Triple Distillation of Whiskey

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Bushman
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Triple Distillation of Whiskey

Post by Bushman »

I am not going to comment on this article as I don’t want to influence people that read it.
https://www.whiskyadvocate.com/complex- ... tillation/
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

Post by Jack C »

very interesting read. Thanks for posting it.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

Post by 8Ball »

From the article: “Double-distillation has got more character in terms of the wholesome nature of the malt.”

My take is that a triple distilled spirit lacks the depth that double distilled does. More suited as a mixer than a sipper per the article. But, taste being subjective, if you want a very clean finish, then this is the ticket. I personally wouldn’t have a problem with either style, having held Kessler’s in high regard in my earlier years ...

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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

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8Ball wrote: Fri Jun 19, 2020 11:17 am From the article: “Double-distillation has got more character in terms of the wholesome nature of the malt.”

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I have always wondered what percentage of pot distilled product Woodford decides to blend into its column-distilled base spirit (produced in its Brown-Forman distillery in Shively, KY) to make their Distillers Select, Rye, and Double Oaked whiskies.

Since these are so masterfully blended (and marketed as pot-distilled), would they be considered double, triple, or quadruple distilled? :mrgreen:
Last edited by Twisted Brick on Fri Jun 19, 2020 1:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

Post by Expat »

Seems like they're doing a good job of ensuring that feints end up in the final product; profit in volume.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

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I want to do a triple distilled 100% oat whiskey to use for fruit infusions.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

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I triple distill pretty well everthing.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

Post by Tennessee_Spirits »

Does anyone actually know what the loss of alcohol is with each distillation? It is clear that there is an energy loss each time the solution is diluted with water, heated and vaporized and condensed. It is a simple contradiction that we use a pot still to retain flavor in the distillate and then distill repeatedly to bring that flavor back.
Clearly tradition in Scotland favors repeated distillation.
But myths abound in the production and sale of alcoholic products. Buyers like to see that vodka was distilled 100 times and that the product is in short supply. How does anyone separate the hype from fact?
It would seem that taste is the answer, but taste is cultural as well as biological.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

Post by seamusm53 »

We here in some fashion are the ultimate arbiters of what's hype vs fact but so are those few consumers who take time to actually compare one brand/style of whiskey against others. I read here somewhere that a huge percentage of the cost of a bottle is (after taxes) marketing and distribution surprisingly not actual production. Having tasted some absolute swill - Popeye Sutton's Shine comes to mind - the average consumer likes a certain brand because he liked the commercials or a friend likes it. Nothing wrong with that. Go capitalism! But WE have the privilege of figuring out what we really like and eventually how to make it - and as often as we wish.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

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Tennessee_Spirits wrote: Tue Jun 30, 2020 4:34 am It is clear that there is an energy loss each time the solution is diluted with water, heated and vaporized and condensed. It is a simple contradiction that we use a pot still to retain flavor in the distillate and then distill repeatedly to bring that flavor back.
I doubt any commercial triple distillers add water between distillations. To get the low wines abvs they want, they keep stripping until they attain them.

Personally, I use a preheater for triple distilling. Well before the low wines reach the abv I'm aiming for, (around 14%), the preheater is already stripping the next charge and producing more alcohol than the main boiler and saving a lot of the time and energy required. When running the last strip, I put the low wines I have into the preheater and that starts producing high wines before strip is finished, again saving time and energy. When the last strip is finished, the last of the low wines go into the main boiler with the partly stripped low wines.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

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I doubt any commercial triple distillers add water between distillations. To get the low wines abvs they want, they keep stripping until they attain them.

Agree.
Material handling frequency plays into the equation as well.
Every time you handle the product it costs money.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

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“Triple-distilled whisky is smooth, easy to drink, and flows over your tongue, but it does have less of a finish. As soon as you reduce character to a certain degree by triple-distillation, there are fewer differences; that’s arguably why Irish whiskeys are more similar to each other.” The more polished, refined spirit is associated with a smoother taste. That smoothness can lend itself to simple and refreshing cocktails like a Highball"

Making "refreshing cocktails" with Triple-distilled whisky :shock:
A drop of water, an ice cube if you must, but to use it as a mixer is sacreligious.
Ok, sorry I'll get off my soap box and go back to the corner :oops:
Last edited by shadylane on Tue Jun 30, 2020 4:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

Post by shadylane »

LWTCS wrote: Tue Jun 30, 2020 4:18 pm I doubt any commercial triple distillers add water between distillations. To get the low wines abvs they want, they keep stripping until they attain them.

Agree.
Material handling frequency plays into the equation as well.
Every time you handle the product it costs money.
Just thinking out loud
If the stripping run is long enough to lower the ABV of the low wines
There's a lot of the whiskey flavor in the sweet water.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

Post by NZChris »

The first strip goes way beyond where any of us would stop for double distilling.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

Post by shadylane »

The difference in stripping runs I can wrap my head around.
What I don't understand, they don't think in terms of foreshot and heads.
Everything gets recycled and they claim it adds desirable citrus flavors to the finished whiskey.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

Post by RedwoodHillBilly »

shadylane wrote: Tue Jun 30, 2020 5:07 pm Everything gets recycled and they claim it adds desirable citrus flavors to the finished whiskey.
Also adds hangovers to the finished whiskey.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

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shadylane wrote: Tue Jun 30, 2020 4:30 pm Making "refreshing cocktails" with Triple-distilled whisky :shock:
A drop of water, an ice cube if you must, but to use it as a mixer is sacreligious.
Ok, sorry I'll get off my soap box and go back to the corner.
You are not alone in that corner shady. :thumbup:

On the few occasions I have had to attend a party, I typically bring two bottles to share. One labeled “Sippin’ whiskey” (or rum) and one labeled “Mixin’ whiskey” and as long as folks follow those basic instructions, no fights take place. :wink: My Mixin’ whiskey is a barrel aged sugar head.

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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

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shadylane wrote: Tue Jun 30, 2020 5:07 pm The difference in stripping runs I can wrap my head around.
What I don't understand, they don't think in terms of foreshot and heads.
Everything gets recycled and they claim it adds desirable citrus flavors to the finished whiskey.
I doubt 'everything' gets recycled. I suspect they all get rid of some fores at some point/s during their runs.

Also, the term, 'foreshot' means different things in different regions and distilleries, so it is difficult to decipher what is meant each time you read it.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

Post by NZChris »

I only ever triple distil one batch, (three or four strips worth), so have never had the feints to recycle, but I can think of a lot more options than there are for double distilling, plus there are 1.5* options to consider as well.

For one, adding some fresh wash into the High Wines used in the third distillation puts acids into highish abv in a hot still charge providing an ideal environment for esterification. I will be trying this next time I do a triple, kind of like a 1.5* on steroids.
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Re: Triple Distillation of Whiskey

Post by LWTCS »

Slightly off topic but kind of relevant. Just trying to draw similarities.
The bourbon stills in Kentucky dont have the best reputation for making a good sharp cut.
Similarly, the system in Columbia, Illinois only sends .5% ABV down the drain as column bottoms.
Accumulated thumper juice gets pumped back to the beer well to be pushed through the system again. That contributes to formation of carboxylic acid that Chris refers to. Repeated exposure to heat can definitely change some alcohols. Propanol to Propanoic acid for example.

The continuous system can reduce heads but not nearly as precise as a batch still.
Point being, your favorite Bourbons made on Kentucky Bourbon stills contain lots of recycled constituents and some heads. Sleeping 4 years or more on oak matters.
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