My First Mash, Single Malt Whiskey

[AZJarhead]

My sugar shines come out good making Apple Pie and Peach.
Sweet Feed Whiskey not so much.
Now I am doing my 1st mash, off the grain.
Looking good so far. I used the Still Spirits yeast because I had it, but changing next time. Reviews are 50/50.
Fermenting started yesterday and looking great so far.
Borrowed and added from different recipes. Any feed back it appreciated.

Simple Mash In A Bag Single Malt Whiskey Recipe
6 gallons of water
10 Pounds Of Milled US 2 Row Pale Malt
2 Pounds Milled Medium Peat Malt
1 pkg of Still Spirits Whiskey Distiller's Yeast

- Heat the water in the mash tun to 158F (this is called the strike water)
- Once the strike water is at 158F add the mash bag and the crushed grains
Stir the grains with the mash paddle so there are no clumps or "dough balls"
Check the brewing thermometer and make sure the mash temperature is around 155

If the temperature is low, add heat or boiling water and stir. If the temperature is too hot, add ice and stir

Once the mash temperature is close to 155 add the lid and let mash for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, pulled out the mash bag and let the liquid drip back into the pot, squeezed out the rest.

Transferred wort to Fermentation barrel and inserted the immersion chiller
Chilled the mash to yeast pitching temperature -- 80 degrees
Take a hydrometer reading , starting gravity = 1.052
Pour wort between 2 buckets 4 times,
Add the yeast to the fermenter and then the airlock


Grain Weight: 12 lbs
Wort 7 gal
Final Gravity: 1.052
Estimated Alcohol By Volume: 7.0%
PH of Water 7.0
PH of Wort prior to pitching Yeast 4.4

[River Rat]

That should make some fine whiskey . If you want a slightly higher starting gravity try mashing at 148-150 degrees next time. I know that's a small temp adjustment but I bet you'll see a difference.

[Durhommer]

You will enjoy the quality over quantity going to a grain based likker

[8Ball]

That should make some fine whiskey . If you want a slightly higher starting gravity try mashing at 148-150 degrees next time. I know that's a small temp adjustment but I bet you'll see a difference.

+1

[AZJarhead]

Thanks for the input. Gives me more confidence in what I am doing. Will go for 148-150 degrees next time.

Question for next batch.
I really like Apple. So. Using the above recipe with my SS Pot still (no thumper), stripping run and then spirit run.
Could I add either juice from chopped/crushed apples or apple juice in the spirit run to give it a Apple flavor. And if so how much.
I like drinking Old Smokey's Mango/Habanero whiskey and would love to make some likker like that but happy with Apple.

[River Rat]

You certainly could. No idea if it would be any good, but that would be up to you to decide.

[Docstiller]

Would mashing at 158 denature the enzymes? Is that what would lead to a lower SG? Sorry noob question. Asking for a friend

[River Rat]

There is plenty of reading on here that explains it, but in a nut shell: you need action from both the alpha amylase and the beta amylase in the malt. Alpha likes higher temps than the beta. You want to be warm enough to allow the alpha to do its work, but not so warm that you denature the beta. 150 seems to be the happy medium to get the most out of each enzyme.