich with peat and look like tea. It still does not taste like peat, though, I find the peat stain makes pretty much no flavour contribution.

Just my thoughts.
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tubbsy
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Re: Sphagnum Moss for that peat Flavour

Post by tubbsy »

MartinCash wrote:As tubbsy says.

Also, peat moss in Australia is a totally different product than the northern hemisphere stuff. European and Canadian peat comes from Sphagnum moss, whereas Australian peat is sedgeland peat. Totally different composition, derived from different plants, and it looks, feels and smells completely different. Not necessarily bad, just a different beast, though potentially pretty unique.

IMO peat character comes pretty much from kilning malt using peat as the fuel, or purposely smoking malt with peat smoke, not from the peat itself. The term 'peated' when applied to whiskys means whisky made from malt smoked with peat, and not spirit exposed to actual peat. That said, water in Scotland and places like western Tassie can be pretty rich with peat and look like tea. It still does not taste like peat, though, I find the peat stain makes pretty much no flavour contribution.

Just my thoughts.
Martin, not sure if you saw my post on another forum, but I bubbled cold Tasmanian peat smoke through a new make spirit for 5 minutes and the peat flavour is enormous. I'll try the safer option of bubbling low wines next for a longer time.
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