"Scotch" whisky - my fermenting plan.

[peanutaxis]

I haven't found any recipes out there, but I've gleaned bits of info here and there. I'd appreciate some "scotch" experts' feedback on my fermenting plan.


Grind malted barley so that the max. particle size is about as large as the coss-section of a grain of white rice.
Add 3kg grist to 6 litres of water
Bring mix up to 65C
Hold at that temp for 30 min.
Filter mix through muslin cloth.
Let cool to ?
Dilute?
Add 1/2 brewers yeast, 1/2 distillers yeast - don't know how much.


thanks,
p

[Samohon]

I haven't found any recipes out there, but I've gleaned bits of info here and there. I'd appreciate some "scotch" experts' feedback on my fermenting plan.


Grind malted barley so that the max. particle size is about as large as the coss-section of a grain of white rice.
A course grist is better suited to Scotch to enable the husk to act as a filter whilst sparging...
Fly sparging the grains is way more efficient than batch sparging...

Add 3kg grist to 6 litres of water
This is what I use 1qt H2o/1lb of malt

Bring mix up to 65C
Mashing at 63°C is way more efficient at producing less dextrins...

Hold at that temp for 30 min.
This would be OK if I were step-mashing at a lower temp, keep at the above temp for 60min...

Filter mix through muslin cloth.
Swiss voile (pronounced Voy), much finer for keeping the grains out of the finished beer...

Let cool to ?
The resulting wort should be treated like a beer. Rolling boil for 5mins (sanitation) and cooled to below 25°C...
You can even HOT CUBE the sweet wart into a clean 20L food grade Jerycan (expelling all the air) and keep it for months if stored in a cool dark place...

Dilute?
No need to, your conversion efficiency is never going to be +90%, although an SG/OG should be taken if you want to monitor the fermentation...

Add 1/2 brewers yeast, 1/2 distillers yeast - don't know how much.
For a 5 Gallon batch, a good distillers or brewers yeast starter should be prepared 12 hours in advance... 20g + ½L of wort. A home made stir plate really helps here...

thanks, Your Welcome...
p

I'am busy doing an in-depth tutorial for Scotch at the moment... Stay tuned... Most variables are addressed...

Hope it helps...

[junkyard dawg]

I wouldn't use two kinds of yeast. Pick one and go with it.

[Samohon]

I wouldn't use two kinds of yeast. Pick one and go with it.

+2 JD... I have had great success using brewers yeast, which used to be the norm here in Scotland for decades...
Now I have a source for good distillers yeast and tend to go with that.
Its cheaper (Free to me) from one of my brew buddies in Edinburgh... Nough said...

[Odin]

Now Sam, we don't want you to stop writing on your "how to make Scotch" paper too long ...

Odin.

[Samohon]

Now Sam, we don't want you to stop writing on your "how to make Scotch" paper too long ...

Odin.

Not long now Odin, but just recovered from the mother of all colds...

Gimme a few days and I'll have it uploaded...

[Samohon]

Edited my original post to this thread for item #6...

[Odin]

Get better Sam!

[jake_leg]

+1, I'm looking forward to that tutorial too...

[peanutaxis]

I haven't found any recipes out there, but I've gleaned bits of info here and there. I'd appreciate some "scotch" experts' feedback on my fermenting plan.


Grind malted barley so that the max. particle size is about as large as the coss-section of a grain of white rice.
A course grist is better suited to Scotch to enable the husk to act as a filter whilst sparging...
Fly sparging the grains is way more efficient than batch sparging...

Add 3kg grist to 6 litres of water
This is what I use 1qt H2o/1lb of malt

Bring mix up to 65C
Mashing at 63°C is way more efficient at producing less dextrins...

Hold at that temp for 30 min.
This would be OK if I were step-mashing at a lower temp, keep at the above temp for 60min...

Filter mix through muslin cloth.
Swiss voile (pronounced Voy), much finer for keeping the grains out of the finished beer...

Let cool to ?
The resulting wort should be treated like a beer. Rolling boil for 5mins (sanitation) and cooled to below 25°C...
You can even HOT CUBE the sweet wart into a clean 20L food grade Jerycan (expelling all the air) and keep it for months if stored in a cool dark place...

Dilute?
No need to, your conversion efficiency is never going to be +90%, although an SG/OG should be taken if you want to monitor the fermentation...

Add 1/2 brewers yeast, 1/2 distillers yeast - don't know how much.
For a 5 Gallon batch, a good distillers or brewers yeast starter should be prepared 12 hours in advance... 20g + ½L of wort. A home made stir plate really helps here...

thanks, Your Welcome...
p

I'am busy doing an in-depth tutorial for Scotch at the moment... Stay tuned... Most variables are addressed...

Hope it helps...

I am COMPLETELY waiting for your tutorial. Not doing a thing till I see it!!! (please don't take too long)

[el-zonko]

I'am busy doing an in-depth tutorial for Scotch at the moment... Stay tuned... Most variables are addressed...

