Whisky: do sugar heads qualify?

[Alchemist75]

I was explaining to my buddy the other night what a sugar head was and that using a combination of corn, grains and sugar is a species a sugar head. Of course we were discussing it over a glass of my unaged breakfast cereal hooch which tastes almost exactly like whisky. He asked me if a grain based sugar head qualified as whisky. I immediately went to Wikipedia to see what was stated regarding the bottom line definition of whisky but I didn't find the answer I was looking for. So, does a sugar head flavored with corn and or grains qualify as whisky? I always got the impression that whisky had to be made from malted ingredients but maybe I'm wrong. What's the final word on this one kids?

[bluefish_dist]

For a commercial distiller, no, whiskeys must be to be from grain only. Add sugar and it's a DSS or distilled spirits specialty.

[Saltbush Bill]

I guess its a kind of fake whisky, and why the two are identified separately by the terms "whisky" and / or "sugar head"

[NZChris]

As long as you are not selling it, you can make anything you fancy, out of whatever you want, by any method you choose and label it however you deem appropriate.

[The Baker]

As long as you are not selling it, you can make anything you fancy, out of whatever you want, by any method you choose and label it however you deem appropriate.

Chris I suppose your avatar is not a robot but it looks like one to me.

Geoff

[Alchemist75]

So a grain/corn sugar head would be whisky in the same sense as popcorn Sutton's classic recipe is whisky. Smells like it, tastes like it and maybe even looks like it. Maybe even convincing enough to fool a whisky expert. It's good ol' Kentucky moonshine is what it is.

[Alchemist75]

I suppose some legal definitions are a matter of nationalistic pride but in some cases it's not clear to me why they exist. My buddy is aging some product on oak staves currently that he swears smells like Jack and it'll probably end up tasting like it too. It's a corn/grain sugar head so it's not whisky but it sure as hell could be.

[Alchemist75]

Maybe the legal definition should officially be "ol' coon pecker".....damn I think I just came up with a label for my bottles

[MichiganCornhusker]

Why not call it rum? Or brandy?
Why not call an orange an apple?
Unicorn Sweat? Or is that already taken?...
At the very least I’d call it whiskey before I called it whisky!
Whiskee?

[Alchemist75]

I like that term "unicorn sweat" I try to use it as often as is applicable. It's up there with using the word "homunculus" creatively in a sentence.

[Alchemist75]

I also like the word "dephlegmator" as opposed to "reflux condenser"......

[seamusm53]

The laws which 'define' whiskey are actually (albeit indirectly) written by the manufacturers so that 'they' can call their product whiskey while you cannot. This is no different than seen in many products and merely reflects use of the government to restrain trade or favor one person over another. As already noted it applies only to commercial products and any individual is otherwise free to call his work by any term. It is not a uniquely American invention. Germany has its beer purity laws and Scotland narrowly defines what can be called Scotch. Bourbon, to use another example, to be sold for USA consumption can only be made from grain of which over 50% must be corn and distilled at less than 160 proof and aged in new white oak barrels at no more than 125 proof and bottled at no less than 80 proof. But few would be able to tell the difference from a well crafted grain plus sugar beverage.

[Alchemist75]

Yeah, I've done some reading regarding the
Pseudo political shenanigans of big wineries and distilleries in an attempt to control and dominate the market. Didn't the wine brewers association or some such group help to spur on the prohibition in response to the competition being generated by the growing popularity of absinthe? Not sure where I came by that but I seem to recall something about it. And then there was that silly nonsense about Popcorn Sutton's Tennessee white whisky being packaged in bottles that looked too much like JD bottles. That was clearly unacceptable and ultimately made JD a nice chip of someone else's profits. Jim Beam can get away with it though, probably a good ol' boys thing. I suppose that's just how it is, that whole intellectual property thing
Well, I guess it doesn't matter that much for some back room hooch maker like me. If I make rum I ain't gonna call it whisky because it clearly isn't whisky. If I make a grain sugar head that tastes and smells like whisky then I'll probably call it whisky unless "ol' coon pecker" makes people chuckle when they hear it

[Twisted Brick]

I also like the word "dephlegmator" as opposed to "reflux condenser"......

+1

Although they both work, the proper term dephlegmator with silent 'g' is certainly more elegant and accurate than the innocuous 'deflag', to be sure.

[Alchemist75]

I did find this:

http://alcoholreviews.com/2010/06/17/th ... key-types/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

The wording is somewhat vague though at one point seems to imply that a spirit distilled from fermented grains that has the taste and smell generally associated with whisky does in fact qualify. The guidelines make no mention of ferment specifics beyond the quality of being fermented grain mash. Not sure if this is 100% of the story but if it's that simple then one would get the impression that a sugar head could potentially qualify. Hmm.

[bluefish_dist]

Legally, a sugarhead is a DSS. Due to having a COLA for all spirits, commercial distillers use the BAM for details on spirits types, classes, and label requirements as it summarizes the CFR. In the end it even comes down to the specialist who reviews the cola. You can read about the frustration in application on the adi forum.
For the home distiller call it whatever you want. If it tastes like whiskey call it a whiskey.

[The Baker]

What it really comes down to is do you know what those little groups of capital letters stand for!

Geoff

[Alchemist75]

Yeah, that does sound like a headache. I've read a few horror stories about opening a craft distillery. Nothing I'd care to embark on personally, sometimes flying below the radar has it's perks.