Excellent. Insight on scotch making is something I have long felt is sadly lacking on this site and will be very much welcomed by me and many others. I look forward to learning from your expertise. Thank you in advance.

Zonko

[Joel]

I'll also be waiting eagerly for the Scotch Tutorial. Thanks in advance Samohon.

[Texas Jim]

Now Sam, we don't want you to stop writing on your "how to make Scotch" paper too long ...

Odin.

Not long now Odin, but just recovered from the mother of all colds...

Gimme a few days and I'll have it uploaded...

Posting so I can find this later - looking forward to the write up.

[peanutaxis]

Where are you going to post it Samohon?


p

[GreenMTNfermenter]

Also looking forward to the tutorial!
thanks for the efforts, Sam!

[jcrawf]

I'd love to see a good tutorial. Im a single malt enthusiast and would love to make something even close to a Glenmorangie or Balvenie. I know most of the tastiness of these come from the oak so hopefully you'll touch on that too.
Really, Really looking forward to this.

[Samohon]

Not long now, but I do want it to be complete. so just bear with me...

I'll bump this thread with a link when I've uploaded it...
In the meantime use the subscription/bookmark facility at the top/left of page...

[Joel]

Hows it going Samohon?

[Washashore]

Sam, I'm also wondering what you recommend (or don't recommend) for malted barley as there seam to be a bajillion choices out there (2-row, 6-row, American, English, German, Belgian, etc...)

A family member just shipped me "caleonias best" Scottish burning peat as well as a 3 gallon oak barrel. I need to hunker down and do some research to mimic what he's used to drinking.

[Joel]

How's the Scotch tutorial going Samohon?

[Samohon]

Been snowed under with work here guy's... But I will give you what I got so far, and get the rest done over the Easter holidays...

Here we go...

Making a Scotch Whisky.pdf

(1.48 MiB) Downloaded 1253 times

I'll get the rest done soon... I have the text and the illustrations - just need to format the page... Then it will be placed into the reading lounge...
I have a few projects that I would like to get up to HD.. Animations of LW's rig (no i haven't forgot Larry), working animation of the VM and flute...
As well as a dummy's guide to home beer-making/distillation...
and a hazards of stilling tutorial, sort of a hand crafted safety manual just to make things a bit clearer on what HD does not want new members to use for material...

So much to do-so little time, oh well, I'll get the last part up soon guy's...

Over and out...

[frozenthunderbolt]

MR Sam - you rock! Thanks

[Washashore]

BRILLIANT!! Thanks Sam!

[Oxbo Rene]

Awesome Sam ! ! ! !

[King Of Hearts]

How timely. My next will be my first scotch and I'm going to sacrifice some Thomas Fawcett Marris Otter for the maiden voyage. Thanks so much.

[Samohon]

I buy a 25kg(50lb) bag of Thomas Fawcett Marris Otter at a time0, and I always get great results KOH...

I'll get onto the rest of the tutorial at the weekend guy's... Thanks...

EDIT: As the tutorial is destined for the Reading Lounge, I want the article to be thorough... So this is just the tip of the iceberg...

[King Of Hearts]

I think you need a 15 min boil for sterilization. Whats ten min anyway. Do you add any smoked malt? I was thinking 20lb Marris Otter and 1/2 lb smoked for a 11 gal batch of beer.

[Samohon]

The article will detail how to take some base malt (Marris Otter), place it in a container and smoke it with peat that can be had at any garden center cheaply...

10 mins is a long time to boil off wort and will kill anything in the process. Brewers have asked me why I dont allow the boil to go on for a length of time to concentrate the sweetness and achieve a higher SG... The answer to that is simple. The commercial distilleries here have an SG that would produce a wash of between 5.5% and 8% abv. Higher SG's force the yeast to work harder, hence the chance of producing off-flavours is greatly increased. We are out to make a great tasting beer, that is without hops. If we were to add hops to the wort, it would be very drinkable.

Its all in the finished article.... BTW, the article has not been proof-read. This will be done when the rest is formatted and any typo's or other irregularities fixed...

I did say that its the way I make my Scotch, if you want to boil for longer, then you can. I dont, 10 minutes in boiling wort will kill anything... Even your skin, which is alive with bacteria...

Thanks...

[Samohon]

ps: The old moonshiners here and in the US did'nt have Star-San, bleach or anything else for that matter.
They had a wooden barrel, washed out, a lit sulphur bulp was placed inside to kill any nasties, then the wort was added for fermentation.
Conversion from starch to sugars could take 1 or 2 days in the summer and longer in the winter...
Fermentation could take anything from 4-5 days to a couple of weeks, again depending on the environment...

Remember, making a wash, never mind the distilling of it, for them, it was also illegal...

[gladitooktheredpill]

Oh, to be able to produce something that tastes like a nice mossy single malt. I look forward to your essay, Sam.